Description
Strathspey-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Hamish Napier performs regularly with Adam Sutherland, Jarlath Henderson and Gary Innes. He has recorded with Donald Shaw, Karen Matheson, Eddi Reader and Martyn Bennett, and has created several celebrated new works in his writing partnership with Duncan Chisholm [Wolfstone].
The Railway is much-anticipated follow-up album to his critically-acclaimed debut The River. Returning once again to his native Strahspey, Napier’s collection of new compositions and songs was specially commissioned by the new Grantown East: Highland Heritage & Cultural Centre. Derelict since the Beeching cuts in the late 60s, Grantown East railway station has now been lovingly restored to its former glory. Napier’s soundtrack captures the sounds, atmosphere and culture surrounding the old Speyside Line that served many of the world famous Speyside whisky distilleries and its people.
The album comes in a gorgeous-looking black and white digipack, including a 16 page booklet, artwork and design by the fabulous Somhairle MacDonald somhairle.co.uk. Also includes vintage photos of the Speyside line and Highland Railway taken by photographers from the 1920s up until the ’60s.
The project was engineered and coproduced beautifully by Glasgow-based Italian electronica musician Andrea Gobbi, and features a ’stellar line up” [The Herald].
Fraser Stone – drums & percussion
Ewan Robertson – guitar
Findlay Napier – lead vocal & guitar (tracks 3 & 10)
James Lindsay – double bass
Ross Ainslie – Highland pipes in ‘A’ & border pipes
Patsy Reid – fiddles, viola, cello & string arrangements
Hamish Napier – whistles, flutes, piano, Rhodes, Wurly, Mellotron & backing vocals
“An excellent flute player.” The Guardian
★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA
★★★★ “Epic…this music has taken the audience back to the past it celebrates and warmly recreates” THE HERALD
★★★★ “Warmly evokes the glory days of the long-closed Speyside Line…a lament for a lost world.” THE SCOTSMAN
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.