I am lost. Things are familiar and yet unknown. The sky is dark above the trees. Leaves rustle above my head. As I reach the edge of the wood, I enter a clearing. The trees extend on either side of me, but all is clear in front. I believe I see a figure far off in the distance. I head towards the edge of the clearing. The sky is becoming darker the by the minute. The temperature is dropping little by little. Rain is imminent. As I walk on, the trees on my left thin out, until only the ones on the right remain. Soon, they begin to disperse, until I am in an open field. I look for the figure I believed I saw; surely there'd be no one else around on a day like this (this land is rarely occupied on the warmest of days). I approach a tree as the sky begins to brighten a little. There are a number of small bushes and hedges around this part of the field. I have been walking for some time and so decide to take a rest. I sit under the tree and take in my surroundings. To my right is a small spinney on the side of a hill. On the top of the hill sits a tall building, which is most likely a church. To my left is another, slightly larger group of trees. After a few minutes, I notice the sky is darkening once more, and decide to head towards the hill. It is a longer walk than I originally estimated, and once I reach the foot of it, rain is beginning to fall; only lightly at first, but once I am under the cover of trees, the rain has become quite heavy. The bare, spindly trees give me very little cover, but I find the rain somewhat comforting. A quick look to my right reveals something moving atop the hill. I edge slowly up the slope, hoping to catch up with what I've seen. Once I reach the top I find there is nothing moving in sight. A slight shiver runs through my body, possibly from the cold. Maybe the figure has gone into the church which shares the summit. I push a wooden gate aside and enter the churchyard, the rain providing a soundtrack to keep me from a possibly eerie silence. An inspection of the doors finds them to be locked. Something rustles to my side. I move quickly to look behind the church, which I find to be overgrown with nettles and long grass. The rustling continues, somewhere out of sight. Another shiver occupies my spine before a black bird flies out of a hedge in front of me. The bird - a rook or crow - glides over my head. I turn to watch it depart, and it heads down the opposite side of the hill, towards a dead tree. I head in the same direction, now soaked from the rain. I pause momentarily under a considerably tall tree to get my bearings. It is hard to see which part of the wood I exited, and impossible to tell where I entered. Large, white-cold water droplets drip from the tree's branches and land on me, prompting me to move on swiftly. I feel myself almost slip several times on the way down the hill, as the ground is now muddy from the pouring rain. At the bottom stands a lone tree. In the top of the tree sits a bird. It is most likely the same bird which I encountered in the church yard. I approach a gap in the hedge, and enter a very muddy field. It takes me a few minutes to reach the other side, but when I do, I am able to see lights on the horizon. I head towards the first signs of civilisation I have seen in days.


Originally released on Second Thought Records, and out of print, the CD album has been repressed to celebrate the 10th anniversary. The download package now features 14 bonus tracks, most unreleased, including demos, outtakes, alternative versions and other pieces from the 2002 - 2003 Purlieu sessions, plus a wealth of digital photographs related to the album and its artwork.