Ed Harcourt's fifth studio LP, Lustre, will be released June 15 on Nice Music Group/Piano Wolf Recordings. Never easily assigned an identifiable niche, Harcourt merely does what he always has: creates music to capture a moment in time. His time. "It's an album about action, life, the lustre that you have in your eyes when you feel you're living for something," Harcourt reveals. "If my last album was weighed-down, like an anchor, this one is a buoy" he adds.
Lustre follows Harcourt's critically acclaimed LP, The Beautiful Lie, originally recorded and released overseas four years ago, and finally released stateside in 2008. For his newest effort, Harcourt retreated to Bear Creek Studios, a cabin-like establishment nestled in the forest north of Seattle, to capture this newfound inspiration with the help of co-producer Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip, Ra Ra Riot). Bookended by the angelic voices of the Langley Sisters, the resulting collection is an energizing marriage of restless invention and classic pop smarts, of insight and hooks. Harcourt's wit and effortless artistry beam once again, with a hint of whimsical that peeks out every then and again.
From the opening euphoria of "Lustre" to the lupine howl of "Heart of a Wolf," from the sunny yet subversive pop of "Do As I Say Not As I Do" to the beautiful truths of "Fears Of A Father," Lustre is both robust and aerodynamic, illustrating Harcourt's remarkable musical chops, distinctive, engaging voice and his gift for arrangements.
Harcourt entered the public eye with his 2001 debut Here Be Monsters, which earned him an esteemed Mercury Prize nominated and announced him as a singer, songwriter and musician of rare talent. That eye-opening introduction was followed by 2003's diverse and ambitious From Every Sphere, 2004's shadowy and romantic Strangers and 2008's sometimes euphoric, sometimes anguished The Beautiful Lie. In addition to his own impressive oeuvre, Harcourt has worked with many of the biggest and best names in music (from Patti Smith to Mark Linkous, from Lisa-Marie Presley to Tom Jones), and has toured the globe, performing alongside a diverse array of artists such as REM, Wilco, Norah Jones, Beth Orton, Snow Patrol, The Gutter Twins, Supergrass, The Magic Numbers and Feist.
