Duncan Patterson to Release Grace Road in March; New Song Posted
Something perhaps of niche appeal here, but I consider myself part of the niche, so whatever. Duncan Patterson, original bassist of Anathema whose catalog also includes work as a founding member of Antimatter and Alternative 4 and Íon, has a new solo album due in March through Strangelight Records. His last solo offering was 2016’s The Eternity Suite, which built out arrangements from Anathema‘s 1996 landmark, Eternity, into atmospheric orchestral interpretations, and the upcoming Grace Road feels immediately more traditionally song-based — at least if the first song is anything to go by.
“The Amber Line” was posted on Xmas and puts Patterson in collaboration with vocalist Enas Al-Said. Certainly one can hear the keyboard choral and sparse guitar that were an integral part of The Eternity Suite, but the presence of two singers signals a change of approach, though of course how much “The Amber Line” speaks for the rest of the record is a mystery. An intriguing one, at that. All the more since the selected single is one of only five inclusions on the full-length, from which one might extrapolate that there’s some longer-form work being done than even across the six minutes here. For those unfamiliar with Alternative 4 or Patterson‘s storied past in general — first of all, please take this post as encouragement to go exploring — and second, you’ll find the melancholy on display here is a hallmark of his craft.
I’m curious to see Strangelight releasing and not Prophecy Productions, which has handled plenty of Patterson-inclusive fare in the past, but we live in a new age, and weirder things have definitely happened than someone putting out a record on another label than the one I immediately and probably needlessly associate them with in my head.
Info from social media, audio from Bandcamp:
DUNCAN PATTERSON – Grace Road
Liverpool born songwriter Duncan Patterson returns after a five year absence. The new album, titled ‘Grace Road’, is scheduled for a March release through Strangelight Records. The first track ‘The Amber Line’, featuring vocalist Enas Al-Said, will be available for free/name your price via Bandcamp on December 25th. Grace Road is Patterson’s second solo album, following The Eternity Suite in 2016.
https://duncanpatterson.bandcamp.com/
Duncan Patterson – Grace Road (Strangelight Records – DUBH008)
Absolut Absolutum
The Quiet Light
Walking Between Worlds
The Amber Line
Grace Road
http://www.facebook.com/duncanpatterson.music
http://www.instagram.com/duncanpattersonmusic
https://duncanpatterson.bandcamp.com/
