One of the surprise releases this year is the new studio album from DBA (Downes Braide Association), the duo of Chris Braide and Geoff Downes (Yes/Asia). The album has been almost universally praised and shows the duo taking their songwriting and production to another level. Chris Braide, singer/songwriter from the duo, joins the podcast to talk about the new DBA album ‘Halcyon Hymns’.
Read our review of Halcyon Hymns here.
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Halcyon Hymns is the fifth DBA collaboration and follows their previous critically-acclaimed studio albums Pictures of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls(2017). The duo have also released Live In England (2019) recorded at their first ever concert at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, in 2018.
Pre-order Halcyon Hymns: CD/DVD https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-cd-dvd-edition/
2LP White Vinyl: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-limited-edition-2lp-white-vinyl/
Following two more successful and enjoyable evenings at Trading Boundaries in February of 2020, Geoff Downes returned to Wales and his projects while Chris Braide returned to LA and struggled to find motivation with the unfolding events in a world of lockdown. Inspiration would return following a call from a close friend.
“Marc Almond suggested I ‘get stuck into another DBA record’ to lift the malaise,” say Braide. “Somehow It was hard to muster any enthusiasm for it. We had all been so upbeat at the recent shows and now here we were in a collective, creative void. It’s odd the way inspiration strikes though and it never ceases to delight and surprise me when the muse comes to play and it can happen at any time and without warning.
“I opened up a folder of new DBA ideas Geoff (Downes) had sent to me a while back and which I’d listened to briefly and had made a note to do something with them at a later date. I can’t say why it happened but one day in the studio as I listened to the bits and pieces of ideas suddenly the songs started tumbling out as if by magic. I’m not exaggerating or being melodramatic. These new songs sounded like personal reflections, they just wrote themselves. It was so easy, so enjoyable and so meant to be. Like a gift.”
A few words from Geoff: “It was so great to witness Chris’s creativity making my fundamental ideas come alive. He took the bare bones of melodies, harmonies and textures I sent him, and somehow crafted these into something way beyond my expectations or imagination. ‘Love Among The Ruins’ is one of the many examples on the album of his rare genius at work.”
Love Among The Ruins is a delightful and uplifting love song, reflecting memories and tributes of a long lost halcyon time in life. The first track to be taken from the new album, Love Among The Ruins, is out today 4th December.
Halcyon Hymns also features contributions by Marc Almond (ex-Soft Cell) and David Longdon (Big Big Train).
The CD/DVD package also includes video footage of legendary artist Roger Dean’s painting sessions as he creates the album cover artwork for Halcyon Days together with lyric videos for three tracks from the album.
DISC ONE: CD
1. LOVE AMONG THE RUINS
2. KING OF THE SUNSET
3. YOUR HEART WILL FIND THE WAY
4. HOLDING THE HEAVENS
5. BEACHCOMBERS
6. WARM SUMMER SUN
7. TODAY
8. HYMN TO DARKNESS
9. SHE’LL BE RIDING HORSES
10. LATE SUMMER
11. REMEMBRANCE
12. EPILOGUE
DISC TWO: DVD
1. ROGER DEAN PAINTING SESSION
2. LOVE AMONG THE RUINS
3. YOUR HEART WILL FIND THE WAY
4. TODAY
