Xylouris White return on 14th April with their new album, The Forest In Me. Today, they share their first single ‘Latin White’ alongside a music video by Rebecca E. Marshall.
Cretan lute player George Xylouris and Australian drummer Jim White of Dirty Three are back once again as Xylouris White. This duo have been friends since the early days of Dirty Three although it wasn’t until 2013 that they formed a dup and released their 2014 debut Goat. They have continued to refine and explore their joyous sounds, inspired by the constantly evolving and vibrant sounds of Cretan folk music, infused by their own unique and vibrant energy.
In our review of their 2018 album ‘Mother’, Thomas Blake described it as ‘unique and captivating’, adding ‘…while it is easy to focus on just how unusual this album sounds, what shouldn’t be overlooked is the overwhelming and unexpected emotional impact it carries.’ Their last album, The Sisypheans (2019), was also widely hailed for its originality and described as epic and fearless.
Of their latest album, Drag City share: Once you set the needle down on the record and hear for yourself, the intimacies and impressionism, abstraction and unfiltered emotion found in The Forest In Me, you may wonder what was the mood of the room in which this music came to be. George, Jim and long-time producer (and secret third member) Guy Picciotto share their thoughts:
Guy Picciotto: “In late 2019, we had begun taking steps to working on new material. In a haphazard fashion, Jim and I started tracking drums in my basement, cutting them up into shapes with no set landing in mind. Some of it we sent to Giorgos in Crete – he responded with his lyra and his lute. Without intention we had initiated a process that would soon become more ruthlessly mandated by the world events that separated and isolated us to three corners of the globe in the following year.”
Giorgos Xylouris: “While we were recording, I noticed that the music had a certain solitude about it, both from the title and from inside. That led us to find more music from within that we had not yet discovered.”
Jim White: “The idea emerged, naturally nourished and nourishing a record with none of our usual angles and themes, no verbal language, no angst nor sudden dynamics, a more subtle structure. And we found The Forest In Me.”
Latin White is the first single from the album. The short dance piece has an almost carnivalesque feel as Jim launches straight into an energetic opening with George’s Cretan lyra and lute adding that ancient meets the modern feel. Together they create a modern-day ritualistic hypnotic celebration, the sort that scares the evil spirits away. Watch the accompanying video by Rebecca E. Marshall. It’s also our Song of the Day.
Pre-Order/Save The Forest In Me: https://ffm.to/theforestinme