We cast our attention to fair Caledonia, where the indie folk outfit Starry Skies present a beautiful track, called ‘Smile Through The Dark’. Being the first online magazine to premiere this song, this is quite the honor – not only does it sound fantastic and endearing, but this band and their songwriter Warren McIntyre (a.k.a.Warren Starry Sky) are clearly the inheritors of a great legacy of music that preceded theirs.
Folks more immersed in the world of folk or Americana music may have their own takes on what artists Starry Skies sounds closest too, but I’d say that it would be reasonable to include Jim Croce, Nick Drake, Don McLean and Lynyrd Skynyrd amongst the artists that should be referenced in relation to this music. Some artists are more similar for some songs than others and some less for others. Given the wider spectrum of music covered genre-wise by this Glasgow-based collective, that sounds only fair to not pigeon-hole them and just let them get on with what they do best, which is clearly making great music. This music is refreshing and simplistic in the way that the best compositions are – just ask any of The Beatles. Starry Skies is a delightful discovery and a band to watch in 2022.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3368609121 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=2816811435]Starry Skies will soon release their fourth studio album ‘Small Wonders’ via Fox Star Records, just two years after they released the aptly-titled album ‘Do It With Love’. As an indication of how much this band means to their existing fans, the creation and release of this album was fully crowdfunding, which is saying a lot over these past few years when finances were really tough for so many. Early feedback on the album has also been positive, with reviewers calling this “a masterpiece” and their strongest work yet. Recorded in 2021, these songs encourage folks to find the positive wherever we can.
Shaped by personal encounters with music icons Nina Simone, Iggy Pop and Chuck Berry, Warren McIntyre (a.k.a.Warren Starry Sky) founded the band in 2014 to encourage the proliferation of positive, hopeful music. Today, Starry Skies is made up of McIntyre, Jenny Lunan, Heather Phillips, Sophie Pragnell, Johnny Rooney and Adam Scott, who come from various parts of Scotland, England and Australia. Over the years, they have supported Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian, The Vaselines and Teenage Fanclub.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1458186515 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]Packed full of upbeat, catchy songs with the inspired thoughtful lyrics that the Starries are known for producing, ‘Small Wonders’ was recorded and produced by Matt Harvey at Maybank Studios, perhaps best known for his work with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Operaand, and mastered at at Abbey Road Studios in London by legendary and award-winning mastering engineer Frank Arkwright (Arcade Fire, The Smiths, New Order, Coldplay, Oasis, Primal Scream, Blur, Mogwai, Bryan Ferry, Scott Walker, The Charlatans).
“This record is intended to celebrate the small wonders that are all around us if we open our eyes to see them. The songs were written during 2021, when we were all really grateful for small things like being able to go for a walk with a friend. But, as a collection, they ended up a bit of a mish-mash of lyrical-led protest songs, some folk-pop with cello, viola and violin, a beautiful sparse piano ballad and even a couple of punky indie dance floor fillers,” says Warren McIntyre.
Ahead of the album, the band presents sonic goodness, hope, beauty and kindness in the songs‘Kindhearted People’ and ‘Spitfire Susie’, which tells the story of a local hero and force of nature Miss Susie Ross, who fixed spitfires during the war and taught thousands of children in the years afterward. She and Warren became friends and he wrote the song in her honour.
“The song ‘Highwater Eagle’ is written from the standpoint of a young First Nation woman. After recording it, we worried about anyone thinking it was cultural appropriation, so I sent it to the Native American Indian Association. Their president A’lice MyersHall wrote back to say she thought the words are beautiful and that I had been sent the words to share with people. She also suggested working with some native poets and musicians to share stories,” says McIntyre.
‘Smile Through The Dark’ is available now via Bandcamp,, where the ‘Small Wonders’ album is currently available for pre-order. As of August 12, it will be made available everywhere, including Apple Music andSpotify andBandcamp, as well as on CD and sky-blue vinyl. It can be ordered from record shops or purchased directly from Last Night From Glasgow. The album is distributed through Proper Distribution in the UK and Redeye in the USA.
CREDITS
Written by Warren McIntyre
Recorded and produced by Matt Harvey at Maybank Studios, Glasgow
Mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios, London
Album artwork by GND Design, back cover photo by Didier
Photo by Manus McKee
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