Guy Garvey - Courting The Squall [CD]

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After nearly twenty five years and counting as a member of elbow and one of the UK\u2019s most recognised and celebrated musicians and lyricists, Guy Garvey is setting off alone for the first time. On October 30th he releases his debut solo album, \u2018Courting the Squall\u2019. \r
Recorded initially at Real World Studios near Bath and completed at Blueprint Studios in Salford, \u2018Courting the Squall\u2019 features a band created by Guy from his \u2018favourite musicians outside elbow\u2019 and was driven by spontaneity and experimentation amongst the assembled players with Guy firmly and exclusively in the driving seat. The band \u2018moved fast and drank a lot\u2019, focusing on live recording with minimal overdubs to create the songs. Unlike elbow, where democracy has always ruled, this is an album where Guy embraced the freedom to do exactly what he felt throughout. \r
The album features Pete Jobson, long time friend and bass player from I Am Kloot, as lead guitarist and Nathan Sudders from The Whip on bass, bringing an indie sensibility that was at the heart of Guy\u2019s thinking for certain songs. Keyboards are marshalled by old V2 labelmate Ben Christophers and drums are filled by Alex Reeves. elbow\u2019s brass section add to selected tracks whilst Rachael Gladwin, a steadying contrast to the party vibe of the team due her being pregnant, plays the harp and kora. \r
\u2018Courting the Squall\u2019 is powered by influences and ideas that \u2018don\u2019t fit the elbow template\u2019. Some tracks, notably \u2018Angela\u2019s Eyes\u2019, \u2018Harder Edges\u2019 and \u2018Belly of the Whale\u2019, come completely from groove, finding a sweet spot between Manchester\u2019s baggy past, long term love Tom Waits and Bowie\u2019s mid-70\u2019s albums, particularly \u2018Sound and Vision\u2019. This change of type engendered a change of vocal approach, a clipped and more direct Garvey voice coming across, a hark back to his early days writing lyrics influenced by his listening to hip-hop where short delivery carries rhythm alongside meaning.\r
Lyrical concerns encompass those familiar to Guy\u2019s past work at times, the big themes of love and friendship, the lure of his Northern homeland but tracks and lyrics were not always pre-planned. On one occasion a bird observed from the window of the recording studio became the catalyst for the music, at other times a loose jam approach crystallized both lyrically and musically into a finished composition. There were no rules. \r
Having guested on various artist\u2019s albums as a vocalist, \u2018Courting the Squall\u2019 sees Guy duet on his own music again with the sumptuous \u2018Electricity\u2019 featuring Jolie Holland conjuring up images of illicit jazz dives in fin de si\xe8cle Paris or prohibition era New York in the distinctly non urban studio setting outside Bath. Alongside Jolie\u2019s credit, another, less familiar set of co-writers appear on the album but we\u2019ll leave that to you to discover.\r
Yet not all of \u2018Courting the Squall\u2019 is a move away from the familiar. The album title track, a trip hop rhythm propelled ballad and \u2018Juggernaut\u2019, a hymnal clothed in sedate populist clothing, may feel more immediately recognizable to long term followers of Guy\u2019s music whilst \u2018Broken Bottles and Chandeliers\u2019, with its warmth , once again showcases his unerring ability to translate the sense of overwhelming joy into understated musical form.\r
It is, as with all solo albums, a glimpse into its creator\u2019s soul. Shot through with warmth and emotional intelligence, content and comfortable in its own skin, \u2018Courting the Squall\u2019 is that most unique thing; a record made without preconditions, an album of songs made purely for the joy of its making.\r
Guy has also announced a short run of dates in Europe and the UK throughout November and December on which he will be accompanied by the musicians who recorded the album, including Pete Jobson of I Am Kloot on guitar, Nathan Sudders of The Whip on bass and Alex Reeves on drums. Elbow\u2019s brass section complete the live line-up.\r

1. Angela's Eyes

2. Courting the Squall

3. Harder Edges

4. Unwind

5. Juggernaut

6. Yesterday

7. Electricity

8. Belly of the Whale

9. Broken Bottles and Chandeliers

10. Three Bells