***NEW PROJECT 2020 ‘Domestic’***
‘Domestic’ is the recently recorded album by Paul Armfield, a collection of songs that pivot around the theme of ‘home’, whether this be the four walls that surround you, the street, country, continent or planet where you were born or of which you are a resident. Paul explains ‘As I sat at home writing these songs over a long winter, my children away at university, my wife at work, it felt like I was cocooned away, isolated and safe from the madness unfolding in the outside world with Brexit and the refugee crisis. Given the circumstances it was hardly surprising that emerging lyrics were about place, warmth, shelter, belonging, allegiance: notions of ‘home’ kept popping up like a leitmotiv so I’ve called the album ‘Domestic’.’
The musical accompaniment reflects the mature and serious nature of the subject matter and is performed with a beautiful lightness of touch by a trans european cast of musicians. Says Paul ‘Producer Max Braun has taken my songs and with great respect and sensitivity set them in an uncrowded and subtly shimmering musical landscape. We recorded the record in Max’s Stuttgart studio with him playing bass and some guitar and keyboards; a couple of studio regulars Johann Polzer and Gabriel Schütz did an amazing job on percussion; and from Italy my good friend and top-notch luthier Giulio Cantore came and played beautiful guitar and cavaquinho. I wrote the songs and sang.’
Released on his own label, Paul’s previous album ‘Found’ came as a limited edition box containing a series of postcards featuring images and text that tie into the record. The format was so popular that this album will come in a similar package, but featuring a series of linocut prints produced by Paul. His prints have graced the cover of several previous albums and the vinyl format here provides an opportunity to include a series of original hand-printed pieces of artwork in each limited edition luxury box-set, similarly the CD will feature a set of smaller reproductions of the images.
The images depicted are of various plants, all traditionally associated with Britain, however, most are almost certainly not native species, in many cases coming from elsewhere in Europe. You can read more about this in a piece Paul recently wrote for Folk Radio.
The album was funded through a crowdfunding project, which despite overlapping into the lock-down managed to raise 125% of its £8,000 target.
A Europe-wide tour is being planned for November and December.
Read more:
Downloads and song info
The politics of Domestic
Linyl (that’s lino and vinyl)
Liner notes by Jon Woolcott
Interview with Paul Armfiel
Films
Biography
After a few years in revolutionary eastern Europe, Paul Armfield returned to his beloved Isle of Wight in the early 90’s to get married, have children, sell books and write songs. His first album Songs Without Words was released in 2003 to wide critical acclaim, his voice being compared to the likes of Cat Stevens and Nick Drake and the music being described as Folk Noir. A big fan of Scott Walker Paul was likewise applauded for his renditions of Jacques Brel chansons as well as his own lovelorn, poetic songs.
Running a bookstore by day Paul nevertheless managed to release four more albums before quitting his job to concentrate on 2015’s ‘Found’, a selection of songs written around a collection of photographs gathered from the flea markets of Berlin. A big production that showed off the breadth of his talents and his versatility as a songwriter the album was well received, Berlin’s Radio Eins declaring it ‘The best Berlin album of all time’.
Paul dedicated the next three years to helping to turn round the fortunes of his struggling local arts centre. Now Paul divides his time between being a celebrant at funerals, busking as ‘The Stranger On The Saw’, making linocut prints and playing double bass with various local bands, playing everything from 1930s jazz and hula, to eastern European gypsy music. Occasionally he’ll appear on other releases, you can hear his double bass playing on the best-selling Michael Kiwanuka single I’m Getting Ready as well as collaborations with jazz pianist Greg Foat.
Press
‘A buried treasure…heir to deathless troubadours such as Tim Hardin’ Gavin Martin in The Mirror
‘Everything about Up Here is exceptional. Breathtaking’ Simon Holland on Folk Radio
‘Uncompromising, elegiac, but staunchly non-sentimental’ Nigel Williamson in Uncut
‘Gorgeous..beautiful, positive and amazing. Ace!’ Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music
‘Exquisite, extraordinary, almost unbearably beautiful’ James McNair in Mojo
‘A lovely lyric, a spellbinding song. This is really beautiful’ Guy Garvey
‘Heartbreakingly beautiful. An Album to be treasured’ Electric Ghost
‘A voice that could make the Needles crumble’ The Word magazine
‘Spooky, affecting folkish singer-songwriterliness’ Time Out
‘As toasty and lovely as Christmas morning’ Caitlin Moran
‘A Perfect example of English songwriting’ Maverick
‘Lovely, lovelorn songs’ Nigel Williamson in Uncut
‘An incredible collection of songs’ iD magazine
‘A solitary, treasured jewel’ Fresh Deer Meat
’Distinctively amazing’ Rudimental
‘A revelation’ The Scotsman
