Silverhours is a musician based in London who takes inspiration from the geometry of musical rhythms and the dark sounds of the Scottish electronic duo Boards Of Canada. His artistry features an eclectic mix of sounds influenced by both jazz and electronica.
The emerging alternative musician returns with his second single ‘Sad Letter’ from the upcoming LP, Madeleine Moment.
“‘Sad Letter’ is one of my personal favourites. It is about inner beauty and emptiness, the power of the moment, and deep memories of the past,” - Silverhours comments on the track.
We sat down with Silverhours to discuss his music and much more. Here's what he had to say:
Hey Silverhours, welcome to FLEX! How are you?
Hey, I am very busy now, getting ready for an album release on June 9 but also very excited about this. Have tons of new ideas for the next LP but releasing Madeleine moment is my top priority now.
Congratulations on your brand-new single ‘Sad Letter’ - what inspired this particular track?
Well, the track was inspired by Japanese novels and Korean movies. It is a slow burning song, almost meditative but it has this coda section which is quite powerful, you know, emotionally. Essential part of the arrangement includes both sampled and live strings inspired by works of Henryk Górecki and film scores by Jonny Greenwood. The programmed strings are blended with a real Cello, which was performed by Clare O’Connell, a very talented cellist, who played on the Radiohead and the Smile records. The sampled strings library is from Felt instruments, one of my secret weapons to get as close to the live performance as possible – it really feels more like being in a studio with a performer you admire.
This release comes ahead of your forthcoming album, Madeleine Moment. What can listeners expect from this project?
Madeleine moment is an expression used to describe smells, tastes, sounds or any sensations reminding you of your childhood or simply bringing back emotional memories from a long time ago. I hope the songs I have recorded will trigger some nostalgia and good memories. The 9 tracks, while some of them can be quite different in style, form a story, that’s why I really recommend listening to the album from start to finish. I am not a big fan of playlists myself, I am a bit old school person here really. So, expect more contributions from some great musicians, more strings, and more cinematic soundscapes.
And do you have to be in a certain mood to write?
Not really, sometimes being in a different mood helps develop some new creative ideas. How was the recording and writing process? I started with a single track – by coincidence it turned out to be the first single I have released - Doldrums. (I highly recommend you watch the video for this song, it’s a very beautiful story) And then just in a few months I have written all other songs, all on an acoustic guitar which is my usual companion in the songwriting process. Arranging them was the most interesting part as I realized I wanted some tracks to contain more acoustic instruments than I could play myself. So, I ended up collaborating with a few great musicians who helped me with Drums, bass, strings, and Trumpet parts. Blending more traditional rock music instruments with synths, drum machines, ambient textures was the most enjoyable time during the recording process which took place in my home studio, which I was equipping during the recording process, getting more guitar pedals, preamps, synths, etc. Can sound a bit nerdy, but usually getting a new instrument is always very inspiring and its sound can become the essential element for the next song. For viewers that don’t know Silverhours, how would you describe your sound? Dark, emotional, layered, and eclectic mix of sounds influenced by both jazz and electronica. And what are some of those activities that you engage yourself in when you aren't writing or recording in the studio? Travelling and collecting memories from these journeys.
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