Josh and I have had a very productive few months and since my last song post about “Illuminated”, we’ve complete three more songs!
Sink or Swim
This song is referenced in my novella Duo Ex Machina 3: Number One Fan, featuring the characters of Milo Bertolone and his boyfriend and music partner, Frank Capriano. Milo wrote this song in response to his mental health struggles, particularly with PTSD after being kidnapped and almost murdered in book 2 of the series. Lead vocals this time are by Ebony Gray, who has such a clear and pure voice!
Listening
The next two songs Josh and I worked on were inspired by Dr John Watson (in particular, a fanfic series I wrote a long time ago, in which John used to be in a band and then Sherlock found out. They still fight crime together, but John also writes songs about his life and about Sherlock).
“Listening” draws on the idea that after Sherlock’s disappearance at the Reichenbach Falls, and John’s return to London, that John hears his missing friend everywhere in the city that they both love. He’s haunted by his loss – and perhaps harbours a dream, a wish, a hope, that his friend may one day return. I sing lead on this one, and my thanks again to Josh for making me sound so good!
Honour
‘Honour’ is my take on how John Watson may feel about his his medals (in some interpretations he has at least one) and his experiences of PTSD (in A Study in Scarlet he tells Holmes “I object to rows because my nerves are shaken”). He is after all a battlefield doctor and returned soldier, wounded (perhaps twice) and mustered out to a civilian life where (until he meets Holmes) he feels lost.
So often we don’t truly see Watson because, as the narrator of his stories, he shines the light upon his much-admired friend. “Honour” is an exploration of what else might lie beneath the surface of fiction’s most famous biographer.
Musician, arranger and producer Joshua King sings the lead on this one, and the bagpipe section was improvised and performed by my brother Richard Harris, who is an excellent piper who has appeared professionally with pop stars and at the Edinburgh Tattoo!
I hope you enjoy the music. You can stream Duo Ex Machina songs on several platforms:
You can also buy the tracks directly from my KoFi shop.