Headlining the ThePROJECT:2 will be Ivor Novello prize winning songwriter, Greenbelt favourite, singer/songwriter Iain Archer.
His early years were spent in Northern Ireland, living on the shores of the Irish Sea. His most recent sojourns have been to Germany’s Black Forest to create his new album ‘To The Pine Roots’. Now based in London, it would appear that a sense of place is a thing that matters to Iain Archer and the poignant music he creates. It can be heard literally throughout his work, the geography of ‘Frozen Northern Shores’, the imaginings of ‘Black Mountain Quarry’, or the live favourite ‘Holywood Seapark’. And each new piece of work reveals a fresh sonic landscape.
This is no more clear than on Archer’s latest album ‘To The Pine Roots’ which was conceived and recorded in a cottage in the Scharzwald in southwest Germany. A place of family connection, he found it the ideal escape from London’s churning industry, and somewhere that drew very special songs from him. His family make beautiful appearances on the album with brothers, sisters, parents and partners all singing at the key moments. ‘To The Pine Roots’ might be seen as a return to his own roots – back to the stripped down sound of his earliest records, but with a new clarity, some new sensibility.
Archer began his career with a move from Belfast to Glasgow in the mid 90’s where he made two albums with Sticky Records, an Ayrshire based indie label. These early works led to him being invited to tour as support act to John Martyn, where he formed a friendship with the legend and accompanied him on vocals. He toured relentlessly and became known for his solo performances with stirring vocals and guitar work. Radio and press picked up keenly on the releases.
Still the musical traveling bug took him off to explore new territory. Archer felt he had more to say, and other ways to express it, and so a period of hiatus and collaboration ensued. He took a job working in a homeless hostel in London, which allowed him a window on another side of life and took away any pressure of touring.
He set about rediscovering his muse. During this time he worked with a number of artists including Fionn Regan, Juliet Turner, Jacob Golden, Reindeer Section and Snow Patrol. Soon Archer was asked to join forces with Snow Patrol and spent a year on the road and in the studio. During this time Iain was involved in co-writing key tracks on Snow Patrol’s soon-to-be breakthrough album ‘Final Straw’, which would later earn him an Ivor Novello Award.
With new ideas forming, Archer signed a deal with PIAS Recordings to create his third album ‘Flood The Tanks’, a spectral album of hushed melodies and yearning. He moved to the south coast of England and spent a year gently carving it out. Touring and press acclaim followed and a radio 1 single of the week with the epic ‘Summer Jets’.
Soon he was writing the follow up – 2007’s ‘Magnetic North’ which Archer co-produced with David Kosten (Bat For Lashes, Joseph Arthur, Faultline) also released on PIAS. Recorded in the idyllic setting of Jacob’s Studios in Surrey, 25 years to the day that ‘The Queen Is Dead’ was recorded in the same room, Magnetic North is an album of extremes. Much of it a reflection on Archer’s home of Northern Ireland, no less a place of extremes, the album used seascape images to drift you over its powerful peaks and troughs. ‘Canal Song’ appeared on monster US TV show ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Everything I’ve Got’ on its off-shoot ‘Private Practise’. Again, well received by the press, Magnetic North welcomed acclaim in many circles.
There are inevitable questions when an artist has been associated with spectacular international hits. For some it outshines other corners of his work. But it is his will to travel musically that informs all of what Iain Archer is about, both as a solo artist and a collaborator.
With ‘To The Pine Roots’ Archer has made his barest and most heartfelt work to date, full of woody tones, distant birdsong and and an uncommon sense of hope. The album was made a world away and it sounds like it. The breath of an old harmonium, the ring of an ancient autoharp, poetry in word and note.
Lets hope the traveler’s spirit stays with him.
Iain’s Music -Amazon, Izumi
Iain website – iainarcher.co.uk
This post is tagged Iain Archer, Music
