Louis Carnell launches curated & collaborative series 111, listen to first piece featuring Keeley Forsyth

Experimental composer and producer Louis Carnell launches today 111, his new curated series of collaborative works with artists from across the globe. Comprising 15 collaborations, and conceived to try to “trace the shape of hope, in an epoch of disintegration”, 111 “aim[s] to question how and with whom we collaborate, and where we can find commonality and community.” Carnell will unveil a new work on every third Tuesday through Mute, starting today with ‘one’, a collaborative piece with English actress, composer and musician Keeley Forsyth. At once unsettling and beautiful, ‘one’ comes with a visual accompaniment, directed by Carnell & Arcin Sagdic. Here it is.

Keeley Forsyth set to release second full-length album, Limbs, in February

Debris, the phenomenal debut album English actress and musician Keeley Forsyth, was one of our Album Picks of 2020 and we’re thrilled to know a follow-up is on the way. Entitled Limbs, the forthcoming album will see the light of day on February 25th through The Leaf Label. Along with news, Forsyth has also revealed the first otherworldly and arresting single, ‘Bring Me Water’. “The song picks up where ‘Start Again’, the final track on Debris, left off,” Forsyth explained. “It comes from a similar place, approached at a different angle, with the line ‘let me begin again’ central to that. It plots a journey from a place of darkness, but marks the point at which we choose to grow. Bring me water. Give me light. These are the basic things required to start that process.”

‘Bring Me Water’ comes with a monochrome video directed by Ross Downes and featuring dancer and choreographer Calvin Richardson of the Royal Ballet. Watch it below.

Keeley Forsyth announces Photograph EP and shares title track

2020 kicked off with Debris, the phenomenal debut album from English actress and musician Keeley Forsyth. As we approach the tail end of the year, she is back to dazzle us again with a follow-up EP entitled Photograph. With a striking vocal delivery, Forsyth’s powerful an otherworldly baritone voice remains centre stage, supported again by label mate and composer Matthew Bourne. She has also recruited the help of Trestle Records’ Ross Downes to bring the EP to life.

Photograph EP is set for release on November 20th through The Leaf Label and ahead of it Forsyth has shared the beautiful, haunting and poignant title track. It comes with an accompanying video directed by Ross Downes, with whom she collaborated closely. She commented:

“We discussed the absurdism of Samuel Beckett,Eugène Ionescu and Antonin Artaud and the movements of the Tanztheater tradition, all of which has influenced the music I’ve been writing. We were working towards a place where archetypes, expectations and behaviour are unclear – a woman feeds her family with soil while digging her grave”.

Watch the video for ‘Photograph’ below.


Listen to Keeley Forsyth’s new single ‘Start Again’

Earlier this month, English actress and musician Keeley Forsyth announced the release of her debut album, Debris, and offered the arresting title track as the first taste from it. Ahead of the album’s release on January 17th through The Leaf Label, she is teasing it again with a new single called ‘Start Again’. “‘Start Again’ is the song where the singer starts to stand and grow limbs,” explained Forsyth. “But there’s no rise. It’s bumping into things. There’s an immediacy and a recognition of her human ability. Bourne brought the pulse and made a perfect melodic opening for this happen.” Label mate Matthew Bourne, who collaborated on the album providing minimal piano and string arrangements, had this to say about it:

”My role in this project is to elaborate on those tacit, near-hidden qualities which are found within the atmosphere of the original demos. In ‘Start Again’, each round of chords ended up as an uneven, five-bar phrase, and is something that seemed to occur naturally. This impulsive method is also true of Keeley’s other tracks – my instrumental parts are laid down quickly, before there is any time to ponder, or to be tempted to find a ‘better’ way of doing things.”

Take a listen to ‘Start Again’ below.

In other related news, Keeley Forsyth is performing at a Matthew Bourne-curated Daylight Music session at London’s Union Chapel tomorrow November 30th at 12pm. She has also announced a headline show at The Islington on January 29th.

Keeley Forsyth joins The Leaf Label, debut album out in January

The Leaf Label has been on a path of growing, dazzling us with each of its new releases.  English actress and musician Keeley Forsyth is the latest artist to join the label and Debris, her debut album, will follow in the new year. With a powerful an otherworldly baritone voice, Forsyth’s vocal delivery is absolutely striking. On the upcoming Debris, slated for a January 17th release, there’s minimal piano and string arrangements by label mate Matthew Bourne. Release day is a while away but we can already hear the arresting title track, offered with a video directed by Maxine Peak. Speaking about the video, Peake explained “it’s about a rebirth, new light and clearer light. A beautiful sun, flares, falling on the surrounding flora and fauna.” Watch it below.

In other related news, Keeley Forsyth will perform at a Bourne-curated Daylight Music event at London’s  Union Chapel on Saturday 30th November.