Armellodie Records is proud to present Dunfermline’s Dan Lyth and the Euphrates with their new album, Benthic Lines, released as a Deluxe book (that’s right, we said book!) with CD and/or download on Monday 12th May 2014.

Dan Lyth was born in the Middle East but has lived most of his life in Dunfermline, Fife. A sound designer by day, Lyth began work on Benthic Lines some five years ago, his intention to record an album entirely outdoors. On rooftops and rowing boats, in forests and high streets, mountains and quarries, ruined churches and beaches, car parks and peat bogs. Anywhere really, as long as it was outside!

Having first had the idea while on a trip to Sierra Leone, Lyth quickly realised that it's one thing to daydream of such a plan whilst in the tropics and quite another to actually attempt it back at home in Scotland. 

“I think some part of me took perverse pleasure in the thought of having to undergo some real physical exertion to make this record. I have also always been drawn to creative work that has taken a considerable amount of effort, and recording an album outdoors whilst living in Scotland with its devious climate seemed to fit the bill.”

In an age when it seems anyone can produce an album in their bedroom, Benthic Lines attempts to re-explore the relationship between music and the environment in which it is created. What happens to a recording when you have no control over the surroundings? What anomalies and accidents may occur? And would it be possible to weave together the unpredictable sounds of these environments with more traditional performances to create a cohesive whole?

As Lyth’s fondness of field recording has grown more ambitious, so too has his talent as a songwriter. Album opener ‘All My Love’ is testament to this, merging the mythological with the reality of the uncertainties that are brought when becoming a father for the first time. The vivid imagery of ‘Four Creatures’, written from the perspective of someone living in Syria, draws upon Islamic and Christian eschatological imagery to startling effect.

The influence of Steve Reich is worth noting, from the repetitive female vocal sounds on ‘Standing Start’ to the cyclic piano and accordion patterns of ‘Super Nature’ and ‘Earth Broke Its Vow’, Lyth is the first to admit of his affection for Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. 

“A big chunk of inspiration came from Steve Reich’s work and one of the main aims of the album in terms of the arrangements was to try and make music that sounds electronic or programmed but is actually all live acoustic instruments.” says Lyth. 

Benthic Lines are the deep sea communication cables through which the world is now connected, and communication is a recurring theme throughout the record ("the cables installed along ocean floors is where we had lived too long for sure" sings Lyth on ‘How It Happened’). How our constant use of communication technology can affect our thought processes and relationships (“We shot some video, scenes that would not be shown, think what you will but the devil’s in the pixels on my phone”, sings Lyth on ‘Four Creatures’).   With recording having taken place in locations as far afield as Morocco, Australia, Turkey and Uganda, Dan is also exploring the lines of human connection and lines of ancestry.

Designed with love by graphic artist Sarah Lyth, the album arrives in a beautifully bound 60-page book and includes photos from the array of recording locations. Cover art from celebrated New York artist Matthew Cusick and an accompanying short story, Already Here, by talented Fifer Craig Rennie complete the desirable artefact that is Benthic Lines. So what has Lyth got to say for himself now that his affair with the great outdoors is almost over.

“After travelling, listening, recording and being constantly surprised over the course of the five years and four continents that I’ve made Benthic Lines, what will really stay with me is not only all the wonderful sounds we heard but also the many inquisitive, open-minded and generous people we met along the way. But it wasn’t all romantic. It’s quite hard work transporting a drum kit to a remote derelict church or dragging a piano out of a small flat. There were broken mic stands, bleeding fingers and failing batteries. And there was rain, a lot of rain.”


DAN LYTH & THE EUPHRATES - All My Love

Buy album online

New Skin

“Trials, Troubles, Tribulations” is an American bluegrass gospel song written by Estil C. Ball. Here it is performed by Sounds of the South, a project featuring Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir), Sharon Van Etten, Megafaun, Matthew E. White, and Fight the Big Bull. The project, organized by Megafaun, initially appeared at Duke Performances in North Carolina and MusicNOW in Cincinnati, Ohio, and subsequently traveled to Australia's Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House.

This is the first song from the compilation MusicNOW: 10 Years set for digital release on March 10th, 2015, just prior to the 10th edition of this eclectic music festival of the same name founded in 2006 by Bryce Dessner of The National. MusicNOW Festival set out with a mission to present the best in contemporary music, offer artists an opportunity to take risks, commission new work and attempt innovative collaborations.

The 16 track live album highlights festival-only surprises like Fleet Foxes leader Robin Pecknold playing the traditional song “Silver Dagger” for the first time, the debut performance of Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait for the Others”, the premiere of Sufjan Stevens’ “The Owl & The Tanager”, as well as collaborations featuring Owen Pallett, Justin Vernon, Sharon van Etten, Tinariwen and Dirty Projectors.

Pre-orders for digital and physical formats will begin on Tuesday February 17th at http://bit.ly/musicnow10

“Many of my most significant memories as a musician have taken place in Cincinnati during the MusicNOW Festival over the last 10 years, “ says founder Bryce Dessner. “When we started, we were driven to create an intimate music festival that was as much a creative refuge for the artists as it is for the audience to partake in intimate and rare performances. We have celebrated works in progress and new commissions, new collaborations and detailed music of all kinds regardless of genre or popularity. “ 

Dessner is widely known as the guitarist for The National. Those a little more in the know are aware of Bryce’s work in performance projects (such as The Long Count) and classical composition (including his work with Brassland label artists Clogs). MusicNOW was founded as a way for Bryce to explore all facets of his artistic interests and has served as a collaborative laboratory that provides a friendly and supportive audience for internationally renowned artists. Through the years, Dessner has guided MusicNOW to become the premiere event for blurring the imagined lines that divide musical genres. 

