Tyrone Warner sent me a link to a homebrew album he just made called "Never Was" The big fat slow intro of the first ballad reminds me of a ship rolling out of the dark ocean to a lighthouse – oh it is called Lighthouse, reminiscent of all things I like about Proof of Ghosts. He has a mellodica or harmonica around the recorder, I worry that the mellodica will appear on every track, sometimes a stray mellodica can kill the best intentions. Nice that I had to wait for a 2 minute break before hearing the chorus. He never puts his faith in anyone cos people all disappoint. Bummed out like Lou Barlow. I am liking this. Nice to hang on to one word “Lighthouse”. More liveblogging after the throw.

20 Foot Propeller another slow one, another aquatic theme, Tyrone seems to be looking off to the horizon trying to lift himself out of this little world of little niggly details by staring hard eastward across the Atlantic. Reflects how the rest of still feel awake even when we sleep, that weight of day to day life like a gorilla sitting on your chest. I like that thump thump thump sound about 2 minutes in, like thunder is playing in time. Silver Speakers might be hiding every key to every song at 2 minutes, when all the chaff has burned away and the people who are in it for the whole song can appreciate it.

I Am A Black Wind, song three where the radio hit is supposed to be. A black wind on Lake Ontario, I like the local geographical references so far, I love milking the sense of impending doom, I never have the patience to keep a tune reined in though, but now I see how it’s done. There it is again around two minutes in, the thump rhythm joins the song. The pretty bit breaks out when the solitary thought hits the bridge and he will take you home, make you whole.

William Lyon MacKenzie King wasn’t he the leader of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion? The song sounds like a drunk throwing off his coat – isn’t John A MacDonald supposed to be Canada’s sauced leader? Then again maybe Silver Speakers are thinking about the enigmatic supernaturalist prime Minister. A bit of a reading rainbow vibe as we crawl around this historical figure’s brain. The whole album is hovering around that 120BPM so far. He’s talking about God holy cow how are you supposed to be taken with ironic detachment if you’re being sincere and earnest?

Go out to the Woods and Pray starting off with a found talking bit, ironically the speech is also trucking along at 120 bpm, then the strange klezmerish sound feeds back and he’s smooshing out a heavy effects laden bit, so far so good. I am in the woods. I smell balsam and cedar and morning dew, a crow caws, and Tyrone sings “Go out to the woods and pray” now even though we’re talking about an inland location we still have this gentle sea shanty vibe. But now the speed of the tune has slowed to a more ominous tempo, the song is twisting and drifting and I’m beginning to really enjoy this trip. Oh at 2 minutes he hits the sister tend the fire while I’m away vibe, the fire has to burn bright so even God can see. There’s another God reference, and now he’s regressed back to his birth. Born on the ground. Away from the water.

The Bicycle Accident has an ominous title but seems to have the happiest-go-luckiest feel of them all. I hear the waves breaking on the beach, and I feel slowed down again, another song slumping along at less than 120BPM but without the ominous vibe of Go out to the woods, but as the easy breezy description of the bike accident happens the fear is in the words and the music has an ether induced good times feel. I wish Dylan gave us a blow by blow of his motorcycle accident like this, thinking about dying seems to be a universal meme, the worms made a meal of his old body, and presto he puts a new one on – resurrection theme! This quick little song is the turn.

Thrift Store Camera slows down again, I like the noodly doodly guitar that falls down over the song, looking forward to seeing what the first half of the film contains. Oh the wait ... a kitchen! A blurred out face! A midi keyboard? What’s it all about! Another universal theme of wondering what it’s all about. And he wants to talk God again. I’m liking how fearlessly these lyrics think about life death and God, I really thought only the Simpson’s were the post-irony outfit to talk about souls and after-death-lives.

Song For Wade Belak must have been one of the last ones recorded, I like the introduction of fuzzed out vocals and the drums remind me of a heart going out. One of the great things about making your own damn album is you don’t have to wait 18 months for a topical song to get dated before the album is released. Another life and death and after death life song. Starting to think heavy thoughts. I’m glad I’m listening to this in broad daylight.

A World Called Solitude is exactly what the second last song of an album should be – the inadvertently good throwaway. He’s not talking about life and death this time, the lyrics are kookier, but he’s diving right into isolation and desertion, he’s stopping by the woods on a snowy evening. For this song, being the throwaway, there’s no resolution waiting around two minutes, he’s still bitter and robbed of joy, but he has kooky robot lyrics. It’s been a long time since I read the Little Prince. I should pick that up again.

120 beats a minute makes it easy to find your way to the last track, I Fell Away From Your Heart. This song is a cherry. I like the ancientness of this song, that sense of a distant rainshower outside, simple lyrics, and the classic song about the hard hard heart that never fell for me takes us to port. I like the slightly mismatched double tracked vocals, the thunder outside is getting stronger around two minutes in, the repetition of themes and elements brings me to a dark and low but reassuringly calm place, I’m done being brought down and it left me redeemed and lighter going out than I was going in. I think the idea of looking up into the sky for a face leaves a nice post-album vector. All in all a great example of homebrewed honesty and staying true to the inside vibe of the artist. See it if you like looking out at the lake from an empty beach when it’s cool out and there’s no-one around.

Oh joy! A hidden track! What is real? Was this real? What is the universe, is it a vision or is it a distant memory? I'm glad I shared these feelings, like the hidden track implies, feeling these same feelings that other sad isolated souls feel makes me feel connected, like I'm not the only moping freak out there, that it's okay to have gloom with sunshine and lollipops, that everybody else feels and thinks along these lines too, this is what I liked about Lou Barlow all those years ago, that's what I like about Never Was today.

Listen for yourself here: http://silverspeakers.bandcamp.com/album/never-was