Recent work as a film composer includes a score for Ntshavheni wa Luruli’s film Elelwani (currently nominated for Best Music Score in an African Film 2013), a collaborative score with Sub Pop’s Spoek Mathambo for Black South-Easter (premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013 https://twitter.com/tendeka/status/332541638465421313/photo/1 ) and a score for the BBC feature film Challenger starring William Hurt.
https://soundcloud.com/chris-letcher
Chris is a member of Bow Arts Co-op.Letcher played with Urban Creep, one of South Africa's biggest bands during the late 90's before going solo. Frieze, his 2007 album made it into best albums of the last decade in the Sunday Times and the Mail & Guardian. The film Chris Letcher scored, My Black Little Heart, made one of the top films of 2009 the South African Sunday Independent. Letcher is currently scoring director Claire Angelique's follow up film, Place of Bone.Chris has just finished the score for an adaptation of DH Lawrence Women in Love for the BBC. Chris recently working with Dave Matthews and Xavier Rudd on a track for Vusi Mahlasela's album. He is also currently studying towards completion of his Doctorate in Music Composition at the Royal College of Music in London
Link to Chris live session on Manchester TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02YxR5xcSH8
Link to Chris live session on Balcony TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__FeSP60Etk
Sketch
Chris Letcher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, things that start badly are never going to improve with age.
The world has done things to you, but you've done more to yourself.
Oh Robert! There's something in the air.
Slow release me now come on.
From this awful night, I cannot stand the thought of all those lies.
So I run from the light, from the thought I might,
Not have done something right.
There's the shock and awe.
It's just shock that's all.
The lyrics to Chris Letcher's song "Sketch" speak to the idea of regret and the internal struggle that often comes with it. The opening lines of "Are you sure? Are you not sure?" set the tone for the song, as it suggests uncertainty and hesitation. The following line, "Well, things that start badly are never going to improve with age," introduces the idea that the singer may have made mistakes in the past that they now regret and cannot change.
The next lines, "The world has done things to you, but you've done more to yourself. Oh Robert! There's something in the air," suggest a sense of guilt and self-blame. The use of "Robert" is interesting as it is unclear who exactly the singer is referring to - it could be an actual person or a way to address themselves.
The chorus, "Slow release me now come on. From this awful night, I cannot stand the thought of all those lies. So I run from the light, from the thought I might, not have done something right," speaks to the idea of escaping from past mistakes and the burden of guilt that comes with them.
The line "At the back of your head, there's an open door, there's the shock and awe," suggests that the singer is constantly haunted by their past actions and the consequences that followed.
Overall, the lyrics to "Sketch" are a poignant exploration of the internal struggle that comes with regret and the desire to escape from it.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you sure? Are you not sure?
Do you have complete confidence in your decisions or are you unsure and hesitant?
Well, things that start badly are never going to improve with age.
When something begins on a negative note, it is unlikely to improve over time.
The world has done things to you, but you've done more to yourself.
While external factors may have had an impact on you, you have also negatively influenced your own life.
Oh Robert! There's something in the air.
An undefined sense of unease or tension is in the atmosphere.
Slow release me now come on.
Free me from something that is holding me back, but do it gradually.
From this awful night, I cannot stand the thought of all those lies.
The idea of deceit and falsehoods associated with this terrible evening is intolerable.
So I run from the light, from the thought I might, Not have done something right.
I am avoiding the possibility of realizing that I made an error or did something wrong by fleeing from introspection and the possibility of admitting fault.
At the back of your head, there's an open door, There's the shock and awe.
There is an opportunity to make a change or take a risk, despite the potential for surprise or shock.
It's just shock that's all.
Despite the surprise or shock of taking a new path, it is not something to be feared and is a natural reaction to change.
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.