The Free Traditionalist project 'Forvie Lullabies' is a suite of lullabies about life in coastal Aberdeenshire, backing onto the sands of Forvie. 

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Part 1 of the suite is being released on the 1st November. 

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In the hope of helping people find some calm in the lockdown, release rules have been set aside and Part 1 has been immediately made available on Bandcamp.

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https://villagesunsets.bandcamp.com/album/forvie-lullabies

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See bandcamp link above.

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It will be available on all platforms on 1st Nov; digital only.

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Background;

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I (Andy) wanted to create a suite of lullabies, simply to provide calm for myself! It's worked; I've have a CD of the first demos in my car and it's been ideal!

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It started with an idea, to create a suite of lullabies. I couldn’t quite nail what the theme of the album would be, until one day.............. I was in my market garden (with a ‘Croft attitude’), which backs onto the sands of Forvie and I knew any day the pink footed geese would be arriving back for the winter, which would be the moment summer turns to autumn, and a melody jumped into my head. I rushed into the house and wrote it down. 2 days later, I was walking around the back of Forvie and the geese arrived and I recorded them there and then. That was the first track 'As summer turns to Autumn- part 1'. Part 2 swiftly followed, as did about 16 other melodies, all relating to an emotion summoned up by an event or place relating to my life here, at Forvie and Collieston village.

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'Forvie Lullabies' was born. All 18 tracks may be some time in making, so Part 1 is being released first!

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The history of Forvie (the village and it's farm land disappeared under a fierce sand storm 700 years ago) fascinates me, but in essence I just wanted to capture the emotions of living 'hear' in tunes.

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I’ve tried to make the arrangements fit the topic; For example, the awkward but amazingly beautiful way pink footed geese land was reflected in the way the melodica was played in a tumbling manner and in a waltz timing.

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I also wanted the suite of songs to be organic, avoiding the cliques of ambient music (choirs, synths etc). So I set myself one of those ridiculously unnecessary challenges (but it seemed like a good idea, at the time) to only use; my voice, 3 strings of a classical guitar (yes only 3!?), a melodica and strings, wth the hope that would be acoustically pleasing. I played all the instruments myself and I also broke the rules occasionally....... 

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I work with the natural environment and seasons and importantly recognise and celebrate them, therefore this album will only be digital and it will not be played live, to reduce, where possible, the energy consumed.

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Thanks for popping by.