The latest Duo Ex Machina song project song has been released!
As with all the Duo Ex Machina songs, I wrote the lyrics and main melody; and it was refined, arranged and the music performed by Josh King of Golden Hour Studios.
This one is a bit different as, instead of getting in another vocalist, I’m the singer this time around! (Many thanks to Josh for the voice coaching and guidance through the recording process).
About Illuminated
This song was written for a BBC Sherlock fanfic series called Guitar Man, (which I wrote under the pseudonym 221b_hound). Guitar Man is an “epic-best-friends” interpretation of their relationship, which grew from a prompt that “John used to be in a band and Sherlock finds out”.
The song project in some ways began with that series, because I needed to write the songs that young John had played in his band. This meant I had to think about his back story and write the songs I think he would write, reflecting on his life and experiences. Our previous song release, Copper Beaches, was written from the PoV of that young John.
Illuminated is obviously a song that this fanficced John wrote about his new flatmate – a response to Sherlock telling him that, while not being luminous himself, he is a conductor of light in others. SUch a backhanded compliment, but in this lyric it has led John to reflect on his own dual nature (as doctor/soldier, follower/leader, and more). He acknowledges that however he receives and conducts light, he is very much illuminated by Sherlock’s incredible powers of observation, deductdion and crime-solving, which have given John new purpose after almost dying in Afghanistan and losing his military career.
The song also references Scotland Yard’s attitude to Sherlock, Sherlock’s comments on not being an angelm and the Gordian Knot.
This song is particularly close to my heart, as it’s one of the earliest ones that set me on the path of playing with lyrics and music again. It would mean a lot to me if you’d give it a listen 🙂
You can stream/listen to Illuminated on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes and Soundcloud, or buy it from my Ko-Fi site.
You can also listen to it here on YouTube (and subscribe if you’d like to know when Duo Ex Machina releases its next song!)