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

"And so, as we sprint towards to finishing line, confidence spilling from every orifice and exit, brimming with hope we see the metaphorical girl-with-flag waving at us in the distance.

Since the album's humble beginnings we've always believed this was going to be a good 'un, the band all reading from more or less the same page (at least in the same library), new management, a new agent, plans to open the group to new markets, etc etc etc... but this means nothing without a finished album that kicks butt.

As with any album there are dark periods during the second trimester when it looks unlikely to ever be finished, such is the workload, especially with an album as adventurous as this.

We've always been quite ambitious with our arrangements, but never have we utilised the use of so many different sounds.

And we've always given ourselves a lot more time to record.

This time, however, we did demo recordings of the songs to make sure everyone knew the parts, and boy did it work out. A few songs ('Under The Waves', 'Shine' and 'The Only One') were written at the studio, and one track ('Mazel Tov Cocktail') was briefly rehearsed but never demo'd as Ritch and Scott hated it (it's actually turned out to be one of everyone's favourites), but the majority of the songs were ready to go the day we set up gear in Denmark.

This is a process I would recommend any band employing as it saves a lot of time at the point where time is money, namely studio time.

Racing through the harmony vocals today makes me thankful that the time seems to have flown by. I'm also thankful that we have so many great singers in this band that, between them, can reach every note in the human male spectrum. There really are some astounding harmonies on this album.

Tomorrow I'll sign off and say goodbye, and probably miss getting to report on our little outing, but for now here's a run down of the songs.

'Chutzpah 1': First song on the album. A crazy little number that kicks in the whole shebang.

'All That Zen': Grooving and anthemic.

'You Took The Sunshine Out Of New York': Very poppy and classic.

'Tim Smith': The heaviest song of the collection.

'The Snake, The Lion, The Monkey And The Spider': A crazy jungle stomper with some very twisted lyrics.

'The Only One': A surprise addition from Scott. Very cool pop.

'Under The Waves': The controversial dance-based number.

'Some Days Just Fucking Suck': A great rock n roll track.

'Zeen Requiem': We finally recorded this lost classic, properly.

'Vernix': The most complicated song on the album, easily!

'The Jackson Whites': A heavy and moody anthem.

'People Who Died': A cover of the Jim Carroll classic.

'John Of Violence': A stadium sized rocker.

'Low Energy Vortex': Another huge atmospheric song.

'Plastic Jeebus': A stomping anthemic monster.

'Mazel Tov Cocktail': Classic Stonesy vibe brought up to date.

'You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane': Up tempo punk number with classic Wildhearts dual vocals.

'Shine': Another late addition that we hope to finish.

'Chutzpah 2': A massive, split personality song that is sure to finish off the album.

So there you have it.

Not all of these songs will make the final album. We're looking to keep it as short as we can, using only the tracks that have a natural feel together.

I have my opinion on which ones will make it and which ones won't, but not a living human being knows for sure. So from this point on we're all in the same darkened room together.

All I can tell you, for sure, is that this will prove to be a hugely enjoyable listening experience, and one that I really can't wait to hear your opinions on.

I have a feeling you're going to treasure this one.

We've had a blast making this album, and bollocks to anyone who says the album is dead.

We'll keep making them as long as you keep buying them."

Further updates to follow.