Ill Starred Captain's long awaited album "Black Swan Eye" was released on the fourth of November, 2010 on the bands Seawitch Music label. After four long years of gestation, the two piece band is overjoyed at having their second full length album complete along with four high-quality videos to accompany the release. The four video tracks are Four Feet Away, Black Swan Eye, All Good Too Easy and Her Lover Swan Out to Sea. Musically Black Swan Eye covers a vast range of moods and sounds, there's everything from adrenaline-charged surf punk, to exquisitely crafted balladry, with wild hearted blues and flamenco touches. Lyrically the songs explore themes of love, madness, death and transformation in a richly diverse and often humorous way.
Guitarist/songwriter Scott Bassham explains Black Swan Eye's long creation as "a kind of distillation of all our experiences while making the record." We toured constantly throughout Australia, making money to record and during that time, soaked up everything that happened to us, physically, artistically and spiritually, crushing it all into the songs. What you hear is the wine that resulted from so much experience. Ill Starred Captain's road over the last four years has been both very exhausting and inspiring for the band. "We are a totally indie band where Justin Francis and I run everything, production, touring, the Seawitch Music Label, all on a shoe string and with absolutely no handouts.
We threw ourselves on a massive touring schedule to raise the money to produce this album and for a long time we seriously wondered if the band would survive to see it through to its completion. Now that it's done and out in the world, we're hugely proud of it. The record is a testament to our will to survive, creatively, physically and spiritually. Finishing it means a lot to us."
1) Black Swan Eye:You know how lovers are, hey turn into swans! 2) The Universe is Laughing: GRAFFITI in a burned down house, it's true though! 3) All Good too Easy:You can't please everybody, brother, so go make some noise! 4) Four Feet Away: When the ice finally breaks up around you, you better know how to swim! 5) Wendigo Howl:There's something scary in the woods! Ricardo? Is that you??? 6) Her Lover Swam out to Sea: What the tide takes away, it may not be able to bring back.... 7) Sisters: Wisteria,bees,crickets....an South Australian summer. 8) Red Dog Blues: I love those Ironstone bones of Northern West Australia. 9) Beloved, Prepare my House: ......sang Johnny to June. 10) Westward and Beyond:Wine pours down my face, I'm a goddamn disgrace, but ya gotta let the blind lead the blind.
"A SOUND THAT SPEAKS OF COUNTRY ROADS,TRAVELLING ADVENTURES AND A MYRIAD OF STORIES”. ATHRON MCCANN, THE BEAT MAGAZINE, BALI, INDONESIA 2010
WORDS & MUSIC: SCOTT BASSHAM PRODUCED BY JUSTIN FRANCIS & SCOTT BASSHAM RECORDED & ENGINEERED BY DAVE LOKAN, BIG SOUND STUDIO'S, ADELAIDE, GLENUNGA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA BETWEEN 29TH APRIL 2006 – 20TH NOVEMBER 2009. MIXED BY DAVE LOKAN, SCOTT BASSHAM & JUSTIN FRANCIS MASTERED BY DAVE LOKAN JUSTIN FRANCIS: DRUM KIT, BACKING VOCALS ON 'ALL GOOD TOO EASY", TAMBORINE, SPANISH CAJON DRUM, BELLS & HANDCLAPS. SCOTT BASSHAM: ELECTRIC & ACOUSTIC GUITARS, VOCALS, MANDOLIN, BASS GUITAR, WURLITZER ELECTRIC PIANO, MARACCA SHAKER, HAND CLAPS & TAMBORINE. GUEST MUSICIANS: KATIA SMITH PROVIDES VOCALS ON 'WESTWARD & BEYOND'. ELI IANUCCI PROVIDES BACKING VOCALS & HARMONICA ON THE 'UNIVERSE IS LAUGHING'. DAVE LOKAN PROVIDES HAND CLAPS ON 'ALL GOOD TOO EASY'. TRACKS, 'WENDIGO HOWL' & 'WESTWARD & BEYOND' WERE RECORDED BY DREW PARKER AT SCHPANG STUDIO'S IN PORT LINCOLN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA IN 2007. DRUM KIT WAS RECORDED BY PETER MIHILARAS @ ATLANTIS STUDIO'S PORT LINCOLN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA IN 2009. PHOTOGRAPHY: EDDY CRABTREE, JEFF CORNEY, CARINA CORNEY, KATJA Storch, SCOTT BASSHAM & ROHAN LYNDSAY. COVER DESIGN & GRAPHIC ARTWORK: JUSTIN FRANCIS & COREY - IGGA HENNECKER. WORDS & MUSIC COPYRIGHT SCOTT BASSHAM 2010 BLACK SWAN EYE L.P. COPYRIGHT SEAWITCH MUSIC 2010
