Lost Horizons – the project of Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymonde & Richie Thomas of Dif Juz – released part one of its new album In Quiet Moments at the end of 2020 and is set to release part two, as well as the physical of the double album, on February 26th via Bella Union. Every track on the album features a guest vocalist, and today’s new single “In Quiet Moments” features Ural Thomas, an 82-year old Portland-based singer who learned to sing in church and went on to perform with the likes of Etta James, Otis Redding, James Brown and Stevie Wonder. Watch the video for “In Quiet Moments” HERE.
Of the track, Simon Raymonde of Lost Horizons
says: “Sometimes you just have a clear vision for a song and then try
as you might, it doesn’t quite hit the mark and other times, you’re not
quite sure where it’s going and then all of sudden it’s like The Matrix
and you’re buzzing! I’d been talking to Ural and his team since I heard
about him earlier that year, and they were all working on a new Ural
Thomas and The Pain album, but just as I finished the bass part on our
piece, which Richie had started at a session in London, my inner voice
was screaming “ASK URAL TO SING!” Scott and Brent who are his producers
and write with Ural and in his band too, responded very positively to my
enquiry and said Ural was into it, and it looked like they could do it
all at their studio in Portland , AND film him at the same time as they
were making a documentary about him! I couldn’t believe my luck. After
he was done with the first half of the song I asked if he could make the
ending spoken-word in the style of Gil Scott-Heron and he did something
ad-libbed which I loved. I then asked Wendi Rose who sings with
Spiritualized to add some of her beautiful vocals and I think this took
it all to the next level. Paul Gregory and Jonathan Wilson also played
some delicious guitar parts which were the fairy dust on top!”
Ural Thomas added: “When
I first heard the song, I thought it was such a wonderful thing, both
open and calm, with that steady, insistent groove. The chords go from
looming to embracing then back again, like a sad, friendly giant. It
took a quiet moment to go over it in my mind and then we were off and
running with the tune. At times I feel strong and one with the world. At
other times I feel tiny and solitary. In a way they’re two parts of the
same feeling. That sense of being closed in and defined by walls became
more real just a short while after we worked on the song. But we’re all
those other things, too—connected, hopeful, with a long arc that will
go beyond this time.”
