“About my youth. Written in my 20’s. Recorded in my 30’s. Finally being released in my early 40’s.” “Guard the Spark” from Kristopher Wright is an extremely personal album. It’s also a beautiful collection of songs that uncover and cherish the small sparks the journey of life gives you.
Wright about the album: ” It’s laying out the things I felt deeply in my youth and 20s. I recorded it in bits and pieces over a long period of time – the earliest recording comes from 2005 and most of the album was started before 2012, when life started getting in the way of my musical ambitions. From the perspective of 2020 I feel both close to this material and thoroughly distant. I’m not exactly the person who wrote these songs anymore, but the current Kris Wright grew out of all this emotional manure. Uh… I mean that in the best way possible. “
The release of the album is also a message for young songwriters: “You know, albums shouldn’t really be carried this long. That should be a warning to all the young songwriters out there: Get your music out now. Don’t let other people stop your songs, because they’ll do it if you let them. Don’t let fear keep you from your ambitions. And don’t worry if your voice doesn’t sound all that great on the final recording. (The people who complain about that were looking for an excuse to not listen to your words in the first place.)”
About the themes of the songs: “Themes of loss, failure, memory, forgiveness, shame, fear, loneliness… you know, all the fun flowering of youth. Some shading of social satire, too. Hope you can tell when I’m just horsing around. (Hint, the Skrillex knock-off stuff in “A Simple Thing” is a joke.) Probably proudest of songs like “My Monochrome Life”, “Goodnight, Universe” and “Song Out of Season” that disguise an unrepentant fury under all that poetry. A couple of kick-ass guitar solos, too. “
Listen to “Guard the Spark” here
