"Hide (Album)" by Amateur Ornithologist
On today’s release Friday (19 January 2024), Hide by Amateur Ornithologist sees the light of day – an album that should not be missing in any good collection.
The former solo project has become a multifaceted band that deals with extraordinary topics. The musical form of expression is an original mix of pop, jazz, and rock, which can be described as both experimental and catchy.
The album, undoubtedly excellent, is a long player with 10 tracks, four of which – Time to Talk, If It Looks Like Magic, Forgotten Schemes and When They Fall – are even more outstanding. Daniel Clifford proves himself as a gifted singer–songwriter who lets his potential shine through again and again.
Together with the musicians he has gathered around him (Maddie Smyth – viola, Rob Bailey – saxophone, Chris Perriman – bass, Louis Young – guitar and Liam Slack – piano, synth), Amateur Ornithologist brings Hide to the market, an album that does not need to hide.
It also includes collaborations with musicians from the north-eastern scene. A Hidden Path, Hide and When They Fall are adorned with cello by Marianne Kell (Belle Skies) and violins by Patrick Lawrence (Detroit Tourist Board). The drums were played by the young Harrison Mitchell (The Strands), while the rhythm guitar, percussion and background vocals were contributed by the regular collaborator Georgia Foster Adams.
"Hide" is a splendid showcase of musical versatility, fusing pop, jazz and rock influences with a singular melodic sensibility. The songs are bold and inventive, traversing time signatures and genres with agility, yet they maintain their cohesion and harmony.
Q&A (Daniel Clifford)
You used to be a solo artist, but now you have formed a band called Amateur Ornithologist. What inspired this change?
I was really keen to play the songs live and share them with more people. I've always enjoyed having creative partners so I wanted to find new people to work with... and then the band kept growing until there was 8!
How does being part of a band differ from working alone?
I'm still mainly writing alone, but I'm thinking about what the others would like to play and what works best with the make-up of the band. Four of the songs on the new album are co-written with band members; with three Liam started a long time ago but brought in so we could finish them together.
What are some of the benefits and challenges of collaborating with other musicians?
I've really enjoyed making new friends and playing live. Seeing how the others respond to the tracks I've written has made me a better writer, and practicing every week has made me a better singer. They've contributed ideas I would never have arrived at and pushed me to try new things. But it takes more time and energy to organise an eight-piece band who are different ages, live all over the region and have different needs. Writing, arranging and recording the album took longer than the previous ones, but it paid off.
Your new album “Hide” is out today. Can you tell us more about how you made it and what kind of music it features?
I started writing the album in July 2022 but didn't finish until around June 23, which is a long period for me. I write and demo straight into Logic and use those demos as the templates for the studio recordings, replacing the sketched instruments with fully-realised parts. We recorded some things at home but most was recorded at Harbourmaster Productions with my oldest friend Martin, who produced the first two albums and played guitars on them.
There's a real mix of styles on this one, from pop, orchestral, jazz and rock music that still manages to keep the melodic oddness from previous releases. We've got songs that jump around time and key signatures and genres but still feel like part of a whole.
Recording an album is not an easy task. What were some of the difficulties you faced while making “Hide”?
My background is in arts project management so I approach recording with spreadsheets and budgets, We ran a successful Crowdfunder that helped pay for most of the album. That was a fantastic boost, as it showed people were looking forward to the project from the outset. But the main difficulty was scheduling - navigating everyone's availability and the studio's.
Was there any song that gave you more trouble than others?
Forgotten Schemes is a song Liam started almost two decades ago. It's in 15/8 so takes a bit to get your head around. But we managed to make it one of our strongest songs - writing a melody over the odd music resulted in one of the most memorable tunes - so there was no way we were going to ditch it. The drummer we were working with did a great job throughout the album but pretty much refused to play this one. So Liam recorded the drums and we had to record without much rehearsal. But we're really proud of how Forgotten Schemes turned out.
Out of all the songs on “Hide”, which one is your favorite and why?
I think it's either A Hidden Path, which starts the album, or the title track Hide. Both represented a shift in the songwriting for me, with them asking for a string quartet arrangement and a different approach to the structures etc. I really think A Hidden Path is the best song I've written, lyrically, structure-wise and the arrangement - with amazing parts from the others in the band too.
Which famous song do you wish you had written yourself?
Probably Sat In Your Lap by Kate Bush because it's both lyrically relatable and musically strange, while still being a pop song. That's everything I'm aiming for and it was definitely a huge influence on this album.
Looking back at 2023, what was the most memorable musical moment for you?
The day we spent in the studio recording cello with our friend Marianne from the band Belle Skies, roto-toms and percussion with Harbourmaster, some of Maddie's viola parts and musical gravel with my friend the DJ Alexi Lagoon. There was just so much creativity happening in the studio and fun, dancing, singing and making music out of stamping in gravel! That's an ideal day for me, I wish every day could be as fun.
What are you hoping to achieve in 2024, musically or otherwise?
I'm hoping to play lots of gigs, to share Hide with as many people as possible. And in the background, I'm planning to write a huge batch of songs so we can release a string of non-album singles during 2025 and then an album too. I'm trying to improve my orchestral arranging skills while leaving more of the band arrangements to the members of the group. This is the best version of the band we've had and I'm really excited about what we can do together.
Band
Daniel Clifford - vocals
Liam Slack - keys, vocals
Maddie Smyth - viola, vocals
Chris Perriman - bass
Louis Young - guitar
Rob Bailey - saxophones
Post-album recruits
Giovanni Onofri - guitar
Theo Nolan - drums
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