FAWM.ORG | The Serviettes

Artist Bio

Influences: Jonathan Bree, Phoebe Bridgers, Timber Timbre, Ex:Re, Karen O/Danger Mouse, Bon Iver, Francoise Hardy, Eels, Michael Kiwanuka, Perfume Genius, Low, David Sylvian, Pedro the Lion, Goldfrapp, Brecht/Weill, James Blake, Bjork, Benjamin Clementine, The Breeders, Serge Gainsbourg, Car Seat Headrest, Dagmar Krause, David Bowie, Beatles, Portishead, Jacques Brel, Elliott Smith, SFA, Pulp, Mitski, Big Thief, Courtney Barnett, BC Camplight, Sufjan Stevens, Chamber Pop, Lounge, Ye-ye, Surf, 60s Pop, Psychedelia, Tropicalia

He/him

Well, that was an uneventful year! I miss the halcyon days of FAWM 2020, when all we had to worry about was that half the world was on fire. Good times.

I've had a reasonably productive year music-wise but I've not actually written that many songs. I spent most of it finishing my second album:

http://hyperurl.co/theserviettesalbum

This means recently I've spent far too long clicking a mouse instead of actually playing music and I'm bored by it. My demos will likely be a bit more lo-fi this year! I've got a few new toys to play with - a vocal effects unit, a pocket drum machine, banjo - which I hope will speed up my work flow a bit.

I think that I rely on story/concept songs a bit too much, so I'm aiming to write some lyrics that are a bit more oblique and poetic (cue 14 story songs!).

Check out some other miscreants from my home town of Medway, if you dare:

@balancelost
@tomski
@girlsinuniform
@spikedirection

Songs (17)

#1	Beauty in Winter indie bedroom-pop noir	23 Feb 3
#2	So Far From Home fawmtronica synthwave	19 Feb 5
#3	Do You Believe in Angels? indie indie-folk	15 Feb 7
#4	There's a Scream Stuck in My Throat orchestral cinematic	38 Feb 7
#5	The Sea is Not Enough indie-folk lo-fi singer-songwriter one-take 2chordcycle	27 Feb 11
#6	Tell Me Not to Go indie 60s-psych	11 Feb 14
#7	Someone or Something indie-pop power-pop	13 Feb 14
#8	We Paint Dead Flowers moody afrobeat minimalist fawmtronica	10 Feb 18
#9	State of a Nation lo-fi indie-folk one-take-ish	12 Feb 18
#10	Michelango's Crucifix fawmtronica indie-pop	21 Feb 21
#11	High Water Mark indie indie-pop bedroom-pop dreampop	9 Feb 23
#12	So, They Are Human After All fawmtronica daft-punk-tribute	14 Feb 23
#13	Linda rnb indie-soul emo-sadcore-rnb-hybrid all-weekly-challenges-in-1	9 Feb 25
#14	Do You Think We've Jumped the Shark? indie 70s-soundtrack	7 Feb 26
#15	Gone in the Dark orchestral cinematic serial-killer	15 Feb 27
#16	Eton Mess singer-songwriter one-take guy-with-piano lo-fi uk-politics	7 Feb 28
#17	Can't Drink Almond Milk fawmtronica illegal-samples milk-sustainability	10 Feb 28

Soundboard

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@wolfkier 6 weeks

care to help a little? https://fawm.org/forums/topic/11940/
@shelleroo1 Mar 12

Hey, @sailingmagpie! Thanks so much for the awesome comments! I'll make sure to spend some time on your stuff tomorrow. Let me know if there's any in particular you'd like me to check out!
@audrey Mar 11

Thank you for the kind comment. It's appreciated.
@berni1954 Mar 11

Glad you liked my Hotdogs for Hobbits. The skirmish theme for that o0ne was "Hotdogs" or "Hobbits" and the prize for combining the two was the host saying she'd listen to all of the songs of the person who pulled that off. I hope she has the time to squeeze in that promise before April 14th 😁

Ah, Tom Bombadil. What a shame Peter Jackson never included him in the Trilogy (not even the extended version).
@shelleroo1 Mar 10

Interested in a #tit4tat, @sailingmagpie?
@berni1954 Mar 10

Glad you liked my "Sailing Away" - the Gmaj7 opening was one I came up with while seeking inspiration for chord sequences on a website that generates them for you. The free version only does 4 chords, but the Gmaj7 to Em was exactly what I was looking for.
@mattoxic Mar 9

Hi, just saying thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. And wow, I'm in awe of what you've managed to put together for this years' FAWM. Really impressive body of work.
@balancelost Mar 7

https://fawm.org/songs/119521/
Check this one out. It's my submission for the 2021 "FAWM song that most sounds like a track from Six" award.
@lennie Mar 5

