Mari Kalkun releases animation film for ‘Mother Earth’ in collaboration with Brian Eno’s EarthPercent charity
The song, 'Maaimä', is about the controversial relationship between humans and nature.
Tue, 14 May 24
John Metcalfe reveals new track: Root to Leaf
John Metcalfe – composer, arranger and viola-player for The Durutti Column – has shared a new track, ‘Root to Leaf’, the latest composition from an album that journeys through twenty-four hours in the life of one of nature’s most majestic creations, the tree. Tree is set for release on 22 September via Real World Records with a rare live performance at London’s Kings Place on 28 September.
Listen to ‘Root to Leaf’ which finds us in slow growth phase of late morning – everything is hazy, and very still, but there’s the occasional crack of a twig or something falling, and there’s a moment of real focus in the experience after the gravity of the morning and the dawn.
The Durutti Column viola-playing master – a composer and arranger for the likes of U2, Coldplay, Peter Gabriel and Blur, as well as co-founder with Tony Wilson of the Factory Classical label – had been composing music spontaneously, instinctively, when the idea of Tree arrived. The album came from a desire in John Metcalfe to write at scale – perhaps a natural reaction for a composer writing out of the silences and solitude of recent years.
The pieces I was writing were big and trying to be bigger, so I knew they had to be to do with something – and then I thought about one of the most profound experiences of my life. John Metcalfe
He is referring to seeing Tāne Mahuta as an adult, the largest known living kauri tree in the world. Set in an ancient subtropical rainforest on the North Island of Aoreatoa / New Zealand, John had spent his early childhood living in that part of the world after his British father had “escaped there as a ten-pound Pom”
Written for live players and recorded in Abbey Road Studios to convey human connection at scale, Treeimagines what it would be like to be sat completely still under a tree that you love, being alive to the ever-shifting interplay of light, colour, weather and sound. Shimmering pulsating layered tracks take the listener on a voyage that takes in the dawn chorus, depicted by conversations between chirruping woodwind and staccato strings, through to the solemnity of dusk and into the playful night. The album at times summons up the folkloric power of ancient forests through an emotional crescendo in emotion and sound, before bringing us back to sunrise, and a reflection on the journey we’ve taken.
.
Tree isn’t just about Tãne Mahuta, explains Metcalfe: “It could be about any tree – they’re all very magical.”This record isn’t a political statement, but it’s clear to him that as science progresses, and as climate breakdown progresses, people are trying to find deeper ways to understand and cherish nature. “It’s about the music that people are trying to create to connect with things that are huge and beautiful and inexplicable around them.”
Tree is John’s beautiful, emotional attempt at just that. “My album’s about describing our relationship with something as every-day and extraordinary as a tree, and how it can be an incredibly important part of who we are.”
Root To Leaf contains an interpolation of An Ending (Ascent) written by Brian Eno (Opal Limited admin. by Universal Music Publishing).
-
Released 22 September 2023
Tree is eight immersive compositions that take the listener through twenty-four hours in the life of one of nature’s most majestic creations. The album imagines what it would be like to be sat completely still under a tree that you love, being alive to the ever-shifting interplay of light, colour, weather and sound. Summoning the folkloric power of ancient forests through a crescendo in emotion and sound, before bringing us back to sunrise, and a reflection on the journey we’ve taken.
MAILING LIST
Embark on a voyage of musical discovery with us by signing up to the Real World newsletters
Further reading
The Almighty Groove offers Colombian rhythms and African roots on debut EP Frère d’Afrique
The Almighty Groove is the new production imprint of long-time musical adventurer, John Hollis.
Fri, 15 November 24
Track of the day: ‘IWAIWA FUNK’ by Bab L’ Bluz
French-Moroccan power quartet Bab L' Bluz, release the third track from their album Swaken.
Fri, 05 April 24
Exploring Colombian artist Savan’s music inspired by Yagé medicine ceremonies
The new Real World X release is an eight-track aural journey to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Fri, 29 March 24