Summer rain on the window here and the day is for inside. MarinaDelRay album number 2 is ready to go and - Boatbuilder, miles from the sea. MDR have been busy boys and have nipped off to the studio by the big hill and done just like before but a little bit not the same. Most of the songs were written for the album, very few are the result of live work or in the rehersal studio work.

Loud or quiet, is it? It's good. There is a little bit more quiet than there is loud. Acoustic or electric, then? Mainly but there is a bit of co-operation between the two and that makes a nice change. Do MarinaDelRay like it? We do. Andy likes the sounds, Steve likes the colours, Dave likes the songs, too.

And the hard news? Okay. We returned to Lanes' End Studios where we did it with the much loved Jim at the helm. We shunted him aside often while he nipped off to make the tea. He relinquishes his chair freely, we love him for that and many other reasons. Boatbuilder was recorded in the winter and early spring of 2006 and as the sweet spring air wafted across from Clee Hill we finsihed on a sunny afternoon.

Most of the songs were recorded live, nods and winks, a smile or two, fewer frowns. Here's a song.. let's do it right here, right now. And we did, sometimes. One or two plans were gently eased aside... one or two musicians were pencilled in but in the end we were a most select group. They may come along for our big summer monster single...wait to hear about it.