Back in the fall, Roxy Music announced their breakup in very low-key fashion, and now guitarist Phil Manzanera is moving on by revealing a new solo album. The record is called The Sound of Blue, and it will be out on March 23 through Expression Records/Universal Music Catalogue.
Manzanera self-produced the album, while Pink Floyd soundman Andy Jackson handled mastering. A press release refers to the 10-song offering as an "instrumental memoir" of the guitarist's life, with each cut accompanied by a video created by the man himself using Super 8 and iPhone footage.
In addition to the instrumentals, there's one cover song: a version of Kanye West and Jay Z's Watch the Throne track "No Church in the Wild." This is a very appropriate cover, given that "No Church in the Wild" samples the guitarist's own track "K Scope." The new version of the tune features Sonia Bernardo, who appears on a couple of album cuts.
In a statement, Manzanera had this to say about the new album:
When I write instrumental music I think about a possible narrative for each track. During the writing of The Sound of Blue it started evoking memories and emotions that I hadn't revisited in years: my '60s childhood in Latin America, Magdalena, my Colombian mother, the heady days in the '70s of early Roxy Music, music adventures in Spain and Sweden, days spent exploring Cornwall…..and the unlikely musical coming together with two global rap stars. The Sound of Blue and its short films is in effect a sort of musical memoir.
The Sound of Blue:
1. Magdalena
2. 1960 Caracas (ft. Sonia Bernardo)
3. The Sound of Blue
4. Rosemullion Head
5. Halmstad
6. Tramuntana
7. High Atlas
8. Mi Casa
9. In Conversation with Andy MacKay
10. No Church in the Wild (ft. Sonia Bernardo)
Manzanera self-produced the album, while Pink Floyd soundman Andy Jackson handled mastering. A press release refers to the 10-song offering as an "instrumental memoir" of the guitarist's life, with each cut accompanied by a video created by the man himself using Super 8 and iPhone footage.
In addition to the instrumentals, there's one cover song: a version of Kanye West and Jay Z's Watch the Throne track "No Church in the Wild." This is a very appropriate cover, given that "No Church in the Wild" samples the guitarist's own track "K Scope." The new version of the tune features Sonia Bernardo, who appears on a couple of album cuts.
In a statement, Manzanera had this to say about the new album:
When I write instrumental music I think about a possible narrative for each track. During the writing of The Sound of Blue it started evoking memories and emotions that I hadn't revisited in years: my '60s childhood in Latin America, Magdalena, my Colombian mother, the heady days in the '70s of early Roxy Music, music adventures in Spain and Sweden, days spent exploring Cornwall…..and the unlikely musical coming together with two global rap stars. The Sound of Blue and its short films is in effect a sort of musical memoir.
The Sound of Blue:
1. Magdalena
2. 1960 Caracas (ft. Sonia Bernardo)
3. The Sound of Blue
4. Rosemullion Head
5. Halmstad
6. Tramuntana
7. High Atlas
8. Mi Casa
9. In Conversation with Andy MacKay
10. No Church in the Wild (ft. Sonia Bernardo)