Thank you for your comment and advice "Agree on pushing vocals up a bit." I think I'll be calling this month (learn to) mix March 😀
@nuno Mar 5

Great - looking forward to it. I owe Richaaaay some listens and then I'll be straight onto you. It's going to be a busy but fun evening 😁
@tawalker Mar 5

Many thanks for your kind comments on “Meander” - I do like the “Sweater Weather Instrumentals” playlist, especially if it’s a bit cold, grey and damp outside!
@lanasolyluna Mar 5

Thank you for your comment about the liner notes! I wasn't sure if anyone actually read them 😀
@nuno Mar 5

Hi there - @WolfKier directed me over to you. Are you up for a game of Tit4Tat? I have up to 7 songs to trade.

Congratulations on smashing the target - I'm in total awe of anyone who can make it to 14.
@nadine Mar 4

Thanks for listening to "Don't tell me if it hurts" and appreciating the song. We will finish it as a full production in some weeks or months, depending on our schedules.
@susyblue Mar 4

Thanks mate so good to be back and congrats on an epic fawm!
@sph Mar 3

Uploaded a second version with more guitars and backing vocals => instant chorus effect on everything masking the "shitty tracks" 😉
@santadharma Mar 3

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! It was a real treat just reading through them all XX
@fearlessflight2014 Mar 2

Oh and congrats on the win!!
@fearlessflight2014 Mar 2

Truth is....I’m becoming callously immune to the fact that everything I eat, drink or wear will either a. Give me cancer b. Promote child labour or c. Contribute to global warming and the collapse of the world as we know it.
@alboe Mar 2

Could have been Jeff Tweedy but I'm not sure. It was a youtube video from @stevenwesleyguiles, where he showed this trick but he got it from a book. Can't find it now so I'm unable to check.
@iwilleatyou Mar 2

You mean the Beatles weren't on PCP?? Wow. Thanks for comparing us to Sgt. Peppers. Doesn't get bigger than that I suppose.
@didib Mar 2

Thank you Dan for your kind comments on 'Autumn Slowly Enters' it was a real pleasure to sing to Nadia's wonderful piano and Kristi's beautiful lyrics 😊
@adforperu Mar 1

Thank you for all your comments sir, most kind! I'll be over your way at some point this week, I've got plenty of catching up to do..
@bammann Mar 1

Thanks for your words!
@gm7 Mar 1

Tkx for comment on FUZZ guitar song...you have to cut loose sometimes. Congrats on 14
@spinhead Feb 28

I remember re: the bass on Linda. Cool. Also thanks for the niceness on Matild.
@balancelost Feb 27

Congratulations on your 14! I promise I will come back listen to them soon
@shelleroo1 Feb 26

Thanks so much for your comments on Mother Mary! So glad you liked it!
@sciren Feb 25

I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying my solo concept album! I am considering looking into having it released properly at some point. Feedback like yours is definitely helping with that decision. I appreciate it!
@tangle Feb 24

Thanks for your kind feedback on Ammolite. I know I'm way behind in getting into Sufjan Stevens' albums so thank you for recommending Carrie & Lowell. Just pulled it up and love it already.
@beat Feb 24

ˋ]. Thx for taking your time.
@antlion Feb 22

also love that story!! i literally forgot that the same guy is Owen and in American Football lol
@antlion Feb 22

thanks for your kind comments, I really appreciate it!! 😭
@wolfkier Feb 22

Thanks for sweeping my last 3 and leaving such kind comments. Appreicated much, again. If you remember the way we first encountered each other was through my #tit4tat idea a few years ago. We're still trading and happily but I made a forum post for that again this year, if you're interested, you might want to add your name and participate again this fawm. https://fawm.org/forums/topic/11699/
@jonmeta Feb 22

Thanks! Beat's line about "speaking your name so loud in my mind" was the standout for me too when he sent it. We were def going for an early Emmylou Harris sound, so 1971 sounds perfect. Thanks for listening and for your insightful comments.
@prsongsmith Feb 22

Thank you for the kind comments on "Birds of Galway Bay"! Really appreciate your taking the time to listen! (and I don't often get compliments on my guitar playing, so thank you for that!)
@ampersandman Feb 21

Thank you for your listens and your comments!
@nadine Feb 20

Thanks for your comment on "Going my way"! You're right it has something from Radiohead!
@rwhosings Feb 19

Thanks so much for your comments on "Thoughts" and "Undertow". High praise!
@raquelita11 Feb 19

Thanks for your feedback on "I'm gonna Love You Enough" I really appreciate it!
@didib Feb 19

Thanks for your comment on 'Sandcastles' - I checked out the song you mentioned, really enjoyed it, thanks 😊
@plushbaby Feb 19

