We started off this recollection with the beautifully peaceful Psalm 128 which was originally recorded on our 2002 album Shelter.
Anna’s moving interpretation of the melody, from gentle encouragement to a soaring proclamation of the Lord’s blessing, was a tremendous inspiration for our resident string arranging genius Jared Haschek to do his thing. Creating a record from such beautiful ingredients is always a joy and leads us further into experiencing the truth and beauty God has set before us in the book of Psalms. Jared really has a way with strings, digging down deep and discovering the perfect balance of beauty and restraint to invite a listener deeper into really experiencing the scripture here – more than simply reading it.
And given that we were “re-imagining” the psalm Matt was inspired to try replacing his favourite acoustic guitar part with a slightly more ambient and spacious electric guitar. Thankfully Michael Brown, a friend of the band from their home town of Geelong, was willing to loan us a gorgeous Gretsch “Country Gentleman” to experiment with. This excellent hollow bodied guitar was a perfect segue between the acoustic guitar Matt originally wrote the part on and a fresh new expression of the song. We still kept a layer of acoustic guitar “in the mix” to help provide a steady rhythmic foundation and to help keep the flow moving in the background.
