THE WILDHEARTS frontman Ginger has checked in from the studio with the following update:

"Wow, this tuning down lark is a bit infuriating. Take after take of tuning up and tuning down can drive a rocker to distraction.

Modern recording is a bit odd too. No song is played from start to finish. Parts are edited and supplanted into other parts of the song using Jacob's amazing cyber pen contraption. It's weird, anyone can make a terrific album these days. The age of having to be able to play is behind us, ladies and gentlemen.

And as for open chords, well tuning as low as C makes them pretty impossible to play, so you opt for bar chords and if you absolutely MUST have an open chord section you play every chord separately, having to tune each chord to the song before playing it. Bizarre stuff.

The future isn't as rock n roll as the past, but then neither is it as sloppy. The results, however, are amazing. Truly amazing. I never thought we'd sound so good! Yeah, okay, with a little help from Pro-Tools, but still, ya gotta write the shit in the first place. Pro-tools ain't gonna write you a chorus or come up with a huge riff, is it?

Oh no, Pro-Tools is our bitch, and no doubt about it.

CJ found a skeleton of a huge animal, completely full apart from the head. Makes me imagine Satanists lurking in the corn fields, or tiny critters with fearsome teeth attacking the wildlife.

Anyhoo, I'm going to get photographic evidence later, so hopefully I'll have proof of his find for you by the time you read this.

Other than that it's business as usual for your merry band of miscreants, mendicants and minstrels. It's been a good day.

I think the Universe liked my 'stay positive, dammit' stance today, because she blessed me with a day full of gratitude and promise. And for that I'm sticking with the brand loyalty of optimism over frustrated rage. It's all about perception. y'know? 100%."

Ginger