Fresh from promoting the latest Broken Records album released at the end of last year, frontman Jamie Sutherland is once again venturing out on his own as he announces his new solo album The World As It Used To Be, out now.
Jamie Sutherland: ‘I self-consciously wanted to write an adult record, in the style of John Prine, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen’s later work, and as I have gotten (a little) older, I have found myself gravitating to songs which talk with the sense of experience that I was starting to feel. That things aren’t black and white, good and bad, ecstatic or despairing, that there is nuance in everything and detail is most important – all with the knowledge that in understanding a little there was so much more to learn.
With Broken Records, I have always found writing for a band a challenge, to push the form, to be as ambitious with soundscape. With these solo records I feel incredibly comfortable working within a set of self-imposed brackets, a set musical palate, and trying to write the best “songs” I possibly could. To try and reduce the form back to its constituent parts and focus on melody and lyric. Instead of being limiting I found the experience to be freeing, and am incredibly proud of the results.’
The album fittingly begins with lead single ‘Start Again’, a sprightly and stunning opener that sets the cinematic tone of the album and described by Jamie as ‘wide-open’. This term can also be used with the next track ‘Love Me Like You Did Before’, yet while ‘Start Again’ is a song of hope, lyrically he labels this one as ‘a drinking song and a regret song… one I can relate to!’
A weariness creeps in on ‘Something’s Hurt a Little More’, a quiet air of resignation that feels familiar with life’s advancing years and is reflected in the gently fingerpicked guitar chords. There’s also a classic folky feel with ‘While I Sleep’, sounding almost like a lullaby despite its haunting air of a past love in the lyrics. Speaking of the past, ‘You Were My Friend’ tackles the loss of loved ones over time, but with a jaunty rhythm and bright harmonica playing, it becomes an elegant ode to the happy memories shared with them.
An album highlight is ‘Always Be’, a soothing song which finds Jamie singing about his ties with the place he feels he belongs to: ‘The idea of “home” has been a running thread through my songwriting career, and this is another example of it, the idea of physical geography and emotional ties to it forming an idea of home,’ he explains. ‘People focus on where they want to be buried or ashes spread because they want to feel tied to the places that they feel connected to forever. To feel comfort in that sense of permanence. My place is the Moray Firth coastline in the north east of Scotland, and this song is about connecting to that landscape.’
‘All You’ve Ever Known of Love’ is a gentle heartbreak track, a quiet Americana number that finds two lovers trying to resolve a dilemma by simply talking things over, no drama involved. Leading into the fast pace of ‘The World As It Used To Be’, it’s described by Jamie as a ‘worry song’ and serves as his take on the last few tumultuous years experienced worldwide. He goes on to say, ‘This song is worried about the state of the world and my kids growing up in it and wanting them to have that golden glow of childhood I am lucky enough to remember. It’s my favourite song on the album and a knowing tip of the hat to the old style Greenwich Village “topical” songwriters who I love, honky harmonica and all.’
Then, slowing things down for the last track, ‘We Will Rise’ serves as the perfect song to close the album, coming full circle with a message of hope just as it was at the beginning. With sweeping strings and a universal sentiment, it serves as a reminder that hope always survives, no matter what.
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