After premiering the video for the new single from M. John Henry a fortnight ago, we’re delighted to bring you today Martin’s track-by-track rundown of the new album ‘Strange Is The Way’ which is out tomorrow on Gargleblast Records.
As the former De Rosa-frontman told us in the video piece, ‘Strange Is The Way’ is very much rooted in the folk-rock tradition, focussing on both acoustic and electric guitars with few synths in the mix.
So without any further ado, over to Martin for a run through of the background to each track … after an important disclaimer!
“I think it’s important to say that a song is a thing in itself and that no amount of explanation can add or take away from it. What you hear is the complete thing. However, for those who are interested in a little more of my thoughts around each, read on…”
Avenues
“I had this wee lilting guitar part for a long time before a lyrical idea came. Our kids were very small at the time and the music had a gentleness to it, so it felt right that the song would be a letter to them. I wrote the words while on holiday in New York while the kids were staying with my parents, so there’s an element of parental guilt in there too.”
You Show Me Ways
“When I look back at my childhood there’s so much nature; fishing, walks, trees, birds, sea. As a parent I’m always trying to give my kids the same and when we do those moments seem to be as close to contentment and true happiness as I’ve known. My Dad was turning 70 when I was writing this and I was looking back through all the old, fading photos. There’s loss but also the realisation that we have the tools to recreate the best moments in new ways.”
Heart Of Coal
“There’s a continuing theme in all my work of our working-class history. My old band De Rosa spent a few months working at Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life back in 2016. This song came out of that, and I performed an early acoustic version of it at the museum. I finally finished the song for this album.
“The lyrics were inspired by some newspaper articles and mining poetry I read in the archive, detailing the horrors of the Stanrigg mining disaster of 1918. In the lyrics there is an idea of the shiny, modern world hiding a darker history. There’s definitely elements of 60s West Coast folk rock on this song which is a nice nod to the Bellshill bands, Teenage Fanclub etc.”
I’ll Watch From Here
“Sometimes the meaning of a song evolves and changes with time. This came from an early demo of mine from about 20 years ago which was a sad sort of end-of-a-relationship song. When I sang it for this record I changed a few lines and for me it has become this translucent poem about domesticity, family, memory and the feelings we choose to let go of.”
Northern Strangers
“This song started as a title given to me by my artist friend Kris Boyle. Our eldest child shares my enthusiasm for folklore and this song was written after reading many Scottish and Irish folk tales to them.
“I imagined an angel or fairy and what might happen if she visited me. I had been thinking about creativity and how in a capitalist society making art or music for the sake of it can be seen as strange or a waste of time. I also believe that a skilled artist can show the familiar as strange or new. They can reveal the mystery in the everyday. The angel in the song gives the gift of strangeness.”
Vessels
“This is a love song. I don’t write many of these and you can tell. It’s opaque, but there’s enough in there that my wife will recognise. Blood vessels / seagoing vessels. You get the drift. It’s messy and pretty at the same time, mainly due to my basic drumming and other non-musicianship.”
Fortlet
“A long time ago I spent a lot of time walking the Roman wall we have across central Scotland. So I had all this history going around in my head when I recorded this improvised song as a guitar and vocal sketch, probably 15 or more years ago.
“I presented this to Robert (Dallas Gray, who mixed the album) as a demo but he liked it as it was. I added some strings/organs and voila, it’s on the record.
“It’s funny that it says ‘I’ll stop now’ and ‘What this means?’, at the same moment I presume the listener will be thinking that.”
The Lord Is Here
“One of my biggest musical influences from childhood onwards has been Neil Young. ‘Harvest’ and ‘After The Goldrush’ are like family heirlooms.
“This song takes that and runs with it from the start. Some spirituality seems to creep into my songwriting a lot and there’s a lot in here, but I like that it’s placed on an even keel with dreams and nature. The refrain at the end ‘The Lord is here’, ‘She’s in my house, She’s in my mouth’ is my heretical claim that God is in what we do and what we create; In my case, music.”
Yet / Agnes
“I like to play with the piano although I don’t know anything about playing the piano. I almost always play with the sustain pedal on and my piano is slightly out of tune so you get these long resonances with a little bit of dissonance.
“I was messing around with these chords when Storm Agnes was passing over, hence the title. They took me to a place of reflection so I started to sing about my past in the band, touring around and being young. Then I went back to childhood, early memories, and it put me in a pretty dark place where I started to ask ‘What’s yet to come?’
“There’s a lot of hope in the word ‘yet’ though, and I think that the song starts to get there. Robert thought I sounded like Art Garfunkel on this, which I take as a compliment.”
Drawing In D
“After ‘Yet / Agnes’, this record has no more words to say, but musically I wanted to end on something lighter. This is an improvised song on acoustic guitar in an open D tuning. I let my slightly clumsy fingers do the drawing.
“You can tell I’m into John Fahey here.”
‘Strange Is the Way’ is released by Gargleblast Records on tomorrow (20 June). The orange vinyl record, CD and download are available to pre-order here.
To launch the album, Martin is playing co-headline shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh with Robert Dallas Gray as follows:
The Old Hairdresser’s, Glasgow – Saturday 5 July
Leith Depot, Edinburgh – Sunday 6 July
- Spare Snare / The Grand Gestures - 3 July 2025
- Robert Dallas Gray - 2 July 2025
- M. John Henry - 19 June 2025