A few words about songs and lyrics...

After more than 15 years together, we’ve gathered our thoughts about how we do things, and why we do what we do. A certain philosophy has materialized... We don’t try. We just do.

As a unit, we have created our sound without mapping out a plan or a definition of what we want to do. It’s always been “What happens, happens.”
Musically, as in most other respects, we are five different people, with five different perspectives and preferences. An idea emerges, gets performed, are responded to, in a chain of interplay. The end result is unique and natural. Songs come to life in many ways. Musical ideas turn into or come out of a jam, and either there are lyrics already written with the same feel about them, or it’ll inspire the writing of new ones. If it doesn’t, it’s not a very inspiring piece of music, is it?

A WinterStrain song often comes into life as lyrics and melody, as an entity. Because they come at the same time, from the same moment of inspiration, the mood in the lyrics and the melody is the same, word for word.

 Chords and chord shapes are immensely important to how a song comes across. They enhance and create moods. In WinterStrain, chords are often the result of inspiration from the lyrics that came without a melody, thereby laying a foundation for melody in harmony with the words. Chords are just as often written to compliment the lyrics and the melody that is already there.
In what ever way our songs are created, they are essentially songs, from the start. Then, we play our instruments, performing the song, the way we’re wired to do it. What happens, happens.
We just do.

Lyrics are a very important aspect of WinterStrain’s songs. Lyrics, like all art, are subject to taste. Words go from heart to heart, from soul to soul, some times hitting the right strings, some times the wrong nerve, or empty air. Between chance and substance, lyrics might become important to someone out there. I am therefore happy to share them with all who care to read

All lyrics are available on this site. But, in addition to the words that are sung, I add a few lines at the end, that mirror the mood, tell a similar story, a missing part of the story, or act as a key to understanding the lyrics. Some times the lyrics are the key to the appendix. While I think the lyrics stand nicely alone, these lines add a certain extra dimension. This is truly something for the music fan who likes to dig into the material, and can be found in the booklets of our albums, for that good old “full experience”.

Thank you for reading all this

R.E.Nyland
 

Contact us: ws@winterstrain.com