The Pull of Autumn ‘Shipwrecked on Aspirin’ from ‘Small Colors’ LP RBM Records 18 September 2020

The Pull of Autumn previews ‘Shipwrecked on Aspirin’ ahead of ‘Small Colors’ LP release

Art rock collective The Pull of Autumn will be releasing their new ‘Small Colors’ album on September 18. Ahead of that, they preview the track ‘Shipwrecked on Aspirin’, the second taste of this album.

Featuring Luke ‘Skyscraper’ James of IRS artist Fashion. ‘Shipwrecked on Aspirin’ harkens back to post-punk of the past with one different element – the introduction of electronic music added in. Much in the spirit of Eno’ work with Roxy Music.  Elements of theremin and a horror soundtrack vibe bubble underneath.

Luke originally wrote this song when he was 22 as a fingerstyle guitar traditional folk song. Later he did a punk version, which Daniel Darrow has now turned into post-rock!

“About these lyrics, a guy kills an albatross (bad luck), the ship is becalmed, they make the guy walk the plank to bring back the wind, but as he steps off the end of the plank, he’s reborn as an albatross! Not the same story as ‘Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner’ but kind of inspired by it,” says Luke James.

Based between Boston and Rhode Island, The Pull of Autumn is a ‘super group’ of sorts, with songs orbiting around Daniel Darrow from Johanna’s House of Glamour and Luke ‘Skyscraper’ James (Fashion), but also involves numerous emerging and notable musicians from the local music scene and from far abroad.

Earlier, The Pull of Autumn released the lead single ‘Holiday’ feat. Orange Cake Mix (a.k.a. James Rao). They recorded this Bee Gees‘ track as a tribute to the 60s with an added electronic element, melding 60s pop into today’s post-rock movement.

‘Small Colors’ will be released via Boston-based label RBM Records. The collective’s third album, this it is a tribute to many moods, ranging from British folk music and post-rock to jazz, ambient and electronic music. The album’s title represents Darrow’s return to a minimalist approach towards creating music.

This long-play involves members of 4AD artists Dif Juz, Rough Trade artists Johanna’s House of Glamour and Butterfly Child, , Epic 45, Boyracer, Perfect Disaster, Insides, Germany’s Seasurfer, Japan’s Broken Little Sister, Orange Cake Mix, vocalists Mina Hunt and Jeanne Batting, Colin Darrow and Matthew Darrow.

“Many artists reached out to contribute to make this album a full range of interpretations of sound .It’s thrilling to have all these amazing artists join together to create 16 songs that a channel the same voice – A love of creating beauty, even in these difficult times,” says Daniel Darrow.

This release follows up the 2019 ‘Afterglow’ LP, which included contributions by members of Throwing Muses, Boyracer, Seasurfer, Orange Cake Mix, Johanna’s House of Glamour, Hood, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for something quite beautiful.

Their debut album ‘The Pull of Autumn’ was released in 2018 following the single ‘Not Coming Down’ featuring Luke ‘Skyscraper’ James, frontman of British new wave pioneers (and I.R.S. recording artist) Fashion.

The cover painting was created by artist Joyce Raskin, who is also bassist in Scarce and author or several books. Her painting fully represents the sound  of the music.

As of September 18, ‘Small Colors’ will be available across online stores and streaming platforms like Spotify. It will also be available on CD, packaged in a gatefold 7-inch sleeve. The album can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
‘Holiday’ written by Barry Gibb
Guitar and vocals by James Rao ‘Orange Cake Mix’
Keyboards by Daniel Darrow
Bass by Bruce MacLeod
Album cover painting by Joyce Raskin White

TRACK LIST
1. Bakhchalarda
2. Easy
3. No Romance
4. Fester
5. That’s How it’s Always Been
6. The Stars or the Jungle
7. Holiday
8. Lampin
9. The Beautiful Golden Y
10. The Sun Is Going to Shine
11. Bored and Lonely
12. If You Could Read My Mind
13. Shipwrecked on Aspirin
14. Delirious Intuition
15. Color
16. No Day at the Beach

