David Rotheray – The Life of Birds
David Rotheray – The Life of Birds
8/10
The first few spins of this album left me of two minds: was it all just a little leftfield and twee? At times I am still unsure, however the good far outweighs the slightly self-indulgent nature that creeps through.
For those of you not familiar with David Rotherway, he was a founding member and lead guitarist in The Beautiful South. This album was inspired by birds in David’s garden as he recovered from an illness. The list of collaborations shows the high esteem he is held in by his peers. What cannot be denied is his ability to write melancholic songs with a very humorous English lilt.
This is a record that tackles many of life’s issues head on. The particularly powerful ‘Sweet Forgetfulness’ is a reflection on the life of an Alzheimers sufferer with no good memories to look back on. Lyrically, it drew me back to it time and time again: ‘Let’s drink to Sweet forgetfulness, for memory is a curse’. Camille O’Sullivan delivers this with such conviction you can’t help but be moved.
One of the endearing features of the sleeve notes is the short song explanations that accompany each track. This gives a real insight into the album and whilst sometimes I like to speculate the meanings of songs, I have drawn real solace from the amazing ‘Almost Beautiful’ (w/Elanor McEvoy). It’s a real wake up call that despite the daily grind we should cherish every day that we have the mental capacity to control our own destiny. As David himself comments ‘we all went for a drink after recording this one’. ‘Cover Your Garden Over’ tackles the subject of short-term thinking and instant gratification. It was written after David watched an episode of the X-Factor, then went out to see his neighbour concreting his grass verge. David has summed up my feelings of all things reality TV and five minutes of fame in a nutshell.
Although there are collaborations on every track, this is very much Rotherray’s project. Featured artists are Kathryn Williams, Alisdar Roberts, Camille O’Sullivan, Eliza Carthy, Jim Causley, Bella Hardy, Jack L, Julie Murphy, Elanor McEvoy & Nat Johnson. Dropping on Proper Records on the 16th August, it’s a reflective yet uplifting collection that deserves more than a passing glance.
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