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Songs For Walter – Meet Me At The Empire E.P.
7″ released early APRIL 2012 on Bleeding Gold Records (USA)
[Limited Edition hand-made CDs from Red Deer Club (UK)]
“…songs that you feel have always been with you and remind you of all your favourite memories…life changing” Jacob Graham ‘The Drums’
When it comes to family, many of us keep things close to our chests. But rather than keeping his kin hidden in an old dusty photo album, Songs For Walter’s Laurie Hulme is more likely to befound making a song about them. In particular his late grandfather Walter. Onelisten to the Songs For Walter EP and what you’ll hear is a stunning memoir of one extraordinary fellow and his strangely wonderful world.
You could call this EP the perfect tribute. Walter was a living, breathing story himself. From his much-loved caravan holidays in Scotland and Wales brilliantly depicted by Ukulele song ‘Tin Can’, to the bittersweet romance of lead-track ‘Meet Me At The Empire’ – a tale of Laurie’s grandparents’ first date to the Empire theatre – each song is like a yellowing polaroid taking you further into another chapter of Walter’s life.
But make no mistake; this is not simply a nostalgia trip. Equally inspired by Lou Reed and John Cale’s “SongsFor Drella”, the EP is a personal musical anecdote exuding the kind of rawness to only come from a self-produced release. “I really love lo-fi stuff, there’s something so much more honest about it,” explains Laurie, “What you lose in quality you gain in character.”
And that’s what really sets Songs For Walter apart. This EP has bags of character. Each song stands up on its own but together creates a legacy reflecting a Bill Callahan/Smog-like balance of sincerity and absurdity, The Spinto Band in reflective mode, or perhaps new kid on the blogs, fellow one-man bedroom outfit Youth Lagoon.
Bleeding Gold 