On 8th December, Philip Selway & Elysian Collective will release Live At Evolution Studios via Bella Union. A companion piece of sorts to Strange Dance, the acclaimed solo album which Selway released earlier this year, this superb new live recording features Selway collaborating with celebrated string quartet Elysian Collective and percussionist Chris Vatalaro, reimagining his songs in a more slimmed-down setting.
Having last month shared the live recording of “Picking Up Pieces”, today Selway shares a second preview of the album with “The Heart Of It All” – listen and watch BELOW:
Commenting on the album, Selway says: “This session with Elysian Collective and Chris Vatalaro was recorded at Evolution Studios in Oxford, where I recorded the bulk of Strange Dance and also my soundtrack work. It took place at the end of April ’23, just before I went out to do my UK and European dates. I originally brought this ensemble together to play at the launch event for Strange Dance back in February, as I felt this combination of string quartet and percussion, together with my vocals, piano and guitar would be a compact way to capture the scope of the varied musical textures on the album. I was so made up with how it sounded and how it reframed the songs, that I wanted to capture this dynamic in a recording. As well as songs from Strange Dance, there is also a version of one of my soundtrack pieces, ‘People Of The Sea’, and a track called ‘Song For Us’, which was written as a pitch piece for a TV show.”
In other news, Selway is soon to take to the road playing drums with his labelmates Lanterns On The Lake on their Autumn UK tour, which begins in Birmingham on 7th November. Selway will also be playing a solo show at Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on 1st December as part of James Yorkston’s Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer event.
Live At Evolution Studios album artwork (by Stewart Geddes) and tracklist:
1. The Heart of it All
2. Picking Up Pieces
3. People of the Sea
4. The Other Side
5. Little Things
6. Check For Signs Of Life
7. There’ll Be Better Days
8. Song For Us
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