DAMON ALBARN announces his new solo album – ‘The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows’

DAMON ALBARN announces his new solo album - 'The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows' 1
Photo Credit: Linda Brownlee

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, the new studio album from Damon Albarn, will be released by new label home Transgressive Records on 12th November 2021.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows was originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland. This last year has seen Albarn return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John Clare poem Love and Memory.

Albarn says “I have been on my own dark journey while making this record and it led me to believe that a pure source might still exist.”

Listen to ‘The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows’ – BELOW:

In a career of perpetual musical shifts and exploration, the record uncovers yet more ground, finding expansive orchestral arrangements nestling with intimate melodies, discordance brushing up against infectious majesty, all set to some of Albarn’s most arresting vocal performances to date. Much like the beauty and chaos of the natural world it soundtracks, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows vividly documents the emotional ebb and flow of the human condition, in all its extremes, serving as a soul-enriching document for our times.

The tracklisting is as follows:

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
The Cormorant
Royal Morning Blue
Combustion
Daft Wader
Darkness To Light
Esja
The Tower Of Montevideo
Giraffe Trumpet Sea
Polaris
Particles

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows

Alongside a digital release, there will be limited edition colour vinyl formats, plus CD and cassette. There will also be a deluxe version of the album, taking the form of a casebound book with additional photography, original scanned lyrics and artwork from Damon, alongside a clear vinyl version of the album, a high quality digital file and a bonus 7” featuring an exclusive song from the recording sessions.

Albarn debuted a set of songs from the album as part of the Live At Worthy Farm event last month, highlights of which can be seen on BBC iPlayer from 24th June, ahead of a BBC Two documentary ‘Live At Worthy Farm: Backstage’ at 9pm on Sunday 27th June. And this summer, accompanied by a band and string section, Albarn will perform two UK festival shows to play tracks from across his songbook, including the new album, on 13th July at Manchester International Festival and Edinburgh International Festival on 24th August.

2022 Tour Dates (rescheduled from 2021):
21 & 22 February – London (Barbican)
23 & 24 February – Dublin (National Concert Hall)
26 February – Luxembourg (Philharmonie)
28 February – Brussels (Bozar)
1 March – Brussels (Bozar)
2 March – Eindhoven (Muziekgebouw)
4 & 5 March – Paris (Philharmonie)
6 March – Lyon (Auditorium)
7 March – Hamburg (ElbPhilharmonie)
9 March – Copenhagen (KB Hallen)
11 March – Reykjavik (Harpa)

For tickets and information

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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