lyric for 'Say you will' from CD booklet
The song of the Australian magpie, described sometimes as quoidling, has always been one of my favourite sounds and a fitting start to the third track, Little creatures; an ode to nature and mature love. If you listen carefully you can hear an answering magpie, as well as some crows and a bellbird in the background… all sounds to bring tears to the eyes of ex-pat Australians. Following this charming interlude the intro sets the harmonic foundation of the track; a scale on stereo harmonised classical guitars with the mellow richness of a major ninth chord strummed on the steel string acoustic guitar and the exquisite sound of Jen Anderson’s violin. This is the only track on the album I sing myself, my vocal flanked by violin, accordion and guitars, all acoustic, with no drums or percussion, keeping the atmosphere intimate. The string section which enters with the first verse was multi-tracked by Jen, three violins and a viola, and then with the second chorus a low frequency synth drone fills out the bottom end. During this chorus Diana Clark sings a background harmony, and she is joined by Mei Lai Swan for the breakdown vocal section. The guitar solo is over a different chord progression, giving it a bridging role, before resolving back to the chorus structure, where all the different elements weave amongst each other. Then, after what seems to be the final E major chord on the vintage Suzuki steel string acoustic, three nylon string classical guitars triplet the major ninth chord again, while George Butrumlis’s accordion at its most lyrical gives a subtle “Lark ascending” like outro, slipping quietly into more nature sounds, this time a billabong at night, where the Little Creatures are stirring.