Great list of influences, looking forward to checking out more of your stuff when time isn't so jammed with trying to write and record!
@povosos Feb 18

Thank you for your comment 😀
@balancelost Feb 17

Hey, thanks for the listening sesh. I have also the "the worst" for listening lately. Anyway, Rubylove is great and I wish I had a bouzouki. I actually got a copy of Teaser and the Firecat on vinyl for 500 yen (about £3.50) a couple of months ago!
@owl Feb 17

Thanks for the comments! I feel like I should tell your inner child a story about Willy Street (actually Williamson St but nobody calls it that): I was sitting in a cafe downtown when I noticed a man sitting a few tables away was staring right at me and exposing himself under the table and playing with himself. I was freaked out and vamoosed. (I probably should have called the police, but oh well) Anyway a few months later I saw that same man again. He was SELLING HOT DOGS at a hot dog stand on WILLY STREET! This is sort of a horrible tale but I also thought it was pretty funny.
@tawalker Feb 15

Thanks for your kind comments on "When Spring Came" 😀 I'm consciously going for the kind of general "sound" you hear on Iron & Wine's early releases - "The Creek Drank The Cradle" is a "desert island album for me - so the electric lead guitar sound is somewhat influenced by I&W's lap-steel guitar on those recordings. I also like layering the accompanying instruments so they make one "large" instrument, but hopefully not too obviously...
@didib Feb 15

Thank you for your kind comment on Cyril's millions. I really appreciate it 😊
@faceofeinstein Feb 15

Hey, I appreciate the kind words regarding my collabs with @xfloorpunchx. We have one more in the works at the moment!
Cheers.
@rwhosings Feb 15

Thanks again. I like rhyming vowel sounds rather than full-on rhymes.
@rwhosings Feb 13

Thanks for the comment. I always love a good counterpoint melody, thanks for the idea!
@piney Feb 9

That is so awesome!! Haha! Can’t wait to hear it☺️
@beat Feb 8

Thx for your comments. Looks and sounds good, the Roland VT.
@wolfkier Feb 8

Oh boy! You really went to town on my stuff today! Thanks, I appreciate the listens and very kind comments muchly 😀 Now....
@girlsinuniform Feb 7

Your songs seem to finish too soon. Please can you let them fade out a bit more, leave the effects to finish, sort of thing?

Also, they are beautiful.
@andrewjtaylor Feb 7

So true. I've been catching my mind wandering recently while listening to audio as well. My commute requires audio, though, since I'm the driver. 😀 Tweedy really makes things simple and I love that.
@andrewjtaylor Feb 6

I got the audiobook of Jeff Tweedy's "How to Write a Song" from audiobooks.com. I got through 2 of the 3 hours. I'm much less likely to read a book than listen. The title involves a great premise which I totally agree with. No one writes songs. They write one song at a time - a much less daunting venture.

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/how-to-write-one-song-loving-t...
@rwhosings Feb 6

Thanks! I love harmony, but I'm new to recording, so I'm learning how to time things and layer well.
@vomvorton Feb 6

Damn that's fast! I thought the post was a bit messed up at the moment, I guess not! Enjoy!
@didib Feb 6

Ayup, yes I'm back this year. So far only have one song marinading but I've got a couple of nice challenges to do. Loving your songs. Happy FAWM!
@dancrook Feb 5

Thanks for the kind words man
@vomvorton Feb 5

Ooh thanks for the Vowl Sounds order! Much appreciated, I'll bung one in the post today.
@petemurphy Feb 5

Arrrggghhh, sorry for the late reply. I'm terribly disorganised. I'm only just getting around to reply to some of my soundboard messages. Thanks for the note. I hope your FAWM is going well so far.
@splittybooms Feb 4

Cool method with the piano!
Also, thank you for introducing me to Lemon Jelly...
@splittybooms Feb 4

Yep, that'll happen when you listen to my stuff sometimes. Sorry bout' that.
My brain is already broked. Maybe that's why I make silly stuff like that.
@kaidelong Feb 1

Heya, thanks for the welcome, and good luck this year.
@lastnightilie Jan 30

Ah cool. He has always been nice to me too - he has given me advice and encouragement, and let me play at two of his three annual festivals so far. He's awesome!
@antlion Jan 29

I am!! glad to see you back 😀 Every year I keep hoping this will be the year I'll be able to hang in for more than a few songs so fingers crossed...
@outinpublicdrummer Jan 28

Thank you! Good luck this month!
@ninipuff Jan 28

wishing you a glorious fawm as well!
@fonte Jan 27

helll yeahhhh!! See you in Feb!!
@wolfkier Jan 26

Thanks so much for the warm welcome hello. Looking forward to catching up with your music. Have a fun FabFeb21!
@thelowestbitter Jan 26

