Valder Fields    Tamas Wells
 
I was found on the ground by the fountain
about a field of a summer stride
lying in the sun after I had tried
lying in the sun by the side
we all agreed that the council would
end up three hours over-time

shoelaces were tied at the traffic lights
I was running late, could apply
for another one, I guess
after parking stores are best
they said that there would be delays
on the temporary pay

for another one I guessed
after parking stores at best
they said that there would be delays
on the temporary pay

she was found on the ground in a gown
laying by the field of the summer asleep
staring at the concrete, trying not to cry
when somebody left his life

she would never sleep in a gown
so she takes his keys to the bedroom door
takes a step outside, by the fountain
gazing at the field, what a view 

瓦尔德田野　萧饮寒译

我躺在一泓泉水旁边
带着夏日气息的土地
尝试后我躺在阳光里
躺在阳光下的路边
我们都认为这会议
将会超时三小时

红绿灯下我的鞋带打了结
我跑得有些晚了
我猜只能等待下一班
停下来后情况还不错
他们说临时支付会有些延迟

她穿着长袍躺在那里
睡在这片夏日田野里
看看这景象　试着不去哭泣
即使有人从他生命中离去

她将不再穿长袍睡去
她取走了他卧室的钥匙
走出门去　躺在泉水边
看看这田野　多么美的景象

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Artist: Tamas Wells
Album: A Plea en Vendredi
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Label: Popboomerang
Styles: Singer/Songwriter,Indie Pop

Track Listings
1. From Prying Plans into the Fire 
2. Valder Fields 
3. Vendredi (Waiting Where You Can't See) 
4. Lichen and Bees (The Fever of Small Tiwn Ventures) 
5. Yes, Virginia, There Is a Ruling Class 
6. Opportunity Fair 
7. Valour 
8. Telemarketer Resignation 
9. I'm Sorry That the Kitchen Is on Fire 
10. Melon Street Book Club 
11. Open the Blinds  

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Valder Fields  Tamas Wells

"Valder Fields" was written in northern Burma's wet season whilst Tamas was working on a community health HIV/AIDS education project. He says that the song is a stream of consciousness that hints at the tension between a life of responsibility (being on time, applying for jobs) and a Leunig-esque life of contemplation (falling asleep on the warm concrete next to a fountain). Tamas suggests that giving oneself up to either one leads to a distortion of reality through either too much responsibility or not enough.


 Tamas Wells talks about recording in Burma (Mar 06)
 Tamas Wells   06.03.2006    courtesy of Popboomerang Records

When did you decide that you wanted to be a musician and/or songwriter? How did you start going about it?
I had piano lessons when I was in primary school and though I hated the enforced practice/exam/reading music format I eventually started loving playing the piano.

Then when I moved to Melbourne to go to uni and started playing guitar I met lots of people who were writing their own songs rather than learning covers. I found that quite inspiring and started writing songs myself - which admittedly were appalling ?but it started me on a course toward wanting to create things.

What's the best advice you ever received about making music, and who was it from?
I read somewhere in an interview someone saying that every note in a song should be seen as being some expensive extravagance and you the writer don't have very much money! So only buy the notes that really count!.

I like the fact that this emphasises keeping the simple things in a song and not decking it out with millions of layers which eventually make the rest of the notes sound cheap and throwaway.

Who's an Australian musician you particularly admire? Can you tell us why?
I love the attitude that many of my friends in Melbourne have toward music. They spend months making beautiful records (eg Broken Flight - On Wings Under Waves) and then are wonderfully unconcerned about the commercial success of the absolute gems that they have made.

It is soooo easy as a musician to become too attached to your own perception of what success will mean and forget that art and creativity is an end in itself.

What would be your dream local line-up for a gig, and why:
That is a tough question. There are a number of local acts that I very much enjoy - the above mentioned Broken Flight, Jack Ladder with an orchestra, Holly Throsby, Adlerseri, Dirty Three, Benedict Moleta to name but a few of many who would be on my dream bill (which may actually have to be a festival!!).

Can you tell AMO a story behind your latest release?
A Plea en Vendredi is our latest album, most of it was written in the northern parts of Burma where I was living for six months after releasing our first album.

I remember one song that I was trying to record onto the four track recorder which I had taken with me but it was the monsoon season and the rain on the tin roof was so deafening that the song was basically lost.

I have a terrible memory for song melodies so unless they are on tape they usually disappear.

What do you want people to get out of this record when listening to it? How would you choose to describe it someone who was unfamiliar with your work?
The records that I like most are ones where they may seem understated to begin with but ultimately have the most depth on repeated listens.

I hope that our album is like that ... so if I was describing it to someone I would say that it is subtle and that I have lots of Melbourne based artists in my record collection along with international acts in an Iron and Wine, Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake kind of vein.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when writing & recording this release?
I had forgotten how many times you need to demo a song before you figure out the best way to present it production wise.

Many of the songs went through five or ten stages of demoing where speed, bridges, keys were all changed, meanwhile other ones just seem to work on the first go. But there is something about having to wrestle with a song that makes the final product more rewarding I guess.

What do you think is unique about the Aussie music scene as opposed to the rest of the world?
The distances between cities is something unique to Australia - there is no getting in a car and driving to the next large city an hour away (as in Europe of the US).

No here touring means getting in your car and staring at a freeway for ten or so hours playing a show and then driving home... maybe that just adds to the resilience of the Australian musician!

Lastly, what's the best thing about being part of the Australian music industry? The worst?
The best thing about Australian music is that ninety percent of the industry people you meet seem genuinely interested in the health of the scene and want to help you in any way they can.

This is perhaps because in global terms we have such a small music industry so people want to be supportive, which also leads to the downside of Australian music - that much of our small population seems bizarrely interested in glorified karaoke competitions and the like ?which leaves an extremely small number of people who have any interest in art.