Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Bordeaux

CD in digipak. Repress of 500. Originally released February 7, 2011.

Darla Records is proud to offer Bordeaux, a new album by Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd; unquestionably the two masters of sonic beauty, minimalism and modern ambient. We feel there is nothing better than an artist with a sound so completely original and unique unto himself that it is instantly recognizable. This gift is widely acknowledged to be one bestowed on both Mr. Guthrie and Mr. Budd. What's even more significant, however, is how the signature style of each combine to create a complimentary union so rare and sublime.

Since meeting in 1986 when they recorded The Moon And The Melodies they have joined occasionally for albums, soundtracks and live performances. Each has forged a very independent music career and become firmly established in his own right. Mr. Budd’s 1984 album The Pearl, a collaboration with Brian Eno, remains an ambient minimalist milestone that set the scene for a whole generation of copyists. Likewise Mr. Guthrie’s guitar and production work, from his roots in Cocteau Twins, has broken entirely new ground and has had a significant impact on alternative music for over 30 years.

With the twin albums After The Night Falls and Before The Day Breaks released in 2006, Mr. Guthrie and Mr. Budd received acclaim without parallel. However, Bordeaux, recorded in the hazy Summer of 2010 in a studio near Bordeaux, France, has a further degree of elegance, poise and sheer breathtaking romance, which shows these two fine gentlemen at their best.

Evident, as one would expect, is a maturity, intensity and depth of character, magnificently understated, which no others in the field can even come close to matching. Its dense richness makes Bordeaux a striking work of ambient impressionism. Quite clearly, Mr. Budd and Mr. Guthrie have created one of the most atmospheric and captivating instrumental performances of our time.

1. Gaze
2. Deva C
3. The Names of Those Never Here
4. So Many Short Years Ago
5. The Belles of Saint Andrew
6. Radiant City
7. L'Aventure
8. Smiling Apart
9. Southern Shore