English songwriter Hayden Thorpe has shared beautiful new song ‘He’. The singer’s new album ‘Ness’ takes its cues from the natural world – specifically, the 10 mile stretch of coastline known as Orford Ness, in Suffolk. Utilising the creative energies of author Robert MacFarlane, the latest preview of the incoming LP is online now.
‘He’ is beautiful – an audio feast for high summer, it revels in our connection to the natural world. The sonic palette matches this intent: Hayden Thorpe removes any hint of rock instrumentation, with the soft orchestral flourishes echoing the arrangements of Robert Kirby, say. Hayden comments.
.. “I hold those instruments in a higher esteem than I do rock instruments, the clarinet is very much a voice, I felt I was almost duetting with it.
” Continuing, he says of the song’s construction: I loved the swagger and strut of Rob’s lines in the He chapter, they immediately brought to mind the cock-sure attitude of a Rolling Stones track. I went about creating a jaunty let-it-all-hang-out sort of song. It’s a maximalist approach – the more I gave it, the greedier it got.
Production wise this was probably the biggest undertaking. You know things have gotten broad when you’re miking up a sackbut (a 15th century early trombone) and a spinet (a small 17th century harpsichord). It was a lot of fun working with Propellor’s brass section and the recording became a crash course in studio engineering.
The power and drama of orchestral waveforms rubbing up against modern sounds are a haunted house for the ear. The track begins with a sample of Rob reading. I became really interested in that netherworld between word and song.
Under Milk Wood and Ulysses both operate similarly – the lines are almost melodic. I wanted to reveal the innerworkings of that process. The video for ‘He’ was directed by Sam Potter, and frames some of the flora and fauna native to Ness.
Watch it below. Just one more thing..
. Hayden Thorpe and Robert MacFarlane will perform together at Kings Place in London on February 7th. Photo Credit: Eeva Rinne.
