The Anchoress is a new project managed by Drowned in Sound supremo Sean Adams featuring the feisty Welsh lass also known as Catherine Anne Davies – a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and storyteller. The video for single You And Only You references The Anchoress‘ misspent youth training to become a dancer – a career scuppered by breaking her back and pelvis in a nasty fall, which led to her locking herself away at the piano to work on her early recordings. It was directed by Oliver Cross & Frances Main. The electronic version of ‘You And Only You‘ is a collaboration with Philip Reach and features the operatic indie-wail of Mansun’s Paul Draper as a guest vocalist.
Speaking about You And Only You, The Anchoress says:
“This is the only song on the album that I wrote entirely on the guitar, when my hand was too badly mangled to play the piano (studio related injury…) and I had to wear a metal cast for months even to turn door handles. The song went through three different incarnations before it decided it wanted to be a duet (with co-producer Paul Draper on joint wailing duties here). We ended up recording this final version in my snatched sleepless so-called “days off” from the UK leg of the Simple Minds tour, replaying the guitar over the original drum, bass, and organ takes from the first studio sessions.
Originally it was something I’d written for my best friend, who had just come out of her first long term relationship after enduring horrific brain surgery from a burst aneurysm. Lyrically, I guess it continues with the album’s dominant themes of deconstructing normative ideas of love and romance. No ‘baby, baby”s here. This woman just basically wants you to leave her the fuck alone.
There’s another duet version with a full string section that we recorded just before the one that you hear on the album. I said to Paul that we had to scrap it due him sounding too much like Barry Gibb on the middle eight… Christ knows what I’m saying in French at the end. I don’t actually remember recording that due to an overabundance of Tramadol.”
This track is taken from the 5-track You and Only You EP which is available to pre-order now here. Her forthcoming album ‘Confessions of A Romance Novelist‘ is out Jan 15th 2016 via Kscope. Preorder the album now and instantly receive 3 tracks (2 more coming before the albums release!)
Categories ,Catherine Anne Davies, ,Confessions of A Romance Novelist, ,Drowned In Sound, ,Frances Main, ,Kscope, ,Oliver Cross, ,Paul Draper, ,Philip Reach, ,Sean Adams, ,You and Only You
Similar Posts:
- Jeremy Warmsley – ‘The Boat Song’ and ‘Temptation’
- Regina Spektor: A Live Review
- Stars and Sons – Interview
- FFS at the Forum: Live Review
- Review of album Dig Down Deep and interview with Vandaveer