Keep Up With The Pull of Autumn / RBM Records
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Nigel Lewis talks about his album “A Head Full of Ghosts & Memories”

After performing in various bands playing various genres of music from Pop/Rock to Punk/New Wave, Nigel Lewis released in June 2019 his debut album “A Head Full of Ghosts & Memories” containing 12 self-penned songs on the Audio Vendor record label through Tu-Kay records. You can find Nigel “out and about” with a 6 string acoustic performing at open mic nights, gigs, festivals & other musical events. Pete Dennis managed to meet him and do the following interview.

Peter Dennis: What are your earliest musical memories?
Nigel Lewis: Listening to the radio in our kitchen in the late 1960’s to music of that era.

Peter: What was the first music or artist that captured your imagination?
Nigel: David Bowie because his music and dress sense were totally different to other artists especially at the beginning of the 1970’s. One of the first albums I listened to was The Man Who Sold the World. It blew me away. Artists that inspired me to write and perform cut across all genres of music. Ray Davies, Lennon & McCartney,Gary Brooker, Paul Weller, Elvis Costello, Neil Finn, Kate Bush, Leonard Cohen, Suzanne Vega, Bob Dylan etc. So many more. I also have great respect for classical composers such as Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Tchaikovsky etc.

Peter: Can you tell me about your early forays into music. First bands and early gigs etc…
Nigel: I learnt a few chords from a mate on a cheap acoustic guitar and gigged a bit with his band as a favour in return. Just performing popular covers. I then started writing with another mate and joined his punk band in early 1980’s. We were called “Unsung Heroes” but again eventually we all went our own way as bands tend to do. After that I took a different direction covers from 1960’s & The Jam with a newly formed band named
The Network and after several changes in line up and names we became we became known as Initial Motion. This was the first time I started to take songwriting seriously and we ended up dropping all covers and performing only original material. It was also the first time I met bassist Simon Lockyer who I later worked with again when I joined Punk/New Wave covers band SO77 in 2011. After Initial Motion disbanded in late 1985 I continued to write but did not do much solo performing. Being a solo artist was harder in those days to get gigs and no open mics. I took a substantial break from music and performing for a number of years. I did continue to write on and off.

Peter: Your current incarnation as a singer/songwriter is markedly different than your previously singing in a punk covers band. Was it a big leap from raucous punk to acoustic songs? Or was it a smooth transition?
Nigel: I had started to attend a few open mics prior to finally leaving SO77 and I must admit as I was previously lead vocalist in the band it took some getting used to performing on my own and having to reaquante myself with the guitar for live performances.
I had also reignited the spark to write songs that are more personal to me. I ocassionally perform some covers in my set. My preference is to perform and record my own compositions.

Peter: From writing to release how long did it take for the album to come to fruition?
Nigel: Some of the songs were written in the late 1990’s, however the majority were recently written. I started recording the album at “Tu-kay records” in July 2018 and it was completed in June 2019.

Peter: The coast is a recurring theme in your lyrical writing. Do you find it inspiring? If so why? From where else do you draw lyrical ideas?
Nigel: I love my country, it’s rich history, coastline and countryside. The album is not only a reflection of true life events that have played a part in my life it hopefully captures places I have lived, visited and have left their imprint on my life.

Peter: I detect a little Ray Davies in your descriptive lyrics. Fair comment? What other artists influence your lyrics?
Nigel: Fair comment. There are too many artists to mention as previously mentioned.

Peter: What musical influences (if any) helped shape your album?
Nigel: I guess some of the artists I have already mentioned although as a songwriter you want the sound to be fresh and new I don’t think it matters if listeners believe it falls under a certain genre or category. If listeners like the album, and they engage with the songs then that’s a job well done.

Peter: Can you tell me about the recording process: where, when and how…
Nigel: We started recording the album in in late July 2018 and it was completed in June this year. The album was reccorded at Tu-kay records in Stoke Bruerne. Ash Tu-kay Woodward produced the album and he did a cracking job. He came highly recommended. A guide vocal and acoustic guitar were laid down first then other instruments and backing vocals were added.

