In the early 1970s, British songwriter Bill Fay released two albums of stirring music that would unfortunately represent his entire recorded output for decades. His candid lyrics and earthy, jazz-infused compositions failed to garner him many fans either in the general public or at his record label, leading Fay to place his quavering voice in storage after 1971’s gorgeous Time of the Last Persecution. Although his music career had effectively ended, Fay did not let the record industry’s cold shoulder dissuade him from continuing to write songs.
Nor did his two LPs fade into total obscurity. Over the years Fay fanatics like Nick Cave, David Tibet, and Jeff Tweedy have sung the man’s praises in the media, eventually leading Fay to resurface in the early 2000s. A number of rarities compilations followed, including an album of previously unreleased songs recorded in his active years. On August 21, though, the world will finally find out what exactly Fay’s been working on with his first studio album in more than 40 years. Entitled Life Is People, the album’s press release comes stacked with all the right words, including “lush,” “expansive,” and “eternal truths.” Yup, that sounds like a Bill Fay album, alright! There’s even a Wilco cover in the tracklist, which one can only assume is a shout out to number-one-Fay-man-fan Jeff Tweedy. So be on the lookout, folks, we’ve got another Vashti Bunyan-type situation on our hands that you’d be a sucker to miss out on!
Life Is People tracklist:
01. There Is a Valley
02. Big Painter
03. The Never Ending Happening
04. This World
05. The Healing Day
06. City of Dreams
07. Be at Peace with Yourself
08. Jesus, Etc.
10. Empires
11. Thank You Lord
12. Cosmic Concerto (Life Is People)
13. The Coast No Man Can Tell
• Bill Fay: http://www.billfay.co.uk
• Dead Oceans: http://www.deadoceans.com