A deep-voiced, working-class songwriter with an affinity for ’50s-era crooners, American country music and grand orchestration, Richard Hawley has paid tribute to his hometown of Sheffield, England, through songwriting that serves as a sepia-toned photograph of timeless places and love-troubled lives. While it may seem as if nothing changes in Hawley’s stylishly retro work, sixth album Truelove’s Gutter (Mute) is a deceptively tranquil sea change of sonics—employing glass harmonica, waterphone and other ethereal sounds—and themes, with the album delving into lyrical topics of dashed hopes, drug addiction and, of course, love gone wrong. Befitting its title, Truelove’s Gutter finds Hawley trawling Sheffield’s shadows and back alleys on his most spacious, soul-baring album to date. Hawley is guest editing magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our Q&A with him.
Hawley: I used the Cristal Baschet on my latest offering, played by the great Thomas Bloch. It is a beautiful instrument. I utilized the glass harmonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin; it was banned, as folk used to think it was the devil’s instrument. The edges of the glass were lined with lead, and the players used to unwittingly absorb it and go nuts, but it sounds so other worldly. I also used the musical saw in honor of my grandfather, who used to play it when I was a boy. Video after the jump.
