The Life Of Birds

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Cat No: PRPCD061

Release Date: 16 August 2010

Label: Proper Records

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 805520030618

Genres: Folk Americana

Description
The seed for the album came about with opening track and first single ‘The Sparrow, The Thrush & The Nightingale’, a laidback, upbeat melody with an instantly recognisable whistled refrain disguising an allegorical tale about greed. Deciding to enlist the services of respected folk singer Jim Causley to add juxtaposing vigour to the seething, bilious lyrics, Rotheray hit upon the idea of expanding the metaphor to write an entire album with birds as its loose notional concept, and calling upon some of the UK’s finest folk singer-songwriters to flesh out the music he had written. The result is fourteen superbly crafted songs that touch on some sensitive subjects with subtlety and grace – although Rothery is quick to point out “all pigeons described … are entirely fictitious, and any resemblance to chaffinches, living or dead, is entirely coincidental!”
In a career that has taken him from forming The Beautiful South with Paul Heaton in the late 1980s to his critically-acclaimed acoustic side project Homespun, Dave Rotheray’s name has always been synonymous with music that mixes the melancholy with dry humour to great effect. On ‘The Life Of Birds’, Rotheray has succeeded in crafting an album where the emphasis is firmly on songwriting, with some of the best lyrics and most beautiful music of his career.
Track listing: The Sparrow, The Thrush & The Nightingale (with Jim Causley / Living Before The War (with Bella Hardy) / The Road To The South (with Eliza Carthy) / Crows, Ravens & Rooks (with Kathryn Williams) / Draughty Old Fortress (with Alasdair Roberts) / Sweet Forgetfulness (with Camille O'Sullivan) / The Hummingbird On Your Calendar (with Bella Hardy & Jim Causley / Taller Than Me (with Julie Murphy) / Almost Beautiful (with Eleanor McEvoy) / Flying Lessons (with Nat Johnson) / The Best Excuse In The World (Is The Truth) (with Jack L) / The Digital Cookoo (with Bella Hardy) / Cover Your Garden Over (with Eliza Carthy) / The Sparrow, The Thrush & The Nightingale Part II (with Jim Causley).
Tracklisting