Fish has released his brand new single ‘Garden Of Remembrance’, the latest song to be taken from his highly anticipated final solo album Weltschmerz, which will be released on September 25th.
With an ever-increasing awareness of old age and its associated illnesses through the death of his father in 2016, and his elderly mother moving into care with Fish and his wife in January 2019, he was presented with a touchstone for the lyrics of the song. The aptly titled ‘Garden Of Remembrance’ tells the story of a married couple dealing with the early onset of dementia and the resulting issues of a husband who’s “Lost between the here and now/Somewhere that he can’t be found” and his wife.
“The song was put together as though we were painting a delicate piece of Royal Doulton china,” comments Fish.
To complement the brave and deeply honest song, its accompanying video is equally exceptional. Directed by David Lam and Hannah Thompson (daughter of Fish’s long term collaborator and illustrator Mark Wilkinson), the outdoor shots were filmed at daybreak during lockdown on a deserted beach, a glass wall separating the couple, who at one point are very briefly reunited.
“The video involved a complicated approach as the whole country went into lockdown just as we were due to start filming,” explains Fish. “I had to be filmed in front of a white screen in my home and then the gallery around me was created as a miniature 3-D model into which I was magically transported. Meanwhile the couple were filmed on an Essex beach, rather than in Scotland as intended and the gigantic glass wall across the beach was intended to symbolise the separation of the couple. However it came to take on another meaning as lockdown separated families across the country.”
“I was very aware of my mother in her room only 15 metres away and, although not on camera, I felt her presence intensely during the performance. My wife’s hand on my shoulders at the end of the video added to the emotional dynamic, drawing together yet another circle within the story.”
A gorgeous piano ballad wrapped in a stirring arrangement that showcases one of the best vocal performances of Fish’s long and illustrious career. The track floats and theres a sense of dreaming with the lack of percussion. Just the piano keys giving any sense of grounding. This song is not to be put on in the background as it deserves your full attention to the thoughtful heart wrenching lyrics and emotional piano score.
Check it out, here
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WELTSCHMERZ TRACK LISITING
CD1
- Grace Of God (8.29)
- Man With A Stick (6.35)
- Walking On Eggshells (7.12)
- This Party’s Over (4.20)
- Rose Of Damascus (15.23)
CD2
- Garden Of Remembrance (6.02)
- C Song (The Trondheim Waltz) (4.42)
- Little Man What Now? (10.20)
- Waverley Steps (End Of The Line) (13.26)
- Weltschmerz (6.42)
The 84-minute double album is available to preorder now from https://fishmusic.scot in multiple formats including double digipak CD with 16 page booklet and as a gatefold 180-gram double vinyl.
It is also released in a deluxe collector’s edition as a hardback book, with 100 pages containing artwork by Mark Wilkinson and 8000 words of sleeve notes by Fish, plus double CD and a Blu-Ray disc containing filmed interviews with Fish and Mark Wilkinson, live audio from 2018, four official videos and making of films and the entire album mixed in 5.1 audio HD and PCM WAV mixes.