This year’s MusicNOW festival will take place on March 11-15. For the full schedule and more details visit http://www.musicnowfestival.org


Sounds of the South: "Trials, Troubles, Tribulations"

I have recently gone through a very dark period - not mentally but through loosing family members... Its been tuff but I will - we all will get through it and Music has once again pulled towards love and light ... 

Out Of The Dark Ballad Version

STORY
The story illustrates phronesis—the classical Greek idea of practical wisdom, the kind of judgment that blends knowledge, experience, and moral insight.

The Bridge at Kalliros
The river Kalliros had flooded every spring for as long as the villagers remembered. This year the water had risen higher than anyone had seen. The young men argued for an immediate crossing to rescue sheep stranded on the far bank. “If we wait, they’ll drown,” one shouted. Another proposed building a raft from fresh-cut pine, ignoring the roar of the current.

Old Thaleia, the village midwife, said nothing at first. She had no formal training in engineering, nor the strength of youth. But she had watched the river for sixty harvests. She remembered the year the water turned suddenly when the snows melted late, the year when the bridge timbers twisted in a hidden eddy. She knew the sheep’s value and the risk to the men.

Finally she spoke.
“Cut no pine. Use the willow trunks upstream—last night’s rain has loosened them. Tie them with the reeds that grow near the oxbow bend. And wait two hours, until the meltwater from the eastern ridge has passed. You will see the mud eddies change colour; then you may cross, and not before.”

The young men grumbled, but the memory of her unerring births and quiet rescues gave them pause. They followed her plan. When the eddies paled, they lashed the willows and ferried the sheep across without loss.

Later a traveller asked why the villagers obeyed the old woman so readily.
“She knows more than rules,” the headman replied. “She knows when rules bend. That is wisdom for living—phronesis.”

This story highlights how phronesis is not just cleverness or technical skill (techne), but the seasoned judgment that grows from lived experience, moral concern, and a sense of the right moment to act.

INTERPRETATION 
The lyrics of “Willow Crossing” portray phronesis—practical wisdom—as a quiet but powerful guide amid danger and urgency.  The rising river symbolizes crises that tempt people into rash action, while the elder’s calm instructions embody the insight that comes from years of lived experience.  Her ability to “read the hour in the river’s lines” shows wisdom not as abstract knowledge but as attunement to the right moment, balancing courage with caution.  By urging the villagers to “wait for the eddies to pale,” the song celebrates patience and moral discernment: wisdom is not about rules or titles, but about sensing when to move and when to hold back, so that action is both timely and humane.


WILLOW CROSSING

Here's a new song i wrote with the piano :-) Let me know what you think

Thanks for listening! 
C xx


FIND ME HERE!

facebook.com/charlotteevansmusic
twitter.com/Cle1862
instagram.com/Cle1862
snapchat - @evans_charlotte

Char

Everything (Original)

From the album 'Lake Jackson, Brazoria', released February 21, 2017
Buy it here: https://monacoagogo.bandcamp.com

⇩⇩⇩ Lyrics ⇩⇩⇩

Support the artist
Website: www.monacoagogo.de
Facebook: facebook.com/monacoagogo
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/monaco-go-go
Instagram: instagram.com/monacoagogo

More about Indie Feed:
www.indiefeedmusic.com
Facebook.com/indiefeedmusic
Youtube.com/indiefeedmusic
Instagram.com/indie_feed_music

~ Lyrics:

Falling stars don’t shine the same.
Some shine bright and some don’t leave a trace.
In the end they all just fade away.
Leaving seas of darkness here to stay.
For always.

Lonesome hearts don’t feel the same.
Some grow strong and some just lose their grace.
Rising tides will wash away the pain.
Just like grains of sand you’ll find your way there.

Amongst the thieves they will keep your back like brothers would.

Lake Jackson, Brazoria

Indie Feed on Facebook

Monaco à Go-Go - And Off You Go

From the album Belong, released January 1, 2018
Buy here: https://goo.gl/127EHZ

⇩⇩⇩ Lyrics ⇩⇩⇩

Support Samuel R. Saffery
https://samuelrsaffery.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/samuelrsaffery
https://www.instagram.com/slamsafari

More about Indie Folk Central:
youtube.com/indiefolkcentral
facebook.com/indiefolkcentral

~ Lyrics

Run naked through the garden 
Skin softer than before 
Swim 'cross the darkest ocean 
Lie trembling on the shore 

Run your fingers through me 
Pledge allegiance to the home 
We belong 
Cross your fingers blindly 
Pledge allegiance to the home 
We belong 

Hands held together 
Now and forever 
One small step together 
Run hell for leather 
Run away, ride the wave.

Follow us on Facebook

Samuel R. Saffery - Belong

Roo Panes - All These Walking Thoughts

Roo Panes - Pacific

An independent record label & publishing company.

For all A&R enquiries: label@crcmusic.co.uk

Roo Panes - All These Walking Thoughts

CRC Records

Related tracks