Language of the Birds (Official Video) from Wendy McNeill's upcoming album First There Were Feathers
Wendy McNeill’s new album, 'First There Were Feathers' follows her process from when a forest fire destroyed the area around her home, through the questions and answers that this loss triggered.
Using the analogy of ‘the canary in a coal mine’ McNeill chose to use birds as the main messenger in the album as she contemplated the uncomfortable truth that wild fires and extreme weather events are the new normal in our time
Drawing from scientific studies, personal experience, classic literature and myth, the album explores the beauty, mystery and resilience of birds and how their fate is intimately connected with ours.
A blend of myth and memoir, First There Were Feathers is an exciting album in which Wendy McNeill’s folk noir roots and passion for storytelling have grown to include elements of Jazz and World music as well as echoes of Beatles, early Bjork and Radiohead
The album was created with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
coming May 2023
-------- Wendy's words on Language of the Birds----
"When researching the dramatic extinction rates of many species of birds, I started to see patterns and connections with other disappearances- such as the disappearance of human languages.This got me thinking about whether a message or warning can still be transmitted if the words are gone. What would that sound or look like? Dreams, dance? Something shimmering in the shadows just out of reach? This is a song inspired by Dreamtime and Deep Time and the stories surrounding us in languages that we can’t always understand. "
McNeill continues
"The VIDEO for Language of the Birds features Spanish graffiti artist Eleman.
I first saw Eleman’s work when he did a mural to honour the animals that lost their lives in the wild fires around my home. I happened to be passing by as he was creating it and was mesmerized by his approach. I asked him if maybe we could collaborate someday. We kept in touch and when I finished the song Language of the Birds, 2 years later, I knew this was the song for us.
I sketched out the plan for the video. He created the mural in two days on the rooftop terrace of my friend's house. We invited a couple of talented musicians over and the wild hearted and talented Alissa Wyle aka Holysmoke shot and edited the video.
Alissa shot and edited all of the videos for the album in an intense 2 week period where she stayed at my house working day and night with a beautiful energy and amazingly high tolerance to dog fur and slobber."
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