When last I updated this series, way back in September, I was sure I was nearly done with this album.  The fact that it’s been six months, to the day, since I made that post, and the album is not even slightly out, is a tip off that I was very wrong. Much like in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King*, every time I think things are wrapped up and finished, another ending sneaks up and demands my attention, and things continue.

I said in Part 5 that I had eight and a half instrumental mixes done. Ha! I was living in a fantasy world (also much like in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King†). I have since recorded vocals, re-recorded vocals, and remixed everything. The problem with making instrumental mixes before you record vocals is that the vocals will change everything. It’s like knitting a pair of pants for your future adult grandchildren. Even if you know you’ll have them, you’ll never know exactly how big they’ll be, or if they’ll have legs, or if knit pants will be in vogue in 2065.‡

Six long/short months later, I now have 7 or 8 nearly kiiiinda done mixes. By “nearly kiiiinda done” I mean they are not done, but I know what I need to do, and I’m not losing sleep over them (I am losing wrist function. Mixing on a computer sucks. Somebody buy me a mixing deck!). The other 2 or 3 songs are not done, not even kiiiinda, and I am thinking about them at three in the morning, in between asking myself what I’m doing with my life and remembering that I forgot to reply to that email.

The bad news about this long delay is that I only have so many months in my lifetime, and I’m flying through them at great speed, not having put out this album, unable to really move forward to another project, and unable to send the album back through time when I do finish it. It’s going to be out much later than I wanted no matter what.

The good news about the delay is that the songs sound much better than they did in September. I still have the mixes from September, and I can’t believe I considered them “done.” It’s crazy! I definitely needed a break, and I took one for a little while this fall. I’ve been back into it for the last few months, though, and it’s coming together.

My best guess for a release date, at this point, is this summer. My solo band (does that make sense?) will be playing shows, the album sounds like a summer album, and that’s about when it should be done anyway. So it all works out. I would have liked to have had it out last summer, but I didn’t, so that’s that.

In the meantime, you can listen to Wizard Planet one more time and tell me which songs you’d like to hear live.

* The live action movie version.

† Movie or book version this time. Reader’s choice.

‡ My money is on waders.