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CD
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ORI 004CD
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Oriel Records presents Smoke & Dreams, the first album in 30 years by Glasgow demigods Hipsway. Musically, their influences cover the art-pop of Bowie and Radiohead to the earthy funk of the Meters and much more besides. Recorded in three three-day bursts over the winter and spring of 2018, the album was recorded "old style" with all the musicians crammed together in one room striving for the best unified take of each track and allowing a continuity of sound, where stylistically, the tunes may differ starkly. Thematically the songs are about deception -- be that by "the self" or on a grander "fake news" scale -- hence the album title. Nostalgia plays its part in a let's-learn-from-our-mistakes attitude. In 1986 the group were a young band from Scotland seemingly with the world at their feet. With a hit single ("Honeythief") in both the U.K. and America, 500,000 albums (Gold in UK) sold worldwide and successful tours of Europe and the States, their future path was surely one to glory. Two years later, they disbanded before their second album had even been released; bass player Johnny McElhone formed Texas, while drummer Harry Travers left to pursue his studies. This left singer Grahame Skinner and guitarist Pim Jones with an album they no longer cared about and a record company that no longer cared about them. As Witness they signed afresh to A&M Records but all momentum was lost, as was their A&R man who deserted them -- again -- just as they began promoting the new material. So far, so familiar. These stories are legion in the music business, but every now and again redemption pops its unlikely head above the parapet. Cut to 2016 and to celebrate the deluxe 30th anniversary re-release of their debut album, Skin and Pim decided to play a one-off show at Glasgow's ABC theater. This quickly sold out as did two further gigs; to date the band has now sold over 10,000 concert tickets in Scotland. This caused the "boys" to reason it might be worth making a new record which brings us to Smoke & Dreams, the new release from Hipsway.
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