The Path is a song created from a poem by my friend Mark Haslam. The artwork for this release is from a cyanotype photograph taken by Mark's son Louie on the Isle of Skye, and I first saw them both at an exhibition of Louie's work in Bradford, UK. I asked Mark if it would be ok to try to turn the poem into a song and this is the result.
From Mark
"I wrote the poem…
The few days in Skye were very profound for me - a kind of spiritual experience that helped me regain some balance and strength after some difficult times. I was very much inspired by the landscape The last line of the poem was designed to convey a sense of acceptance of impermanence. It is also about how, for me, the path symbolizes being ok and at ease in the world and that even though external / internal forces can blow us off course, we can often find our way back to our equilibrium state"
LYRICS
In that ancient land, escape
felt like an enlightened place
to plant the weight of the past.
We squeezed out fear with wheezy breaths,
you and I came here to reflect,
blown north by the squalls like refugees.
Water flowed through harbour walls,
glacial streams; rock pools; rainfall.
The tides turned us inside out.
Tears came in waves. As we walked from the shore
over mossy moors, to the Old Man of Storr
I reached out for softness, my hand in yours.
I saw the mountains made
flowing lava and shifting plates,
gods remote from the world below.
Fear spiked by jagged edges;
vertigo rush and dizzy ascent,
We climbed each step to the firmament.
And then back down through cloud line
to the path that was there all that time
and will still be there, and will still be there
when the light has gone.
CREDITS
ARTWORK
Untitled Cyanotype by Louie Haslam
Louie is a 24-year-old photographer born and raised in Undercliffe, Bradford, and is Mark's son.
Louie describes his style as film photography with an environmentally friendly approach. He often photographs using expired 35mm film, developing it in non-toxic solutions such as caffenol (a coffee-based developer) and using eco-friendly printing techniques such as cyanotypes.
The image comes from a series called 'Expired Skye', which features cyanotype prints from photos taken on a trip to the Isle of Skye with his Dad.
He says "I took the photographs on expired 35mm film and developed them in a non-toxic, homemade developer using ingredients like coffee and vitamin C. This approach worked well to represent the fragile, haunting landscape of Skye."
LYRICS
From the poem Skye Light by Mark Haslam
MUSIC
The Argent Grub
SOFTWARE
PLUGINS
- Ardour Community Plugins
- Auburn Sounds
- David Robillard
- LSP LV2
- Michael Willis
- Robin Gareus
- ZynAddSubFX Team
THANKS
Mark, Louie, LJK
Anyone who has ever made a linux audio plugin
Catalogue No. ARG-2026-01
Released 26th January 2026