Like the water that runs like a current through ‘Snow From Yesterday’, the album is fluid, versatile and powerful. Represented in all its forms, from glacial mountains, to rivers and even the smallest drop into watercolour, the album is about journeys and the stages of life that may change you, but also links you to others, in other times and other places. A flowing, tangible energy connects each track to its subject matter and each track to one another. What’s important on ‘Snow From Yesterday’ is how the highs are grounded in very real, personal moments. It can at once tackle mammoth climate issues, while conveying moments of incredible intimacy. Harmony unleashed: Manu Delago's handpan virtuosity as a pulsating coreManu has become a leading name in his field, touring with the likes of Björk, most recently on her celebrated Cornucopia tour. His trademark handpan virtuosity is the rhythmic lifeforce of ‘Snow From Yesterday’, creating majestic, emotive sounds, often with a tender delicacy, for Mad About Lemon’s folksy harmonies to pour over. Chronicles of time: 'Modern People' and 'Little Heritage' - navigating technological evolution and colliding timelinesAlbum opener ‘Modern People’ works as the stream’s source, a soft, lighter start that gradually grows. Lyrically it looks at the technology we have today and asks us to consider how important it will be in 100 years’ time, when weighed up against a larger backdrop of many environmental crises, or even war. Follow-up ‘Little Heritage’ also explores this concept of colliding timelines, it collects samples from Manu’s grandfather telling the story of how he met his wife, with his new-born daughter’s voice recorded 10 years later, meeting here when in reality they missed each other by only 6 months. It gives Manu the opportunity to write about generations and transience, which are key themes on ‘Snow From Yesterday’. Past and future are viewed like passing ships or tectonic plates, sometimes with great distance and sometimes divided by nothing but a narrow brook. Melancholy odyssey: 'Polar Bear' - a tribute to brave journeys and unfortunate endings‘Polar Bear’ also tracks a journey, Manu tells “The lyrics were inspired by a picture of a white polar bear in a completely black landscape. Because all the ice has gone and melted. In the song where the polar bear travels to Iceland. Iceland doesn't have polar bears." "But as far as I know, around 12 Polar bears in history have managed to travel from Greenland to Iceland, which is about a 150-mile journey. But when they arrive in Iceland, they get shot right away. They just don't want polar bears there, and most of the bears that arrive are starving and almost close to death anyway. So, this song is a tribute to those polar bears who made the journey but then had a very sad ending to their incredible adventure.” Emotional alchemy: finding hope amidst melancholy in the narratives of 'Snow From Yesterday'There’s an emotionally cleansing element to these stories, they often harbour a mournful message but one that Manu is keen to be viewed as hopeful. In time and from different angles, these events no matter how seemingly hopeless, can give us strength. Whether personal or environmental, everything is temporary, fleeting, but also magical and adaptable. Water can bring great danger, even death, but it’s also a life giver. Elegy in art: 'Paintings On The Wall' - a melodic tribute to transience and legacy‘Paintings On The Wall’ was written as a tribute to his step-father. “He passed away last year, and I wrote the lyrics immediately after, and we just started working on it with Mad About Lemon, and we performed it at the funeral five days later. So it was an immediate emotional response. And that was a really beautiful coming together for us. It's kind of a fantasy, my stepfather was a painter so it’s got these slightly mad abstract lyrics that don’t make a lot of sense. There’s more transience in this one, someone who has passed away but hundreds of their paintings are left behind.” Sonic reflections on fragility: 'Ode To Earth,' 'Oxygen' and 'Stay Afloat' - a melancholic overture to environmental realitiesMoments of instrumental reflection are calming, ‘Ode To Earth’ and ‘Oxygen’ are built around airy, soft brass sounds. ‘Stay Afloat’ lists some of the large cities currently at risk of drowning, which makes for poignant, if shocking, listening. It adds a gravitas, shining a light on the real-world consequences of burning fossil fuels. Immersive resonance: 'Immersion' - Manu Delago's journey into the soul of the Zephyr handpanOn ‘Immersion’, Manu describes rediscovering his beloved instrument. “The handpan takes centre stage. I've been playing my regular set of handpans for 20 years now but in this case, it's a new one, a Zephyr handpan that I only got last year, and it felt really fresh and inspiring to play. It reminded me of what the instrument is best at, a very beautiful sound. The melodies of Immersion sort of burst out