Peter: How about the musicians you recorded with? Did you have good a chemistry in the studio? Rebecca Ryan appeared on several songs. Do you feel your voices work well together?

Nigel: Ash & myself played the instruments on the album. We had a fantastic time in the studio. Great atmosphere and we found time to mix work with banter & laughter. Working with Ash and Rebecca was a pleasure. It’s fair to say I have learnt a lot from the experience. I consider them good friends. Rebecca’s vocals work really well on the songs and she is an incredible vocalist.

Peter: Now the record has been released for a few months how do you feel? Is there anything you’d go back and change?
Nigel: I can honestly say I wouldn’t change anything. It would have been nice to include more songs, but you have to set a limit and budget.

Peter: What are your future musical plans?
Nigel: The next project for next year is a website, currently writing more songs for recording next year. More live performances. I really love what I do and I feel very privileged.

Peter: Where can people find you on social media?
Nigel: They can currently me on Instagram at nigelhatlewismusic and my music page on Facebook is nigellewissinger/songwriter. If people go to my Facebook page they can find alternative contact details.

 

 

RISE – Dark Cloud (June 28th 2019)

R I S E (aka Jo Beth Young) is an English songwriter whose relentlessly authentic songs and mesmeric voice cut deep into the fabric of human frailty with a visionary sound swaying hypnotically between dream folk and progressive grit; at times dark but always beautiful.

With beautifully crafted songs, enrapturing emotional performances and cinematic sounds, R I S E has reaped incredible support from acclaimed artists including Juldeh Camara (Robert Plant), Henry Thomas (George Michael, Van Morrison), Peter Yates (Fields of the Nephillim), Mike Rowe (Sheryl Crow, Noel Gallagher), Arnulf Linder (K.T Tunstall).

Since the release of her debut album ‘An Abandoned Orchid House’ in 2018 (under the longer moniker of Talitha Rise) she has been gathering international acclaim and support from BBC 6, BBC Introducing Devon, and the legendary ECHOES Radio in the USA who made her the number 1 album of the year.

Establishing her unique sound early on in Ireland cutting her teeth on the folk circuit, she returned to the UK and met her long-term collaborator Martyn Barker (Shriekback, Goldfrapp, Robert Plant) and caught the attention of Chris Difford (Squeeze) who sang on her debut EP Blue.

As a live artist R I S E, has started to reach new heights. Opening for acts such as Renaissance, Boo Hewardine, Julia Biel, Antonio Forcione and Shriekback, and she has held the spellbound attention of audiences at The Maltings, St. Pancras London, and sold out her 2017 and 2018 headline shows in Sussex and Devon.

With comparisons to Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Mazzy Star, Tori Amos threading through Pink Floyd-esque sounds, it is still hard to pin down Rise’s sounds and influences. There are hints of her classical singing beginnings, her Celtic studies and love of early prog, Tim Buckley and Nick Drake, but ultimately, a rarity in these times, she sounds distinctively like herself.

Jo-Beth decided on the change of name to RISE from Talitha Rise to mark the next phase of her career as a solo artist and is currently in production of her second album ‘Strangers’ due for release in October 2019 on the Thoroughbred Music label with upcoming tour dates in the UK and Ireland.

Pre-album tour warm up gigs (showcasing Strangers LIVE)

July 11th – B Bar Plymouth

July 12th – The Angel Gallery – Totnes

July 13th – Feather’s Hotel, Ledbury Fringe Festival

July 27th Lepallooza, Bude Cornwall

Keep up with R I S E

Instagram | Facebook | Website

 

Kim Thompsett – Woebetide Hill (Meniscus Hump Records 31 May 2019)

Kim Thompsett Announces New Album ‘The Hollows’, Previews Single ‘Woebetide Hill’

Perhaps one of Britain’s best kept folk music secrets, Kim Thompsett has announced her second album ‘The Hollows’, which will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally. Four years in the making, this LP explores themes that are rooted in nature, mysticism and the arcane.

