In Love With These Times, In Spite Of These Times

One of our favourite blogs has re-appeared of late. Much love for our World Cup Theme. No 8 out of their top (yikes!) 100

http://kisschase.blogspot.com/2010/12/were-falling-were-falling-were.html

8. The Declining Winter "Official World Cup Theme 2010" (Home Assembly Music, CD single)

Comfortably the best World Cup record since Jules Rimet's prize comp kicked off in Uruguay eighty years ago (incidentally, does anyone else agree that Uruguay's rather pretty national anthem knocked spots off the dirges of most other teams in the summer ?) Anyway, Richard Adams' plaintive half-whisper optimistically implores our overpaid timewasters to "bring back the old silverware" over a typical Declining backdrop, an exquisite rustic knit of gently tumbling guitars and aching violin, all broken twigs and twisted bracken underfoot, with production stalwart Choque Husein serene at the controls. This, and last year's wonderful "Haunt The Upper Hallways", remind us a little of the former Creation Records band, the mysterious Pacific, who despite being rather maligned in their day managed to release two excellent, multi-instrumental singles that straddled traditional and modern rather acely. Indeed, "Official World Cup Theme 2010" is *such* a tizzingly beautiful record that the obligatory sampled commentary (in this case of John Barnes' mazy run in Rio), however tongue-in-cheek, rather takes the edge off the magic. Still, a further demonstration - along with the gorgeous second track, "Red Kite", as majestically rare as the endangered bird that's its subject - that the Declining Winter have flowered, with typical pastoral grace, into being one of England's very finest bands. In sharp contrast to the England team, they deserve our (and your) support.

2010 - the year that was

Here is a round up of all The Declining Winter and related activities this year.

We started 'on the road' with a UK and Europe tour which included a robbery, sickness, hospitalisation, freezing cold and some very good shows. Here is a video of us on that very tour performing the old favourite 'Yorkcity3'



Our good friends at Norman Records re-issued our debut album 'Goodbye Minnesota' on wonderful 180 gram vinyl. These things look an absolute treat and still seem to be selling by the erm..... thimble load

'The Official World Cup Theme 2010' would have been great on vinyl but alas time got in the way/ or I didn't get my act together quick enough. Yet we did manage to get a release out and got our first mentions on Pitchfork, Drowned in Sound, and other more confused media outlets on which the joke was lost on. A nightmare start to finish this one, but we still think it sounds great and are hoping to reap the benefits in 2014. Here's the video........

We performed our final show (until mid next year) at the extraordinary Forest of Sound is Dead event at Left Bank, Leeds and waved a temporary goodbye to guitarist Paul Elam who headed for the stunning climes of Toronto.

With everything else happening, I forgot that I'd recorded 'Scenes from the Back Bedroom Window' which snuck out in November through our friends at Secret Furry Hole. The packaging on this is phenomenal and I was pleased the release coincided with freezing weather.

I also completed remixes for Brave Timbers, Winter North Atlantic, Team Forest, The Green Kingdom and performed on upcoming albums by Absent Without Leave and Epic 45.

Yet somehow its been a quiet year, I've spent a lot of it moving house or sorting out moving house or sorting out complications relating to moving house.

That all said we should be back next year though I can't promise when, I have a house to renovate. Don't give up on us though. Thanks to anyone who still reads/listens. An even bigger thanks to anyone who buys stuff, this keeps it all going in the days of diminishing returns.

richard/the declining winter

dec 2012

Seasonal Free Stuff

I like to give away a christmas treat or two each year and with the season fast approaching here is this years selection. Both are downloadable for absolutely nothing!

You can download for free a live version of our hit 'My Name In Ruins' taken from a performance in Antwerp, Belgium. The story behind the very different version is that our drummer had been rushed to hospital and so we had about an hour to come up with an acoustic set! Hence this version is very different from the one found on our 'Haunt the Upper Hallways' album.

and here for your christmas delectation is the original home sketch of 'The Official World Cup Theme 2010'

'Scenes from the Back Bedroom Window'

"A warm, ponderous, yet sad, organ line - simple as you like - overlaid with the kind of decaying, spectral vocal manipulation Grouper may endorse. Really quite unnerving & beautiful in its haunting bleakness."

Buy from Norman Records (UK)

Buy from Secret Furry Hole (IT)

You can also get these direct from my discogs page

'Scenes from the Back Bedroom Window' OUT NOW

Four stifled/suffocated titles, the acoustic muted and the singing veiled, revealing a facet of the Declining Winter far more atmospheric than usual AUTRES DIRECTIONS

Organ chords, granulated vocals, and judiciously applied reverbs combine to form a slow burning, steady state piece – elemental and commanding, this is a far cry from anything released under the Declining Winter moniker thus far. FLUID RADIO

The ability of the piece to retain its instrumental-ness even in the presence of a voice says a lot about the accomplishment of the instrumentation, a heavily reverberant hall of sonic mirrors in which guitar strings flutter endlessly. DISQUIET

Scenes from the Back Bedroom Window

Its here! And it looks great. It comes in a fold out piece of card that folds forever and ever. I couldn't fold mine back up. Here are some pictures.......

At the moment only available from Secret Furry Hole. But as more places stock it I will add to the list.

The Declining Winter 'Killer' Video

Kindly made by Brooklyn based filmaker Giacomo Belletti

THE DECLINING WINTER/KILLER from giacomo belletti on Vimeo.

Absent Without Leave 'Faded Photographs' OUT NOW

I make a guest appearance on the new album by Absent Without Leave, 'Fading Photographs' . There are a few other names on there you may recognise such as Epic 45, Stafraenn Hakon and Millimetrik. The album is available to pre-order from Norman Records and comes housed in 4-panel digipak of recycled cardboard with the front cover image printed on photo paper!It's a limited edition of 500.

Winter North Atlantic remix

A while ago I did a slew of remixes and promptly forgot about them. One by one they are seeing the light of day. The latest is on this VERY LIMITED CD on Boltfish. An impressive line up includes my landlord Bracken, our compatriots Fieldhead and an Arctic Monkey or two. HERE is the link to which you can buy. I'd also recommend picking up the original album if you haven't already.

Also I did an interview with the oh so supportive people at Autres Directions and you can find a link to that HERE

Autumn News

Autumn is here, the clocks have gone back and its dark at about 3 in the afternoon. I'm still in the middle of a house move, relying on my brother to house me in his spare room. I get a lovely view of the park with leaves turning all shades of gold and red.

In a matter of weeks our new CD EP 'Scenes from the Back Bedroom Window' will be released courtesy of those nice Italian people at Secret Furry Hole. I will post details of where you can buy but for the moment you can pre-order ONLY from HERE

We are finding time to slowly work on new music as well as finishing off the Memory Drawings LP of which I keep muttering. Everything is snails pace these days but it will be worth it in the end.

Within our ranks are Fieldhead and they have a new album out now through Gizeh Records. This is a live album, download only and is available with a donation scheme from their bandcamp page.

For now, wrap up warm, buy an umbrella and we'll get through this thing. More news as it happens. Join me on Twitter as thats where the big news breaks when i'm busy doing other things.

richard/the declining winter
xx