Listen: A Grave With No Name - "I Will Ride A Horse" [Premiere]

11 March 2015, 09:11 | Written by Rich Thane

(Tracks)

(A Grave With No Name)

A Grave With No Name, the recording project of Alexander Shields, returns on May 4 with Feathers Wet, Under The Moon and sees the London based songwriter escape the confines and limitations of his home studio for Nashville, TN.

Recorded in collaboration with producer Mark Nevers (whose credits include Bonnie Prince Billy, Silver Jews, William Tyler, Lambchop and Vic Chesnutt), Feathers Wet is a daring foray into Shields' sensitive side. Removing the experimental, often reverb laden shoegaze associated with AGWNN's output, Nevers exposes a softer side rarely seen on A Grave With No Name's previous three long players.

Thoughtful, provocative and genuinely moving, "I Will Ride A Horse" is the perfect entry point to the album. A light waltz, augmented by simple acoustics and lilting strings slowly unfolds into a gently euphoric lullaby that's nothing short of mesmerising.

Shields says of the recording process: "I travelled to Nashville on my own in April 2014 to record with Mark at his Beech House studio. We worked on our own for a while and then we started calling in local Nashville musicians for overdubs such as guitarist William Tyler (who made one of my favourite albums of the past few years) and Tony Crow (who is from Lambchop, and the most amazing piano player I’ve ever seen)."

The record also features collaborations from Daniel Blumberg (ex-Yuck): "(He) came out to visit in the second week and helped out with some guitar and piano as well. The whole record took two weeks to track and then I travelled back to London and we spent a month sending mixes back and forth via email. It felt a long, long way away from recording alone in my bedroom."

Feathers Wet, Under The Moon is released through Lefse Records on May 4. A Grave With No Name will play London's Power Lunches on April 8 and The Lexington on May 6.