Ahead of that, Thompsett presents the single ‘Woebetide Hill’. This melancholic folk track is a captivating work with a vintage sound that, combined with Kim’s voice, sends the listener on a trip to yesteryear.

“Woebetide Hill tells the tale of a meeting of initiates on a well-guarded moonlit hill, where the circle is drawn and a dance with a cloven-footed entity ensues,” says Kim Thompsett.

“I was just noodling by an open fire in a pottery workshop where I used to hang out, with an autumnal wind wuthering around, and it just came together. The concept of Woebetide Hill is that it is not a place not for the faint-hearted to attempt to climb. Maybe it represented a challenge presented and a ‘girding of the loins’  or determination to overcome it.”

Credit for recording, mixing, mastering and production of this album goes to Harvey Summers at Broadoak Studios in Bexhill, East Sussex, who is well known for his work with Sir Paul McCartney, Daniel Lanois, Moby, Steeleye Span, Pentangle, Ellie Ford, Danny Thompson (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Nick Drake, Pentangle), Hossam Ramzy (Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin), Cutting Crew and Divine Comedy, among others.

‘The Hollows’ is the long-awaited follow-up to ‘Songs from the Uglee Meadow’, her debut album, released in 2008. Thompsett earlier released the single ‘Snowbound’, which also appears on the new album.

Upholding the momentum gained with her debut offering, ‘The Hollows’ evokes an archaic atmosphere and nuances of Celtic and medieval times. At the same time, it branches out into a more experimental and eclectic idiom with a more diverse range of instrumentation and more sophisticated production.

Songs celebrating ancient connections with forest, with earth, with sky and with water – the shedding of ego and an immersion in the universe. The music itself is most reminiscent of the English folk of the ’70’s with a few other genres for good measure.

“I wanted to make an album that was primarily something I would enjoy listening to. If other people like it too, that’s great. Having come to fruition some ten years after the debut album, I wanted to ensure it was a natural progression from the previous work and that the songs were manifested in the fully-developed compositions that only the songwriter can hear during the creative process,” says Thompsett.

“I approached Harvey Summers, who conveniently runs a studio near me, and he was ultimately empathetic with the kind of music I wished to create.  He ‘got it’ immediately and after a very brief introduction we started work. Harvey’s sensitivity to the kind of soundscape I wished to create has been present throughout our sessions making decisions on arrangements, instrumentation and feel of the album very easy to conclude.”

Kim Thompsett has been writing songs and performing, both solo and with various bands, for around 20 years. Her music has attracted a niche following of primarily pagan and traditional folk music fans with a penchant for nature and literary references.

Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath and Paul Giovanni (The Wicker Man soundtrack) number among her musical influences, as do Circulus, Gong, Pamela Wyn Shannon, Beck Sian, Hexvessel, Cara Dillon, The Strawbs, Fairport Convention, Les Derniers Trouveres, Omnia, Priscilla Hernandez, Pentangle and Steeleye Span.

As of April 30, the ‘Woebetide Hill’ single will be available across online stores like iTunes and streaming platforms such as Spotify. ‘The Hollows’ album will be released via Meniscus Hump Records on May 31, but can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

SINGLE CREDITS
Kim Thompsett – guitar, vocals
Lee Igglesden – guitar, bass, djembe
Garry Blakeley – violin
Will Summers – flute
Harvey Summers – synth, effects
Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Harvey Summers at Broadoak Studios in Bexhill, East Sussex
Artwork by Natalia Drepina

TRACK ORDER
1 Moonchild’s Lullaby
2 Snowbound
3 Soul Song
4 Woebetide Hill
5 Child of the Breeze
6 Strange Garden
7 Brocéliande
8 Hollow Hill
9 Hollow Tree
10 Say it with Flowers
11 Woebetide Hill (single)

Keep up with Kim Thompsett
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