Drew McDowall announces details new album, ‘A Thread, Silvered and Trembling’
Drew McDowall announces details new album, 'A Thread, Silvered and Trembling'
(Photo by Lena Shkoda) Out 31 May on Dais Records is the brand new album from Scottish experimental/electronic musician Drew McDowall. “A Thread, Silvered and Trembling” will be out on vinyl and digitally. A North America tour is also planned which starts at Le Poisson Rouge on the album’s release date.
Listen to first track “Out of Strength comes Sweetness”.
McDowall’s lifelong interest in an elegiac solo bagpipe style called pibroch (ceòl mòr in Gaelic) has been an inspiration for much of his previous work (including Coil’s legendary “Time Machines”). His latest work, “A Thread, Silvered and Trembling”, both incorporates and transforms these elements via exploratory electronic processing, weaving an electro-acoustic tapestry of strings, shudders, voids, and voices. The album was Co-produced with engineer Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin Studios in Brooklyn.
The album features collaborations and instrumentation from harpist Marilu Donovan (LEYA), French Horn player Eric Davis (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings) and more.
Drew McDowall tour dates
- 31 May – Le Poisson Rouge, NY
- 6 June – Velvet Underground, Toronto ON
- 15 June – Vera Project, Seattle WA
- 16 June – Holocene, Portland OR
- 19 June – Lodge Room, Los Angeles CA
About Drew McDowall
Drew McDowall is a composer and musician hailing from Scotland and now based in New York City. He was a pivotal member of Coil in the 1990s, playing a crucial role in some of their most esteemed works. McDowall’s artistry extends beyond his solo endeavors; he also collaborated with a wide range of artists including Kali Malone, Caterina Barbieri, Robert Aki Aubrey Lowe, Hiro Kone, Varg, Puce Mary, Shapednoise, and Rabit.
McDowall’s musical journey began in 1978 with the formation of the art-punk trio Poems, alongside his then-wife, Rose McDowall. The 1980s saw him as a member of Psychic TV. However, it was in the 1990s, particularly starting in 1994, when he regularly performed with and officially joined Coil, marking a period of significant output.
Relocating to New York in the early 2000s, McDowall co-founded Compound Eye with Tres Warren of Psychic Ills. His focus shifted towards solo projects in 2012, leading to the release of four albums under his own name and tours across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. In 2018, he began touring a live AV reinterpretation of Coil’s seminal drone work, “Time Machines”, at festivals worldwide.
In May 2023, Dais Records celebrated McDowall’s expansive career with “Lamina”, a 6 CD retrospective box set showcasing his impactful contributions to music.
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