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Arch Hill Recordings

Arch Hill Music is an independent record label, management and publishing company.

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David Kilgour

David Kilgour has released three albums on Arch Hill, Frozen Orange (2005), The Far Now (2007) and Falling Debris - featuring the poetry of Sam Hunt (2009)

As a teenager in the late 1970's David Kilgour and his brother Hamish, inspired by the independent do-it-yourself spirit of punk rock and the simple yet dissonant songwriting of Lou Reed and Bob Dylan, formed The Clean in their hometown of Dunedin. The Clean went on to become one of New Zealand’s most popular and most respected bands. Their legend as one of the founding fathers of one of the most influential "scenes" in underground music quickly spread to all corners of the globe.

In 1992, Kilgour struck out on his own and recorded his first solo CD (Here Come The Cars), which received much critical acclaim and is a bona-fide New Zealand classic. Two more solo LPs followed, Sugar Mouth in 1994 and David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights in 1997. Kilgour followed that up in 2002 with his fourth solo LP, A Feather In The Engine.

All along the way, over a career that spans the course of two decades, David Kilgour has come to be known as one of the most respected and admired songwriters of his generation. His signature guitar style and languid, carefree melodies are readily identifiable. The canon of work he has amassed is stunning in its grandeur and depth. In January of 2001, David was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, to recognize and honor his contributions to the arts and cultural heritage.

Frozen Orange was a slight departure for Kilgour - not so much in style as in method. The idea for the record came about as David was touring the States with both the Clean and solo in late 2001 and early 2002. The 2002 tour in support of A Feather In The Engine featured David as the opening act for his American label Merge mates Lambchop. For the tour, Kilgour recruited several members of the eclectic Nashville collective to serve as his backing band. The experiment was a huge success. During rehearsals in Nashville, David also met Lambchop producer/engineer Mark Nevers, who convinced David that perhaps he should come to Nashville to record. It was an intriguing proposition as Kilgour had never dreamed that he would ever get the chance to record in Music City USA.

David had already written several songs that he was planning to use for his next album, but the plan had been to record the album back in New Zealand with his long-time collaborators, The Heavy Eights (Taane Tokona, Alan Haig, Tony De-ard and Thomas Bell). But the lure of a chance to record in Nashville with his new American friends was strong. In June of 2003 Creative New Zealand provided a small grant for the Nashville "experiment". The result is Frozen Orange. The album was recorded almost entirely by Mark Nevers at his Beechhouse Studios in Nashville (2 tracks-"Dogs Barking" and "A Head Full Of Rolling Stones"- were recorded with the Heavy Eights back home in New Zealand), over the course of two visits in the summer and late fall of 2003. Frozen Orange features the contributions of Lamchop members Matt Swanson, Tony Crow, William Tyler and Sam Baker. There is even a surprise appearance by Jason Loewenstein. The album showcases a sublime combination of Kilgour's signature guitar lines and shambolic, quirky melodies with an added twist of country twang and a little bit of R&B/soul courtesy of his friends in Nashville. Frozen Orange also marks the first time that Kilgour has relinquished control in the studio to an outside producer; such was his faith in Nevers and his vision for the project.

09 Sep

David Kilgour - Frozen Orange

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Frozen Orange is David Kilgour's latest offering and a slight departure for him - not so much in style as in method. The idea for the record came about as David was touring the States with both the Clean and solo in late 2001 and early 2002. The 2002 tour in support of A Feather In The Engine featured David as the opening act for his American label Merge mates Lambchop. For the tour, Kilgour recruited several members of the eclectic Nashville collective to serve as his backing band. The experiment was a huge success. During rehearsals in Nashville, David also met Lambchop producer/engineer Mark Nevers (Calexico, Lambchop, Will Oldham and others) who convinced David that perhaps he should come to Nashville to record.

 

Frozen Orange was recorded almost entirely by Mark Nevers at his Beechhouse Studios in Nashville (2 tracks-"Dogs Barking" and "A Head Full Of Rolling Stones"- were recorded with the Heavy Eights back home in New Zealand), over the course of two visits in the summer and late fall of 2003. Frozen Orange features the contributions of Lamchop members Matt Swanson, Tony Crow, William Tyler and Sam Baker. There is even a surprise appearance by Jason Loewenstein. The album showcases a sublime combination of Kilgour's signature guitar lines and shambolic, quirky melodies with an added twist of country twang and a little bit of R&B/soul courtesy of his friends in Nashville. Frozen Orange also marks the first time that Kilgour has relinquished control in the studio to an outside producer; such was his faith in Nevers and his vision for the project.

You can see the new video for "Living in Space" filmed in Nashville by Bridget Sutherland at http://www.graphics.inhb.co.nz/Movies/LIS.htm

Look out for David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights on Tour in NZ

Dunedin - Sat 11th September with SJD Wellington - Friday 17th September with Phoenix Foundation Auckland - Saturday 18th September with the Tokey Tones

 

What some offshore writers are saying about Frozen Orange:

All Music Guide - USA "Kilgour is creating some of his best music yet. The album flows like sweet maple syrup from beginning to end, Kilgour's intimate croon caressing you like kind words from an old friend. Everything is near perfect throughout from the production to the pace to (especially) the guitar work"

 

The Irish Times ?Frozen Orange is a record of such effortless loveliness that it sounds like something conjured up in a dream?an otherworldly journey from the sublime to the meticulous (Four Stars)

Bandoppler.com ?a remarkably timeless fairy tale rock and roll adventure

ErasingClouds.com ?melodies that are never showy but damn near perfect, filled with emotion. Frozen Orange is as good as any of his albums, with that habit of causally stealing your heart

JunkMedia.org ?a luminously lovely solo album?New Zealander David Kilgour may not be a household name in America, but things would be a lot better, musically speaking, if he was

 

Ghostplane out with Dimmer.

Look out for Wellington's Ghostplane out on the road with Dimmer at the following places: Wellington Sat 11th Sept. at Indigo Christchurch Friday 17th Sept. at Jetset Dunedin Saturday 18th Sept at Arc Ghostplane released their excellent 'Panther Valley Country Club' in March this year and are currently working on their debut album.
12 Aug

David Kilgour USA reviews

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David Kilours album 'Frozen Orange' has just been released in the US on Merge and getting great reviews. It is out in New Zealand on Arch Hill on Monday September 6th. The reviews are at
Bandoppler.com
erasingclouds.com
milesofmusic.com
lostatsea.net
junkmedia.org
24 Jul

David Kilgour in US

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David Kilgour is off to the USA to play at the Merge Records (his US label - home of Lambchop, Superchunk, American Music Club and many others) 15th anniversary party...but don't worry he will be back to play some shows in September celebrating the release of his album Frozen Orange, recorded in the US with Mark Nevers producing (Calexico, Lambchop, Will Oldham) and members of Lambchop as the backup band.
28 Jun

David Kilgour on Arch Hill

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Arch Hill can't quite believe our luck right now. David Kilgour will be releasing his next album Frozen Orange on Arch Hill. As I'm sure you already know, his hugely influential career includes an ongoing involvement with The Clean, and four highly acclaimed solo albums to boot.

In fact, in 2001, David was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, recognising his contributions to the arts and cultural heritage! We don't want to say too much about the album at the moment, but we can say this; it was recorded in Nashville with members of Lambchop in the band, produced by Mark Nevers ( Lambchop, Calexico, Will Oldham and others) and it is bloody excellent.

The album will be out in New Zealand in early September, so stay posted.

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