Track by Track: Jane Tyrrell

JANE TYRRELL has spent time in bands ranging from Firekites to The Herd. Her stunning debut solo album ‘Echoes in the Aviary’ features members of Machine Translations, PVT and Axolotl and recalls everything from Portishead to smoky jazz standards.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.]

‘Wild Waters’

Sometimes when you chase a song you’ll experience that it’s always just out of reach; it’s a thread being whipped around by a gust of wind and you just can’t grab hold of it. Co-producer Pip Norman heard a demo of a song I had rewritten several times in the demo phase and just hadn’t caught. He insisted it had potential, so I reopened it and gave it another shot with him. We eventually caught it, wrestled it into submission and realised it.

I had never written a love song before but it seemed like a lovely bookend to a journey that had begun with heartache and ended with newfound love. I found my line to the centre whilst writing this album.

‘Echoes in the Aviary’

The title track is song about my journey as an artist. It explores the internal discussions I have with myself whilst I pursue my creative endeavors. It came to me in the throws of the last chapter of the recording process and was beautifully realised with Pip Norman by my side.

‘The Rush’

The first time I heard this track, co-written with Richard and Laurence Pike (PVT), I fell in love with the rhythm and synth hooks. This narrative had to be based on speed and tension. So we weaved a tale of two incompatible lovers hurtling toward their ultimate fate, foolishly guided by lust and self-deception.

‘The First Stand’

This particular song is very special to me because of the way it emerged – and because it was written in honor of the most remarkable young woman, Malala Yousafzai – who has just been awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace prize.

I was haunted by a combination of melodies and counter-rhythms one morning. My engineer and co-producer was away at the time so I decided I’d track these ideas myself and try to essentially compose a song with my voice alone. When we got back in the studio together, I showed him this piece and we developed the vocal composition into an instrumental arrangement.

For me, lyrics are often shaped by the spirit of the song; at first without words, but with a presence the lyrics then try to describe. This track had a taunting melody, kind of like the ones children sing to each other in the schoolyard. Once Dustin McLean (Axolotl) added the percussive elements and all the instruments were surging together, the song took on this magnificent sense of purpose that hadn’t yet been explored on the album.

‘Raven’

This story was a wonderful organic happening. Lyrically fine-tuned several times over the course of the album-writing cycle, but honouring my original melodic reaction to the wonderful Pike and Dustin McLean collaboration.

This song explores the exchange of darkness between two people in the form of a raven. (I was watching a lot of Game of Thrones at the time!)

‘Ships’

This song was born out of a wonderful moment of personal clarity. There had to be a song that documented this pivotal experience. The entire production crew collaborated on this one. The outro is one of my favourite moments on the album.

‘Among the Bells’

I met J Walker in 2008 when I was in the Newcastle band Firekites. We were touring with his band Machine Translations, promoting our album The Bowery. His lyricism and musicality struck me as very special.

In 2013 I performed a national theatre tour (with Urthboy) supporting Paul Kelly’s incredible album Spring and Fall (itself co-produced by J Walker); imagine my surprise at finding him in the touring band! We were reacquainted and shared the stage a few times as I ended up doing backing vocals for Paul and guesting in his set throughout the tour.

We discussed writing together on the road and I suggested we hop right to it. I still had a few vignettes I wanted to paint to complete my vision of the album. He was the right guy to collaborate with for my tribute to all things film noir and Agatha Christie (he is also a big fan). It’s a big part of my inspiration as a visual artist, and at the time I had become increasingly obsessed with the TV series Poirot.

This is also the song where Maud Many-Hands (the character on the album cover) was born. She is my performer persona and up until this point I had not been acquainted with her. Her strength and aesthetic struck me and so she became one half of the face of Echoes in the Aviary.

‘Stolen Apples’

Doing a national tour with Paul Kelly while you’re writing an album is of course a fantastic reminder of how magical music can be. The storytelling and the imagery he and his incredible band conjured were profoundly inspiring. This tour reacquainted me with my love for the theatre stage; it’s a deep connection I have always felt, but never had the opportunity to thoroughly explore.

Night after night, I found myself teleported by Paul’s incredible lyricism, specifically his ability to paint a lifelike scene more through the things he leaves out. I was inspired to push myself lyrically and study some of my favourite songwriters. I happened upon Paul’s track ‘Stolen Apples’ (released 2007) while I was researching. I was completely enamoured with the world inside it and felt a strong connection. I decided I’d shake of the mid-tour slump in songwriting and just try to reimagine ‘Stolen Apples’ as a way to force myself back in action. I set up a session with Dustin McLean and started coming together almost effortlessly.

I played it to Paul the following week and he gave it his blessing. He says he is glad it made the cut.

‘Transcendent’

‘Transcendent’ was the first song written for the album, at the end of 2012, shortly after my paternal grandfather passed away. It’s a song about grief and the way it affected me.

‘Shapeshifters’

During the writing of this album I felt disconnected from society and seduced by the magic nature of making music. So I thought I’d have a crack at writing a song about it.

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‘Echoes in the Aviary’ comes out today on CD and digital through Elefant Traks, with crowdfunded vinyl up for pre-order here. Launch dates below.

Fri, Dec 5 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney, NSW
Sat, Dec 6 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Fri, Jan 9 – The Forum, Melbourne, VIC [w/Asgier]