We gathered together the tunes from our limited edition 'Seasons' series of EPs into one collection, with brand new artwork from Char. The music weaves around the turning of the year, from bracing Spring, balmy Summer and misty Autumn to the cold depths of Bleak Midwinter - the perfect soundtrack to the four-seasons-in-one-day weather we can experience in the UK. Here are some explanations of the various tracks: Spring 1: Into the Wind (Whalebone) - This insistent tune was inspired by the sight of jackdaws taking off into a stiff spring breeze from the chimney pots of the cottage below Whalebone Towers. 2: Raggle Taggle Gypsy (trad. arr. Whalebone) - Char has always loved The Waterboys’ version of this traditional classic, and this bass-driven take on it contains a nod or two in that direction. Sarah’s five-string violin also makes its first sneaky appearance on this track. 3: You and I (Whalebone) - In an interesting reversal of roles, E-bowed guitars here take on an eerie, violinesque line, against understated plucked violin. 4: Stormlight (Whalebone) - At long last another outing for Steve’s beloved Les Paul, which hasn’t taken centre stage since Devil’s Chair on the 2010 album There to Here. We also had a huge amount of fun with the thunder and rain sounds (multiple watering cans, Sarah’s debut on the bodhran, some failed experimentation with casserole lids…). Summer 5: John Barleycorn (trad. arr. Whalebone) - Sarah has always loved this traditional tune, from listening to Steeleye Span’s version as a child in the 70s to the wonderful Imagined Village version featuring Paul Weller. We all have different favourite parts of our version – Sarah loves Steve’s sneaky banjo line (keep an ear out), Char loves the unexpected moogerfooger! Steve likes tunes about beer… 6: Dragonfly Sky (Whalebone) - This track for us encapsulates the lifting joy of an English summer’s day. The sunny kind. 7: Here Comes the Sun (George Harrison arr. Whalebone) - George Harrison wrote this tune (in Eric Clapton's garden!) to celebrate the return of sunny weather after the long winter of 1969, and Whalebone recorded it for similar reasons 45 years later. But in Steve's garden rather than Eric Clapton's. 8: Far from the Sea (Whalebone) - We all live in Shropshire, England’s only doubly-landlocked county (meaning that none of the counties bordering Shropshire have a coastline either…) so writing pirate tunes always seemed like a non-starter for us. That is, until this one popped out. ArrrRR. Sarah has small round hairy Vikings in her head singing along with the chorus… Autumn 9: Migration (Whalebone) - Steve’s house overlooks water meadows and the River Severn, often visited by flocks of migrating geese. Their haunting calls at dawn and dusk inspired this tune. 10: Harvest Home (trad. arr. Whalebone)- This tune conjures up images of past times in rural England, crops gathered in, celebratory feasts and mugs of cider. Lots of cider... 11: Whiskey in the Jar (trad. arr. Whalebone) - It's impossible to play this traditional Irish tune without a huge nod to the Thin Lizzy version, especially if you grew up to a soundtrack of 1970s guitar-driven rock. Which Steve did. 12: A Place in the Dark (Whalebone) - A quiet reflective tune. Not necessarily a physical place... Winter 13: Girl in the Moon (Whalebone) - Originally called 'Girl in the Lake' for no particular reason, until we decided it sounded a bit too much like the title of a Scandinavian detective thriller. 14: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (trad. arr. Whalebone) - A few year ago we collectively fell in love with Sting’s If On A Winter’s Night, and our arrangement of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen owes a debt of honour to the track Soul Cake from that album. 15: In the Bleak Midwinter (Holst arr. Whalebone)- Did you know Gustav Holst wrote the music which turned this poem by Christina Rossetti into the Christmas carol we all know and love? Neither did we until we started researching this a couple of years ago prior to writing our own arrangement. 16: Fairytale of New York (Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan arr. Whalebone) - A tune that has a special place in the hearts of so many people, we went through countless failed arrangements before we felt that we'd captured a hint of the rich mix of unfulfilled dreams, disappointment and ultimately hope that characterise the Pogues' masterpiece.