LYR, an acronym of Land Yacht Regatta, have recently shared their latest emotionally evocative musical amalgamation Redwings, following the recent release of their collaborative track with Prefab Sprout’s Wendy Smith, “Winter Solstice”.
The unique triumvirate – comprised of Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, musician and singer-songwriter Richard Walters, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J Pearson – fuse an unparalleled medley: ambient soundscapes layered with melodic piano, a decorative and embellishing foundation for Armitage’s profound but grounded words, as well as rich vocal accoutrements; an amalgamation spectacularly shown upon their incisive debut album, Call In The Crash Team, released last year.
“Redwings” sees new spoken word lyrics from Simon Armitage: evocative and profoundly universal verse which seems to lead to an entire network of meaning with each line. The track, through the wondrous incandescence present in Pearson’s reflective keys and Walters’ ambient vocals, is elevated to refreshing depths with a new writing approach from LYR.
Although utilising the crux of what makes LYR, the new single also runs down an entirely new and exploratory tributary of the stream which the trio pull from in their writing process. As described by the band, the track went through a dramatic, evolutionary process before reaching the breathtaking version which this “studio process” culminated in:
“The first time we played ‘Redwings’ live, we pretty much busked it. It underwent dozens of transformations during the studio process but still has a spontaneous feel, a sort of alt-folk round-the-campfire after-the-festival vibe.
“Redwing birds fly into the UK during cold Scandinavian winters looking to feed on berries that most other birds find inedible – take that and make it mean whatever you want!”
Listen to Redwings below.
Besides performing a sold-out show at the Jazz Cafe in London on 27th May, LYR will be playing a string of shows across the UK in October, including a Leeds show at Opera North which was recently expanded for further tickets. A further show at London’s Omeara, on 27th October, has also been added. Tickets here.
LYR Live Dates:
October 2021
21 – Newcastle, The Cluny2
22 – Manchester, Gullivers
23 – Glasgow, King Tut’s
25 – Leeds, Howard Assembly Room at Opera North
26 – Bristol, Louisiana
27 – London, Omeara *NEW*
28 – Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre
29 – Plymouth, The Junction
