Lost Horizons premiere “I Saw The Days Go By” on NPR
Currently celebrating 20 years piloting his revered record label Bella Union, Simon Raymonde has scaled another personal peak, a new collaboration with drummer Richie Thomas. They’re called Lost Horizons, and their stunning debut album, Ojalá, is released 3rd November on Bella Union.
Today Simon speaks to Bob Boilen of NPR‘s All Songs Considered to discuss Lost Horizons, Bella Union and premiere “I Saw The Days Go By” featuring Marissa Nadler. You can listen to it here. The track is one of three Lost Horizons tracks Nadler lends her vocals and lyrics to. Raymonde described the collaboration “All the tracks with Marissa came about quite unusually. I thought i was finished with the Lost Horizons album once we got to about 10 tracks, but i had the urge to go and record on my own at this lovely studio near my house which Warren Ellis had recommended to me, with a mint grand piano. I had two short days there and got a ton of recordings done and I realized this was the missing part of the album. I’d wanted to use Marissa Nadler’s voice on the record but nothing had seemed quite appropriate till now. We have a lovely connection and it’s always very easy for me to relate to her, socially and musically. She wrote and sang her parts in just a day or two and i think we were both just very inspired at the right time for each other.”
Alongside Marissa Nadler, Ojalá incorporates a heady cast of guest singers. Some are signed to Bella Union, such as Nadler, former Midlake frontman Tim Smith, Cameron Neal (Horse Thief), others are long-time favourites of Raymonde’s (Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit and Ghostpoet), or newer discoveries (Beth Cannon, Hilang Child, Gemma Dunleavy and Phil McDonnell). And then there is the incomparable Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission, one of Raymonde’s most beloved artists, in her first collaboration outside of The Innocence Mission and solo recordings.
Together, the Lost Horizons ensemble has created an hour of exquisite, expansive and diverse spellcasting, from facets of soul (‘Bones’, featuring Cannon, and ‘Reckless’, featuring Ghostpoet) to dreamier invocations like ‘She Led Me Away’ (featuring Smith) and Ojalá’s lengthiest trip, ‘The Engine’ (featuring Hilang Child). There’s the odd louder, faster detour, like ‘Life Inside A Paradox’ (featuring Neal, with Sharon Van Etten on backing vocals), but the dominant mood is a deep, rich melancholia.
Later this year, Lost Horizons will head out on tour which sees them stopping off at Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik. For the live incarnation of the band, Lost Horizons will include three vocalists: Ed Riman aka Hilang Child and Beth Cannon, both of whom appear on the album, as well as Helen Ganya Brown who records under the alias Dog In The Snow. Dates/ info below:
Monday 30th October – LIVERPOOL – Leaf (Liverpool Music Week)
1st – 5th November – REYKJAVIK – Iceland Airwaves
Saturday 12th November – UTRECHT – Le Guess Who? Festival
Tuesday 14th November – BRUSSELS – Rotonde
Saturday 18th November – BRIGHTON – Rialto Theatre tickets
