Solomon's Tump

The album that was recorded in a bedroom and got Blake's band Karmatruffle signed to a London indie label, features one of his strongest sets of songs. 'Solomon's Tump' was recorded on an analogue Tascam four track machine in a Cheltenham bedsit in 2003. Inspired largely by one-man-band The Bevis Frond, the album also weaves influences such as Mike Oldfield and Hamell On Trial into a quintessentially English pastoral piece. The Tump in question is an ancient bronze-age burial mound in the middle of the Gloucestershire countryside where Blake would go to chill out after a hard day's work as a travelling book salesman. What Blake lacked in business acumen he made up for in creative dedication, and the album was written and recorded in less than two months. After the break-up with Karmatruffle in March 2006, Blake first pursued the songs that he had written for the band that remained un-recorded. With the release in June of 'Final Whistle', that goal was achieved and Blake turned his attention to the album that had only previously been available as a limited release to family and friends. After listening back to the master tracks, he decided to re-record three songs that weren’t quite up to scratch: Lost The Plot, Beautiful Person and Round and Round. The others were considered charming enough to remain untouched – for although they lack the sheen of professional recordings, the original versions capture the spirit of the songs perfectly. Having just broken up with his fiancée of three years, many of the tracks allude to this emotional crisis. However, despite this, the record remains curiously joyful and optimistic. It is unclear whether the title track refers to a real place or simply a state of mind, but for Blake it clearly stands as a place of solace where you can go to ‘find your star or catch your dreams’. Maybe you will, too, up at Solomon’s Tump? Bobby Solomon