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Rest And Be Thankful

by Joe McAlinden

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    'Gently uplifting sunshine pop' 4/5 stars - The Guardian.
    'Sparklingly soulful… as welcome as the first true summer’s day in Argyll' 4/5 stars - Q Magazine.
    ‘A record with beauty and sense of emotional elevation to match the place where it was made’ 4/5 stars - Mojo Magazine.
    ‘More melodic hooks than you might find in an album twice it’s length’ - Sunday Herald.
    ‘The British Isles may contain no finer purveyor of sunshine pop than Joe McAlinden’ - Alexis Petridis The Guardian.
    Single of the Week - BBC Radio Scotland Janice Forsyth Show.
    Album of Note - BBC Radio Scotland Roddy Hart Show.

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Final copies of Rest And Be Thankful on CD which I will sign

    'Gently uplifting sunshine pop' 4/5 stars - The Guardian.
    'Sparklingly soulful… as welcome as the first true summer’s day in Argyll' 4/5 stars - Q Magazine.
    ‘A record with beauty and sense of emotional elevation to match the place where it was made’ 4/5 stars - Mojo Magazine.
    ‘More melodic hooks than you might find in an album twice it’s length’ - Sunday Herald.
    ‘The British Isles may contain no finer purveyor of sunshine pop than Joe McAlinden’ - Alexis Petridis The Guardian.
    Single of the Week - BBC Radio Scotland Janice Forsyth Show.
    Album of Note - BBC Radio Scotland Roddy Hart Show.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rest And Be Thankful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      £10 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Black vinyl ONLY - color vinyl is SOLD OUT.

    A co-release with AED outside of North and South America. Please support your local indie label.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rest And Be Thankful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Packaged in card wallet with printed inner sleeve.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rest And Be Thankful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

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1.
I See 02:35
Like a name that disappears On a boat that never leaves Like a leave that always shows On a tree that never grows Leave a shadow on the ground Even though you're not around I see... Like a stone that's never clean Someone throw me in a stream I'll move a little every day But I won't ever fade away I'm getting older looking over my shoulder Gonna get right back and dip my toe in the water And I'll watch myself ripple over and over As I circle round and drift over and over you… 
2.
Window Pane 02:42
Here in my window pane I wanna see some rain And then I want you to write my name So I’m gonna breathe again And I’m OK I swear I hope that you feel the same I care I hope that you feel it Thinking of you I’ll play Orange Skies all day The sun reflecting my life away I want you to hear me say  That I’m OK I swear I hope that you feel the same I care I hope that you feel it And then I fall right down here In front of you Oh my love…
3.
In the neon gloom Of my front room I just stare As I lay my head Upon our bed When you're not there I'm not mad I just thinking straight I don't want to close my eyes just yet In a clapped out car I won't go far But I don't care On the Rest And Be Thankful My heart stops right there I'm not mad I just thinking straight I don't want to close my eyes just yet There's something special Or so the story goes You read me like a book And so the story grows I know that…  I'm not mad I just thinking straight I don't want to close my eyes just yet Oh let me feel an everlasting sun Oh let me be an everlasting one
4.
Short Worm 02:42
And it feels like I'm moving on Gonna brush me down Feels so good I can see you looking at me I kinda knew you would! Now it feels like I'm holding on Don't put me down That's no good. Gonna swim across the water. Like I knew i would You will catch me when I'm falling Lift me up then I'm not crawling Shine on me and I will be you Every day my world will be you
5.
Pull me round again Close my eyes and then Colours fly around my eyes Pull me round again. When you say That you don't know How you feel I won't go I will stay for a while Evergreen I will reach through the clouds I will climb Break my heart again Pull me round again Misery you puzzle me Pull me round again
6.
Dream Dream 02:36
Do you know the sound of silence? Not the song It's just a thing I've got going on inside me Dream dream my life away Let me share all the things inside of me City streets. A room. I'll find you And I'll share with you these feelings that I've got Inside me. Dream dream my life away Let me share all the things inside of me Silver scars like stars they shine for you So let me dream dream my life with you
7.
I know you well Only time will tell I laugh out loud For you I’m lost and I’m found Gonna turn me around The sun finds a cloud I am lost I am found Old letters fray What do they say Lights flicker by Is that you
8.
Take My Hand 03:39
Got a letter from a no-one Who was someone that I never thought I'd reach It said "hello I've never met you  But your words have held my hand while I'm asleep" Hold - I don't hear a sound Breathe - I won't let you down Take my hand. Look ahead and wonder where you are With every second thought I do believe And as I listen to your story I'm so happy you decided not to leave
9.
Feel the breeze Upon my face I'm standing still My world in place... If I keep searching will I find out Yesterday Just for you Start again I'll know what to do And what to say yesterday  Start again I'm not over you Through the years Here's what I've found My words dry up Don't make a sound If I keep listening will I find out
10.
Broken Glass 03:03
People say I bottle up All the things I never seem to say. Take a trip to Hollywood  And act like nothing's happening again All that from nothing It feels like I'm drifting away AS I LOOK ALONG THE SHORE AS FAR AS I CAN SEE FALLING STARS LIKE BROKEN GLASS ARE WATCHING OVER ME Looking back but I can’t see I’m at the edge of what will be will be People say it’s not enough But I don’t care It’s good enough for me All that from nothing It feels like I'm drifting away AS I LOOK ALONG THE SHORE AS FAR AS I CAN SEE FALLING STARS LIKE BROKEN GLASS ARE WATCHING OVER ME  A space a time A change of mind Who am I to say  Shout out loud today Wait around for me I've been drifting but I haven't lost my mind AS I LOOK ALONG THE SHORE AS FAR AS I CAN SEE FALLING STARS LIKE BROKEN GLASS ARE WATCHING OVER ME

