Systematic Closure
Sliven
Expected release: September 5, 2022
Sliven
Sounds for the Soul
Sliven is a pseudonym for Paul Davies a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The music is influenced by solo artists such as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Morrisey and Mark Kozelek but also taking inspiration from bands such as Anathema, Midlake, Radiohead and The National to produce a unique sound primarily focused around the piano and acoustic guitar. By taking real-life experiences and influences from a Blues, Jazz and Classical background he has attempted to craft music that the audience can easily relate to with the purpose of helping them get through all the adversities of life.
Current Releases
Celestial Nightmares
Sliven
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Congealed 7:580:00/7:58
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0:00/1:22
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Friday 5:470:00/5:47
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Crack My Bones 5:060:00/5:06
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0:00/1:34
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0:00/5:54
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0:00/1:08
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Failure Concealed 8:280:00/8:28
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Prolific 6:390:00/6:39
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0:00/2:00
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Skeletons 5:580:00/5:58
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0:00/2:01
The Album
This album was released on the 1st of March 2021 after spending a solid month in the studio. During the recording, I realised the lyrics and vocals were significantly more aggressive than previous releases as such their suited a heavier and more punky tone as such I separated out the albums and added a heavier undertone to this album.
The story continues from the previous album but takes the listener on a journey of acceptance and confession with a bleak realisation of the future. The listener is taken from the past through their own fall from grace and through times of self-destructive behaviour where life all was nearly lost until we arrive at a final destination, that is somewhere we never imaged we would be. The issue is that by the time we reach that destination, it is often too late and in life, we are so long in the tooth that all hope is lost and in reality happiness was there all along.
The Music
The majority of the album was recorded in parallel with Open Wounds, however, the two albums had different themes and as such the work was split up. In reality, the final month of work is related to mastering the album and preparing the release. Musically speaking the recording quality is comparable to the Open Wounds release.
This album continues to utilise Native Instruments Komplete UItimate and Cubase Pro for production and mastering with bass being recorded on a 1988 Aria Pro II and a Fender Ultra Jazz Bass, all 6-string guitar work is recorded with a Gibson Les Paul Standard and a Taylor K24ce Builders Edition, all piano sections are played on a Yamaha YDP144
The Artwork
The piece is called "He cuts the vein to release the soul", Acrylic on Canvas which was part of the "Fabric of Reality" series which I painted many years ago. This particular piece is still in my possession and features at my home.
Steaming
This album is available on all major streaming platforms, links to all these platforms can be found by clicking "Listen Now".
Open Wounds
Sliven
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0:00/5:08
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0:00/6:24
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Lost 5:300:00/5:30
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Into The Dark 4:420:00/4:42
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Alone In Limbo 4:350:00/4:35
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0:00/2:05
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0:00/5:34
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Awaken Me 6:400:00/6:40
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Brothers 3:080:00/3:08
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0:00/4:06
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0:00/3:23
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0:00/3:10
The Album
This album was released on the 1st of February 2021 after spending a year in the studio working on Open Wounds and Celestial Nightmares in parallel.
This album is about key life experiences and focuses on love and loss, that we all go through and how they impact us psychologically. Whether these be lovers, friends or other people who surround our lives each person we interact with takes their own toll upon us. Life has a habit of just throwing everything at you simultaneously, people talk about bad luck in three's but often it feels more like ten's. The reality is that you live life the best you can, you keep pushing ahead and keep pushing through, you cannot give in, you must stand your ground - You can never relent, it is about survival.
The tracks on this album are about the times when for one reason or another I just couldn't push through. Times when, enough was enough and to me, it made sense to just walk away...
In life you can do whatever you choose, providing you can live with the consequences and ultimately live with yourself.
The Music
The album continues the journey started on Unspeakable Truth. This album had improved recording facilities over the debut since I had upgraded microphones, new hardware and new interfaces. It was important to keep this album as simplistic as possible and this is why tracks often utilised the older Fender Malibu for the majority of acoustic tracks, its unique tone adds an element of elegant simplicity to tracks such as "Into The Dark" whereas the Taylor stands on its own in tracks like "Alone in Limbo".
This album continues to utilise Native Instruments Komplete UItimate and Cubase Pro for production and mastering with bass being recorded on a 1988 Aria Pro II and a Fender Ultra Jazz Bass, all 6-string guitar work is recorded with a Gibson Les Paul Standard and a Taylor K24ce Builders Edition and a Fender Malibu, all piano sections are played on a Yamaha YDP144.
The Artwork
The piece is called "The Nightmare of Love", Acrylic on Canvas which I painted many years ago and subsequently sold to a private collector.
Steaming
This album is available on all major streaming platforms, links to all these platforms can be found by clicking "Listen Now".
Unspeakable Truth
Sliven
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The Guilt of You 6:520:00/6:52
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Dry September 5:300:00/5:30
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0:00/5:12
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Insomnia 4:140:00/4:14
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0:00/3:02
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The End Of The Day 4:340:00/4:34
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Dying Fire 2:560:00/2:56
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0:00/2:10
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Pain In My Mind 3:040:00/3:04
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Clowns 5:220:00/5:22
The Album
This album was released on the 26th of May, 2020. This album took a lot of time to record since it was the first one and it took time to understand and develop the sound.
The primary focus is looking at love, life and living with the consequences of your actions which is not always a simple as it seems. We all make choices and by definition, we have to live with those choices. There are always two sides to the story. Just because the consequences are devastating, it does not always mean it was not the right decision to make. Take happiness where you can find it, laugh when you can because there are plenty of other times we can cry and be miserable.
Some days are hard, other days harder, but at the end of the day if you are alive then you live to fight another day. Whilst life is a hard a bitter pill to swallow and intrinsically unfair, I feel that most of the time you get what you need to get through if you give enough. It is thoughts like that which are reassuring and keep us focused on the road ahead.
The Music
Since Unspeakable Truth was the debut album was recorded with very simple equipment including a dbx 166SX compressor, a Behringer Audio Interface, an old PC and a very old Rode NTA microphone. The reality is that it took a long time to record due to the inexperience I had at the time.
This album continues to utilise Native Instruments Komplete UItimate and Cubase Pro for production and mastering with bass being recorded on a 1988 Aria Pro II, all 6-string guitar work is recorded with a Fender Telecaster TC-90 and an Ibanez RG548, all piano sections are played on a Yamaha YDP144.
The Artwork
The piece is called "Pain, Grief and Despair", Acrylic on Canvas which I painted many years ago. The image is actually filtered for the cover and is a very colourful piece in real-life. It was purchased by a business and it features in their office.
The Remastered and Re-Worked Version
I am working on a re-worked and remastered edition which will feature the tracks cleaned up, mastered better and significant reverb removed. In addition, the album cover will feature the full-colour version of the artwork as opposed to the filtered one.
Steaming
This album is available on all major streaming platforms, links to all these platforms can be found by clicking "Listen Now".