An Unexpected Giant Leap, the debut instrumental album from guitarist Christopher Haddow, is a contemplative journey evoking the hazy moments of early parenthood. Recorded over three intense days at the Green Door in Glasgow, it weaves together lap steel, double bass, open-tuned acoustic guitar, and piano through the hum of whirring tape machines.
Influenced as much by Brian Eno as by John Fahey, Link Wray and Marisa Anderson, Haddow set out to create a musical landscape, rich with imagery and emotional depth. Accompanied by Josh Longton and Jamie Bolland, the process involved a blend of spontaneous improvisation and deliberate soundscaping, with each track primarily recorded on the first take, capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of their collaboration.
The album is bookended by an ultrasound of Haddow's son Louie, encapsulating the deeply personal and emotional nature of this work. With undertones of deconstructed ambient country, this album serves as both a time capsule and a tool for soothing his son to sleep, echoing the continuous loops of pushing a buggy in circles around the park.
An Unexpected Giant Leap is an intimate portrait of Haddow’s experiences as a new parent, a musical photograph rendered in sound, and a heartfelt tribute to his family.
Influenced as much by Brian Eno as by John Fahey, Link Wray and Marisa Anderson, Haddow set out to create a musical landscape, rich with imagery and emotional depth. Accompanied by Josh Longton and Jamie Bolland, the process involved a blend of spontaneous improvisation and deliberate soundscaping, with each track primarily recorded on the first take, capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of their collaboration.
The album is bookended by an ultrasound of Haddow's son Louie, encapsulating the deeply personal and emotional nature of this work. With undertones of deconstructed ambient country, this album serves as both a time capsule and a tool for soothing his son to sleep, echoing the continuous loops of pushing a buggy in circles around the park.
An Unexpected Giant Leap is an intimate portrait of Haddow’s experiences as a new parent, a musical photograph rendered in sound, and a heartfelt tribute to his family.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: A beautiful mix of whispering strings and shimmering piano, tender glimmers of light and hypnotic droning delays. There are moments of divine stillness that are just as exciting as the tense instrumental interplay and chaotic reverberating glitch. A really gorgeous mix of organic instrumentation and wooze with decayed echoes and shadowy reverbs.TRACK LISTING
1. Yellow Night Light Colour
2. Everything That Rises... 05:12
3. Nightshift Lull
4. Look Homeward
5. ...Must Converge
6. An Unexpected Giant Leap
7. Talla Reservoir 03:13
8. Rosy Pinks & Golden Nudes
9. Painting A Garden Chair 02:20