of it spontaneously, and then we produced it with Matt Robertson and added some electronics.” Glacial soundscapes: 'Slow-Mo Moving River' - a musical journey through frozen rivers and icy vocal landscapes‘Slow-Mo Moving River’ describes glaciers with crystalline harps and cracking vocal effects; “A lot of people maybe don't know that they’re actually rivers moving incredibly slowly. So most people think of a glacier as like a steady thing on the mountain that's fixed or solid, but actually it’s moving but just at an incredibly slow pace. If you look at photos from places or yearly time lapses, they look different every year and they move a few inches. And I tried to do that in the music, the girls from Mad About Lemon were doing a lot of icy vocal sounds using cold sounding words. We also sampled real breaking ice.” Time capsule of the Thames: 'Docklands' - a historical reflection melding past, present and futureVividly imagining a 19th Century Thames, ‘Docklands’ takes another look at history. “I was kind of looking back and imagining a London where the Thames was almost like a main road. It was so busy as a way of transport with ships and boats coming in from all over the world. And also, with a lot of stolen goods from other continents and places. And it’s also looking at how the docklands or East London looks now, where there's still remnants from that time. It's less of a climate track but more of a critique of colonialism, of plundering. Even lots of the names around the docklands are of that time and have Indian names, which links to the themes of past and present and future, and how we move on.” Cyclic metaphor: 'Snow From Yesterday' - a linguistic journey from ice to water, echoing time's endless transformationWe come full circle on LP closer and title track, based on the phrase “water under the bridge”, translated to German is “Schnee von gestern”, which literally means ‘Snow From Yesterday’. “I kind of liked that, because it’s the same as snow from yesterday is now literally water. I really like how these two languages stay different but actually, it ends up almost being the same because a lot of the water we have on the planet used to be snow at some point, whether it’s yesterday, 100 years ago or 10,000 years ago.” Artistry unleashed: Manu Delago's sonic odyssey - percussive mastery, collaborations and international acclaimManu Delago uses his signature percussive skills, rotating band of multi-instrumentalists as well as electronic manipulation to create dynamic, high-concept explorations which harnesses the best of his adventurous spirit and unique vision. He has regularly collaborated with various artists such as Björk, Anoushka Shankar, The Cinematic Orchestra and Olafur Arnalds, has appeared as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and more. He’s performed in prestigious venues in more than 50 countries around the world. Harmony on two wheels: Manu Delago's 'ReCycling Tour' - a sustainable symphony on the roadOver the last few years he’s established his ‘ReCycling Tour’, hitting the road by bike in the name of sustainability. All the musical instruments and equipment for the live performances were transported in specially built bicycle trailers. In addition to that, accumulators for electronics as well as light equipment could be charged on tour using solar panels. Throughout the ‘ReCycling Tour’ crew ensured that sustainable products and materials were being used. And they cooperated with small businesses and local producers when it came to accommodation and catering. Lyrical euphony: Mad About Lemon - a harmonious trio crafting emotional narratives through choral alchemyMad About Lemon are a trio consisting of the three Tyrolean singers Heidi Erler, Mimi Schmid and Anna Widauer. The ensemble, founded in 2020, experiments with the euphony of the three-part choral settings, improvisations and performance elements, always focusing on the musical aesthetics and the emotional message of the songs. Epic narratives: 'Snow From Yesterday' - a sonic odyssey across time and seasIn transcending temporal boundaries, 'Snow From Yesterday' invites listeners on a poignant journey. Manu Delago and Mad About Lemon intricately weave individual tales into a broader narrative. Analogous to rivers converging into the sea, the album harmonises personal and collective stories, creating a symphony of interconnected existence. 'Snow From Yesterday' embarks on an expansive voyage, traversing vast oceanic expanses and spanning millennia. It unfolds narratives crafted to prompt listeners to perceive themselves as integral parts of a larger whole. In the end, all rivers converge into the boundless sea. Video: Manu Delago feat. Mad About Lemon, 'Snow from Yesterday'. Hanan I travel the world to find unexpected stories. CREDITS Hanan: text Klemens Weisleitner: photo YouTube Manu Delago @ManuDelago V2 Records: press release 4 February 2024 Comments are closed.
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