Sun Scorched Songs of Sorrow

Helen Bell

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1. Rags and Questions 04:37
2. Two Before the Five 03:43
3. Jackdaw 03:55
4. Vignette No. 2 03:33

"Sun-Scorched Songs of Sorrow" is the second in a series of three EPs that will eventually form my next full-length album.

This collection of four songs is loosely themed around our relationship with the physical world. Unsurprisingly, one of the main topics is the climate crisis, particularly in relation to the systems of capitalism that restrict our actions in tackling it, as explored in “Rags and Questions” and “Jackdaw”.

Not all of the songs are sad, though: “The Two Before the Five” is about pivot points, and the redirection of energy into something unexpected.

“Vignette No. 2” is a reworking of an old song from ten years ago, which only had one verse. (You can hear this on my first album, "Roll as a Hexagon".) This new version can stand alone, but also can be viewed as a second verse to the original, documenting another tiny slice of zeitgeist a bit further down the road.

The songs were all written during the last three or four years. At the time of writing them I had not anticipated that I would be releasing them just a few days after the temperature here in the UK had passed 40°C for the first time on record.

released July 24, 2022

released July 24, 2022

All songs written by Helen Bell, and arranged by Helen Bell and Xenogon

Recorded by Helen Bell and Xenogon

Produced and mixed by Xenogon and Helen Bell

Vocals, viola, violin, keyboards and recorders by Helen Bell
5-string electric bouzouki, bass guitar, drums and temperamental calculations by Xenogon.
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