An intensely personal and unique expression
Following the October release of his ‘Mockingbird Love’ EP comes the much-anticipated ‘next’ full-length album from legendary Scottish music-sculptor Robin Guthrie, titled ‘Pearldiving’.
On this journey of 10 new tracks, Guthrie returns to his signature instrumental genre, evoking an atmosphere and sound so instantly recognizable, and yet so very personal. From the slow-burning opening notes of ‘Ivy’ to the last swelling distortion of ‘The Amber Room’, ‘Pearldiving’ is an album of delicacies, delights, darkness and light.
‘Pearldiving’ is out now on CD and as a digital download via Soleil Après Minuit with distribution in North America via Darla and in Europe by Cargo. Ahead of this, Guthrie offered a preview of the song ‘Les Amourettes’ via Bandcamp.
Robin Guthrie’s music has always been an intensely personal and unique expression. His gift for the translation and evocation of emotions and experiences lends his music an appeal that transcends their origins in his own life but also speaks to all of us on our own journeys.
‘Pearldiving’ typifies the lush, layered guitar arrangements that are Robin Guthrie’s trademark, whilst also displaying a level of refinement that can only be found in the work of an artist at the top of his craft.
Guthrie’s approach to his music is perhaps more akin to that of a painter or a photographer. The adept use of light and shade, melody and counter-melody, the carefully and precisely arranged instrumentation, musical textures and colourings gives his music a depth and level of detail that are the hallmarks of a master craftsman. It’s often said that the signature of a highly accomplished artist is the ability to make the complex and otherworldly seem natural and effortless. This could not be truer of ‘Pearldiving’, undeniably Guthrie’s most refined instrumental release to date.
“After ‘Another Flower’, released just a few days before the untimely passing of my friend and co-conspirator Harold Budd, I felt the need to break my studio down and build it up again afresh to clear my head,” says Robin Guthrie.
“The dawn of many of my previous releases was travel. I loved being somewhere new to work but, for a while now, the pandemic hasn’t permitted that. So earlier this year I “stayed at home” and created ‘Pearldiving’. This is my first instrumental album since ‘Fortune’ and I guess I had some feelings to process.”
40 years on from founding Cocteau Twins, Robin Guthrie has certainly been its most prolific member, offering a steady and stellar stream of material over the years. His film scores include Gregg Araki’s ‘Mysterious Skin’ and ‘White Bird in a Blizzard’, co-written with longtime collaborator Harold Budd. His many other collaborators include John Foxx, Mark Gardener, Telefon Tel-Aviv, Eraldo Bernocchi and Jay Jay Johanson.
His unique, innovative, and influential approach to guitar and composition—layering sound upon sound and melody upon melody in an approach that is often deceptively minimalist—along with his deft production skills in the recording studio, has earned him the respect of musicians and fans throughout the world, making him a much sought-after artist, producer, engineer,and collaborator. Guthrie’s more recent credits as a producer and remixer include Heligoland, Resplandor, Ummagma, Fawns of Love, Hatchie, Jack Colwell and Tamaryn.
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