As a co
mmitment to the recording process, working in a VW campervan has to be in for an award of some sort. Yet Norrie McCulloch, the driving force behind Canyons and Highlands claims that while it was a necessity to avoid disturbing his NHS nurse partner over lockdown it became a pleasure. “Being all set up parked out on the driveway in the small, enclosed space within the campervan felt like I was getting a separate space to work outwith the house which really helped to focus on the songs – and to top it off it sounded great playing in there.” It grew into a project that was transatlantic both in the contributors and in the end result.
Those contributors included, multi-instrumentalist Dave McGowan (Teenage Fanclub/Belle & Sebastian), Nashville based live sound engineer Iain Thomson (Phosphorescent/Molly Tuttle), Lavinia Blackwall (Wyndow/Trembling Bells), Marco Rea (The Barne Society), Stuart Kidd (The Pearlfishers), fiddle player Christian Sedelmyer (Jerry Douglas band) and drummer Nicholas Falk (Hiss Golden Messenger/Molly Tuttle). While I’m not one to be measure an album by its cast list that is impressive.
The music is as well. Opening with the Canyon’s side ‘Pushing On Wolves’ has a guitar solo that Jerry Garcia would have been happy with over a tune that has a slight feel of Jackson Browne about it. The rest of the Canyon’s songs are rooted on the other side of the pond. McGowan’s pedal Steel is particularly effective on ‘Took It To Heart’, and ‘She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’.
While there is no great change in the Highlands side of the music, there is a subtle shift away from the pedal steel towards a Hendrix style wah-wah guitar on ‘We Get By’. ‘Drifting Apart’ features another excellent electric guitar part, this time from Thomson. For me the best of the album comes under the Highlands label, ‘I Am The Blues’ is a lovely, poignant low-key song. You may find the Canyons songs are your preferred ones. Overall, this is wonderful album and has been on heavy rotation during a recent trip to the part of Scotland where recording started. If you’re driving among Canyons or Highlands take it with you.
The fact that the core of this music was recorded in the aforementioned Campervan in Kilbarchan (village not far from Paisley, which is definitely not part of Glasgow) and Stirling may well have added to the intimate feel of these songs. McCulloch calls it “Astral Folk” and as a description that’s as good as any, bits of Scottish folk, especially on final song the John Martyn styled ‘Deep Forest Green’ and bits of the LA Canyons.
You can find the album to buy here.
