Bassist and vocalist Melanie Radford (Built to Spill, Blood Lemon) will release her debut solo album For the Sake of Stillness this Friday, June 26 via Jealous Butcher Records.
The new collection is filled with contributions from friends: Lê Almeida (Oruã, Built to Spill) on drums and guitar, Jim Roth (Built to Spill) on synth, pedal steel and added vocals, Lori Goldston (Earth, Nirvana) with cello arrangements, and Cacá Amaral (QMAR, Firefriend) with additional drums. Already in the midst of a lengthy tour as the Built To Spill bassist, Melanie Radford’s fans will get to experience the new songs live as Melanie will pull double duty on dates also opening for BTS and Quasi this fall in the US.
Today, Melanie Radford reveals final album preview track “Sink & Swallow”. The song arrives alongside a stunning video filmed in her hometown of Boise. Melanie Radford shares, “The video is a dreamy depiction of 3 inner selves. I’m a firm believer in people containing multitudes of selves that need attention and care. However, not one singularly represents who we are – it’s important to observe all of them. Once we observe our multiple selves, we can choose how to honor them better.”
A stunning amalgamation of all the different collaborations featured in the record, the collaborative offering was recorded in two sessions. The first was in Escritório, a famous venue and recording studio in Rio de Janeiro, and then later at Jim Roth’s home studio in Seattle with collaborators Lê Almeida (engineering & drums) Jim Roth (pedal steel) and Lori Goldston (cello), the new song offers a more external, upbeat reflection of life in motion, integrating rhythms and flourishes.
Melanie Radford’s For The Sake of Stilness is an inventive reimagining of lush ambient folk delivered with her singular touch. It was recorded during and in-between tours, coming together over a stretch of 2 years as a centering practice and statement of self. Constantly in motion from touring with Built to Spill, Melanie felt a deep need to make music that felt quiet, warm, grounded. She began collecting field recordings during her travels, going for long walks alone through cities, natural spaces, and neighborhoods. With these audio recordings as the foundation, Melanie built out melodies and rhythms, always keeping her bass and vocals at the heart of the music.
For the Sake of Stillness is part meditation, part love poem, part hymn. All those small moments that make up the real, ongoing process of falling in love: with your life, with sound, with yourself, with the people that surround you. The music is quiet, dreamy, steady and self-assured. There’s a rhythmic heartbeat and little flares of exuberance throughout the album: small moments of magic and awe everywhere. It’s propelled by melodic bass lines, musical minimalism, poetic lyricism, and Melanie’s powerful, haunting voice, which is the twin and complement to her bass.
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