At the end of last week (14th January), Adam Ross of Randolph’s Leap, “one of Scotland’s most witty, wistful and well-loved indie-pop groups”, released his solo debut album ‘Staring at Mountains’ on Olive Grove Records.
We previously premiered the album track Cairngorms when Adam shared the following:
The album was recorded on a bit of a whim. I was working with Jenny Sturgeon on a youth music project and we were staying in an ancient (allegedly haunted) castle called Delgatie Castle. Jenny had a good microphone with her, so I borrowed it and recorded a bunch of songs which had been waiting for the right time. If you listen really closely, you can hear the ghosts. I added more songs later, including some recordings made in a former lighthouse keeper’s apartment at Todhead Lighthouse on the east coast. Jenny sang some backing vocals and the last piece of the puzzle was asking Pedro Cameron from Man of the Minch to play some fiddle. I love what he has added to the songs and I’m really looking forward to some gigs we’re doing together this month and at Celtic Connections in January.
The album takes a great deal of lyrical inspiration from the Scottish landscape, with song titles transporting the listener on a journey from the Cairngorm mountains to Sanna beach on the west coast. Adam’s folk music influences shine through on this album which features stunning violin accompaniment from Pedro Cameron (Man of the Minch) and vocal harmonies from Jenny Sturgeon. Human relationships are also at the album’s heart, with Adam taking inspiration from observational songwriters such as John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III.
In the following short film, Adam introduces the album and there are also some beautiful clips of him performing a selection of tracks from the album. It was filmed at Todhead Lighthouse and Kinneff Old Church in Aberdeenshire and was Directed by Callum @ Woodchip Films.
You can order Staring at Mountains via Bandcamp here: https://randolphsleap.bandcamp.com/album/staring-at-mountains