about

Joe McAlinden is one of those rare musicians who can turn the most placid music writer into a raving, frothing evangelist.
Generally, most musicians are accorded their dues. Especially in the age of instant connectivity and ultra-accessibility, it’s very unusual for a great artist to escape the notice of the music industry.

Yet, for much of the 1990s, Joe McAlinden and his band, Superstar, weren’t so much in the wrong place at the wrong time, as on the wrong planet in the wrong century.

McAlinden’s aching emotionalism just didn’t chime at a time when Britpop’s braggadocio and swagger barged all else out of the way. Sadly, nobody seemed to care that McAlinden’s voice on songs as moving as 'Two Of A Kind' from 1998’s "Palm Tree," was as reminiscent of Al Green in its fragile, longing power as Green’s young voice was of his own hero, Sam Cooke.

That McAlinden emerged from a decade-long, self-imposed, creative hibernation in 2012 with the lovely "Bleached Highlights," recorded with former Orange Juice leader, Edwyn Collins, was enough cause for celebration. The fact he’s back in June with the even better "Rest And Be Thankful," also with Collins’s assistance, is truly a glorious thing. Here is an artist right at the top of his game, making warm, melodic, emotionally literate music.

"Rest And Be Thankful" simply thrums with love and loss, whether it’s the starkly pretty 'I See,' which talks of someone who “leaves a shadow on the ground, even though you’re not around,” or the gently euphoric 'Broken Glass,' with its Memphis Horns-esque bursts of brass. "Rest And Be Thankful" is a simply glorious album.

But let Joe talk you through it...
“The album was recorded on the west coast of Scotland and apparently you can hear this in the songs - the songs certainly sound as though they were recorded there. They feel pretty authentic to me.“

“As for the album’s theme, there are no common themes really. I've always written about how I feel. It's all I know. Although I do like to mask the weirdness of my fucked-up head with simple lyrics. Not every song can be a dirge!”

“I really don't listen to music when I'm working on music. I find it very distracting! Otherwise, I’ve been listening to all the usual suspects - Love, Nuggets comps, Gene Clark, Dean Blunt, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and I'm very big on listening to current stuff too. Not stuck in the past, me!”

“Making another record with Edwyn Collins was such a thrill. Throughout my career, I've only wanted to make albums that sound like real records - sounds dumb right? But I've always wanted to listen to me the way I listen to the rest of my record collection. I don’t want my albums to sound like me, I want them to sound classic. I think with these last two records I've finally managed to achieve this. I can finally listen to something I've done and feel like I'm listening to just another record!”

“Should I explain the inspiration behind the album title? Yeah, I think so. It was inspired by a mountain pass I drive over every time I travel to and from civilisation. REST & BE THANKFUL are the words inscribed on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original military road in 1753. The original stone fell into ruin and was replaced by a commemorative stone at the same site. The section is so named as the climb out of Glen Croe is so long and steep at the end that it was traditional for travellers to rest at the top, and be thankful for having reached the highest point. I know how they feel.”

-Paul Connolly January 2015

credits

released June 23, 2015

Joe McAlinden - vocals, guitar, piano, saxophone, violin.
Stuart Kidd - drums, percussion, vocals.
Eric Lindsay - guitar.
Marco Rea - bass, vocals.
All songs written by Joe McAlinden.
Published by Faber Music.
Produced by Joe McAlinden.
Mixed by Edwyn Collins and Sebastian Lewsley at West Heath Yard, London.
Recorded by Joe McAlinden and David Donaldson in Strathlachlan, Argyll and The Barne Studio, Clydebank.
Mastered by Duncan Cowell at Sound Mastering, London.
Artwork by Jim Lambie.
Designed by Voidoid Ltd.
Copyright of Jim Lambie
Courtesy of Jim Lambie and The Modern Institute / Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow. Layout by Rob Crane Design.
Photography
Metal Box 2012 - Matthias Kolb, Berlin.
Metal Box (Dusseldorf) 2014, Metal Box (Tropical Orchid) 2013 - Ruth Clark.
Linden live 2014 - Wayland Standing.

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tags

about

Joe McAlinden Scotland, UK

Superstar, Boy Hairdressers, BMX Bandits, Linden, Groovy Little Numbers.

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