This is a pair of tracks that me and my colleagues at Unthinkable Consulting just made for Matthew Shorter's 40th birthday. Matthew's role in this is slightly odd in that he didn't know he was contributing to the tracks at all. I made one track, the apostrophe one, mashing together two sessions of recording from Matthew; one keyboard, one Bassoon! Simon took Matthew's keyboard improvising for another track and slung in some extra guitar improvisation on top.

Anyhow we had a great night at your 40th Matthew, and I for one am very pleased to have been verbally abused by you all those years ago. It certainly changed my life for the better.

Can you guess why it is called XL?

Well well this is pretty late arriving. This is an album of pieces I have been working on with Sylvie for about the last five or so years. Some of course just got finished up last week, others have gone through so many versions I have forgotten when they started or who did what. You'll hear Sylvie on various vocals and on the cello, but she also helped to shape the sound of the pieces in all manner of ways.

If you want a version of the album for yourself you can now grab it on from the shop here. I must say it sort of a relief to have finally got these together and in a fit enough state to make public. Hooray.

You know when you need noise to blot out all that thinking? I do. This is one of those noise songs - short, furious and designed so that you can shimmy off your over empathetic mind.

I reckon this is as big an image that I can safely fit in this column. And yes it is a crane fly drying off in the cool November morning sun. The music feels a little dew drenched, and warmed by Pete Marsh's bass. I expect he has forgotten his role in this one. The rest is me with a half broken guitar and a lot of overlaid organ. It believe it has the kind of grandeur I seek daily for myself.

I have Bertie sitting next to me. He has a scrunched up feather in his hand. He says that he likes raining and that he is going to drink all the rain. I'd like to see that. In the meantime, here is a little beige number for you. Apologies for the three month gap in service.

And welcome to track number four of our collaboration. Some people like the process of slow food, we like slow music making. Build it up, let it sit, have a listen, let it sit some more, give it a stir and add some tiny bits of extra melody, leave it for a season.

Bur I think it is ready now and surely any more cooking and it would be over done. This analogy is great, I can't let it go, my whole life can be seen through the lens of extreme cooking, it tells us so much about ourselves.

Anyway it has beats, wonky piano, strumping guitar and some dusted distortion and fe. The image is from the meadow across the way - it is about to be chopped so I thought I'd better get in there with the macro lens.

I'm very pleased to be putting this ten track selection of Roland's piano music up. It has taken some time to make the choices, get them in the right order and then test them in a speeding car. But I think the timing has turned out well - to release them into the wild in a July with much of the same character as the music - constantly turning, filled with uncertainty yet perfectly warm.

This selection is a mixture of solo piano music and music for two pianos and I for one am looking forward to the live performance. I'll keep you posted on that, and if by chance you're a pianist who would be up for playing these pieces do let me know.

I will be putting them up on Bandcamp soon in the usual way.

This is the first film I worked on with Orla Mc Hardy. Seems quite a while ago now. I was clearly in a more gentle wobbly guitar mood then. Lovely light on walls moments in this - makes me think (dream) of afternoon snoozes.

This is the film I worked on a while ago with Alice Lyons and Orla Mc Hardy. We are working on a new one at the moment which I am very excited about, but it is great to be able to get this one up.

Yes, I have done it. I have survived the upload to Bandcamp. And for that effort I can now say that ANTSTAR II is available to purchase, keep and enjoy.