Me and Mickey must have been pretty irresponsible to be writing this song – we had the October tour to rehearse for and half the album still to finish and we sat down just to play music. I remember thinking – we have to get the album finished by January 5th and we are still writing music…. But Mickey started playing this little riff on his guitar and the world was ok.

We didn’t really think anything of it other than that it was a catchy little song that might work for album four – but the next day we both woke up singing it so decided to finish it off. Still we didn’t seriously consider it for the album.

When we were finalising the songs to record a few weeks later (we were in Edinburgh at the time playing on the tour), Mickey mentioned “what about that Gift of Sound song”, so I started playing it on the acoustic guitar. Steve liked it (well he kind of nodded and said: it’s alright that – which for Steve is the equivalent of streaking on the pitch at the FA Cup Final celebrating a last minute winner) and our good friend and skilled helpist Matt Walch was very positive about it, so we took it very seriously.

It came together fairly quickly in a recorded and lyrical sense: we listened back to a mic we had set up in the room when we wrote it (something we never normally do) and the structure was fairly tight, along with some good ideas words-wise. For recording we asked our good friend Jack from a great band called Bwani Junction to play the drums (he also plays on Wherewithal and My Boy William), and he and Mickey worked well in the studio – while Jack played I worked out the backing vocals and within a week or so of graft in Mickey’s garage it was pretty much done…. Whether through the necessity of time or the relative simplicity of the song it all came together (for us) fairly quickly.

Lyrically, I suppose the song is just about using language to engage on issues that are important to you – being inspired by the dearth of passion and truth in general politics or society to change things for the better. Just to keep on plugging away. I often feel really down about things like this, but I suppose it is good to try and always have a little flame of positivity lit somewhere within you that allows you to draw strength from negativity and turn it around. The lyrics are below and really are quite self-explanatory I think.

Originally we wanted this song to end the album because of the final line – we thought it would have been quite a tantalising way to finish, but when we listened to the songs together it was far too light for this role, and so it sits where it does…. J

Words that fall from stature
Do not enrapture
Chin feels like a chisel
Lost its fizzle
So hold me like a stranger
Absolve my danger
It’s the similarities
That bring me down.

Given the gift of sound
Given the gift of sound
Given the gift of free flowing language
You don’t own
Given the gift of sound

Everything’s collapsing
Can you fill the gaps in?
Search for something higher
Than desire
Man is like a mountain
Never any doubt in what you do
It’s the realisation that we have all
Been given the gift of sound.

Touch brings you nearer
Could this be any clearer?
It’s the waveform you need the most.
Eyes like a vandal
It’s the truth I can handle:
Let the waveform take you home.

Given the gift of all that’s elitist
Given it so you know what defeat
Given the gift of stairs made to crawl
But cherish the heft of those you can walk up
Given the gift of thoughts for the silence
Given the gift of faith and defiance
Given the gift of Sound
Sound
Sound
Sound
Sound
Sound
Sound
It’s the final pulsings of basically nothing.