Hey! Happy fawming 😀
@tomski Jan 26

Looking forward to hearing some new sounds from you this year dude. Banjo!?! Such a tricky instrument but lots of fun to learn and will certainly add a different texture to your songs. Benji has requested at least one murder ballad/death song/serial killer song please! (He's a big fan apparently!)
@teapot Jan 26

I hope so Magpie. Thanks for the message 😀 yay for Fawm
@girlsinuniform Jan 24

Let's see what comes out of the sound hole this year!
@santadharma Jan 24

Hey there. Welcome back friend. Let’s make some great music.
@cynthiawolff Jan 22

As always looking forward to your amazing talent!
@balancelost Jan 20

Last night I had a dream where I was at a bar/museum/venue with Bill Murray watching the Blue Nile. neat huh?
@terroratspacecamp Jan 20

Hey Serviettes. Enjoyed your Nur Ein run!
@sciren Jan 18

You as well! Can't wait for February!
@oddbod Jan 18

Hi, good to see the Kent contingent still here and kicking
@splittybooms Jan 18

It is calling and I'm crying out for it in return.
Can't wait.
Here's to a great FAWM for you!
@teapot Jan 18

Ahh I hope so! I shall look forward to hearing your music 👍
@airbagtester Jan 18

Thanks! You have a great one too!
@adforperu Jan 17

Ahoy! Let's do this.
@jeustan Jan 17

Same to you! Happy FAWM!
@owl Jan 17

Hello!!! Happy FAWM!
@piney Jan 17

😀 Yay! Happy FAWM! Looking forward to hearing your awesome tunes this year!
@vomvorton Jan 16

My tunage is best served with a Serviette! Back atcha!
@shortdan Jan 16

Hey there! Hope all's well at your end. I am indeed hoping to contribute a bit more this year!
@mikedebenham Jan 16

Great to see you back. And with a banjo too. This bodes well.
@judypie Jan 16

Yas! I’ll take a fresh slice of magpie please 😁
@headfirstonly Jan 16

Nice to see you here again! Happy FAWMing!
@spikedirection Jan 16

Welcome back bro. I on the other hand am setting out to tell a story, so lets see how that pans out!
@beat Jan 13

Hi there, have a good month. I really enjoyed your album On the spoty. Thx for the music.

The Serviettes 17

Artist Bio

Songs (17)

Soundboard

@wolfkier 6 weeks

@shelleroo1 Mar 12

@audrey Mar 11

@berni1954 Mar 11

@shelleroo1 Mar 10

@berni1954 Mar 10

@mattoxic Mar 9

@balancelost Mar 7

@lennie Mar 5

@nuno Mar 5

@tawalker Mar 5

@lanasolyluna Mar 5

@nuno Mar 5

@nadine Mar 4

@susyblue Mar 4

@sph Mar 3

@santadharma Mar 3

@fearlessflight2014 Mar 2

@fearlessflight2014 Mar 2

@alboe Mar 2

@iwilleatyou Mar 2

@didib Mar 2

@adforperu Mar 1

@bammann Mar 1

@gm7 Mar 1

@spinhead Feb 28

@balancelost Feb 27

@shelleroo1 Feb 26

@sciren Feb 25

@tangle Feb 24

@beat Feb 24

@antlion Feb 22

@antlion Feb 22

@wolfkier Feb 22

@jonmeta Feb 22

@prsongsmith Feb 22

@ampersandman Feb 21

@nadine Feb 20

@rwhosings Feb 19

@raquelita11 Feb 19

@didib Feb 19

@plushbaby Feb 19

@povosos Feb 18

@balancelost Feb 17

@owl Feb 17

@tawalker Feb 15

@didib Feb 15

@faceofeinstein Feb 15

@rwhosings Feb 15

@rwhosings Feb 13

@piney Feb 9

@beat Feb 8

@wolfkier Feb 8

@girlsinuniform Feb 7

@andrewjtaylor Feb 7

@andrewjtaylor Feb 6

@rwhosings Feb 6

@vomvorton Feb 6

@didib Feb 6

@dancrook Feb 5

@vomvorton Feb 5

@petemurphy Feb 5

@splittybooms Feb 4

@splittybooms Feb 4

@kaidelong Feb 1

@lastnightilie Jan 30

@antlion Jan 29

@outinpublicdrummer Jan 28

@ninipuff Jan 28

@fonte Jan 27

@wolfkier Jan 26

@thelowestbitter Jan 26

@tomski Jan 26

@teapot Jan 26

@girlsinuniform Jan 24

@santadharma Jan 24