Kevin Godley - Muscle Memory (2020)

In July 2017 Kevin Godley – formerly of 10cc and Godley & Creme – posted an invitation on the site PledgeMusic: “Write and record with me.”

PledgeMusic was a platform for musicians to connect directly with fans who could pay for music in advance to support the creation of albums. Kevin’s project took the potential of this remote, socially distanced collaboration further.

He explained: “Recently something happened that eclipsed any songwriting techniques I’d learned in 10cc or Godley & Creme. Out of the blue, I was sent 2 recorded instrumental tracks with requests to write melodies and lyrics and turn them into songs. Both tracks came from people I’d never met and still haven’t. Experiencing this kind of remote collaboration and its results has been transformative for me, as I believe I’ve recorded 2 of my best ever songs and MUSCLE MEMORY, as I’m calling the album, will be about opening this collaborative door a lot wider.”

Kevin received 286 instrumentals, choosing to conceal the names of submitters so as not to focus on high profile artists. Of these 11 were chosen for the final tracklisting. The instrumentals vary wildly, from jarring electronic beats to Gotye’s dreamlike balladic contribution, “Song of Hate.”