The Convalescent

A companion album to In Rooms, The Convalescent was intended as a noise/collage accompaniment to that album’s world and themes. A large amount of material was recorded for In Rooms, with the intent to release a 30+ track album with numerous interludes and bits of pieces of narrative information. Instead, it became a comparatively concise 14 track album and leaving much material left over. These were adapted, chopping, repurposed, reimagined and collected here in a fragmentary narrative.

Eschewing a traditional recording process, these songs, ideas, sound recordings, etc. were pieced together bit by bit at home using a variety of methods. In the end, they were played out to a standard C60 cassette tape and further manipulated into the final collage. The songs are presented out of narrative sequence, and are intended to be listened to on shuffle. In this way, the listener is presented with only fragments of story and half-recovered memories.

henry - vocals, guitars, synths
grond - drums
will - drums (18)
moira - voice
bryan - strings (23)
william - strings (2, 25)

all songs written and produced by HMS
except 22 which is adapted from a composition by akira yamaoka

tape transfers conducted by gardham industries in hackney, east london
drums recorded by wayne adams at bear bites horse, east london
additional mangling was performed at home