"I hope it outsells U2 and Coldplay... but realistically, if it washes its face, if it covers the expense that we've put on it, and we maybe made a bit of money at the end, that would be fantastic." -- The Proclaimers' Charlie Reid.
The Proclaimers -- the duo of Scottish identical twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid whose music turned them into Scottish cultural heroes long before their "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was played on the Mars Rover last year, will see their sixth studio album, "Restless Soul," released in the North America on September 6 on their own Persevere Records (distributed by Redeye).
In addition,
The Proclaimers announce a North American concert tour that will kick off in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Friday September 9, and run into October. Initial dates are listed below.
Early UK press reviews for "Restless Soul" have already been full of praise. The UK's Guardian noted, "The tracks are eclectic but smartly chosen, mood altering from folksy to anthemic to concillatory to celebrational..."
The songs on "Restless Soul" offer lyrics of uncommon honesty and depth and speak eloquently to listeners everywhere. According to Charlie, "When you become specific, you become universal. You write about your own life and make your own observations. People who worry too much about appealing to everybody miss the point. If you write sincerely, and identify with the feelings of other people, you'll catch the ears of people who want to go beyond our accents or our points of view, whether they're inside or outside of Scotland."
About the "Restless Soul" title, Craig adds that it reflects how the Reid brothers see themselves. "I think the song 'Restless Soul' is about myself and other people who can't chill out and just sit back and relax and not worry about the next thing.
"The album continues what we have done in the past - traditional song structures and varied subject matter - but the production is slicker," continues Craig before pausing. "I never thought I would have used those words to describe a Proclaimers' album. More time was taken over the arrangements and it's a bit more controlled than previous albums."
"Restless Soul" was recorded at Good Luck Studios in London during April and May of this year, and produced by Mark Wallis who has recorded classic cuts for The Smiths, U2, and Talking Heads, along with David Ruffy whose beats CDs have been used by the likes of Dr. Dre. Joining the Reid brothers in recording "Restless Soul" were Stevie Christie (keyboards & accordion), Zac Ware (guitars and pedal steel), Ross McFarlane (drums), and Garry John Kane (bass).
"We really enjoyed the experience and Mark and David were great to work with," said Charlie. "Their technique for making the instruments sound big by recording them at a low volume was new to us and helped us develop as musicians in the studio. The atmosphere was very relaxed and we believe they got the best out of us and the other guys in the band."
"Restless Soul" comes only two years after "Born Innocent" (2003), and is a big change from their earlier work pattern. There was a four-year gap between "Sunshine On Leith" (1988) and "Hit The Highway" (1994), and another seven years before "Persevere" (2001). What has made the Reids faster at releasing albums?
"I think it may be after we had that long period where we got married, had kids being born, our dad dying, it definitely gave us more appetite for playing live," Craig replies. "That then gave us back the appetite for writing. For "Born Innocent" and "Restless Soul," we set ourselves targets, something we had never done before. It worked both times and it's been much more productive."
The Proclaimers were part of the recent "Live 8" event, having opened the Edinburgh, Scotland "The Final Push" concert on July 6. They chose to open their set with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" as a metaphor for all those coming and looking to Scotland in hopes that the G8 leaders providee some help for the world's poorest citizens. The Edinburgh spectacle was the climax of the Long Walk to Justice where Sir Bob Geldof called on a million people to march to the capital. And they were the perfect openers, not just because of their rabble-rousing anthems, but because Charlie and Craig have a long history of calling for political change through their songs.
With more dates to be announced, the initial Proclaimers' September/October tour routing is as follows:
09/09-10 - Schooner Room, Halifax, Nova Scotia
09/13 - Empire Theatre, Belleville, ON
09/14 - Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON
09/16 - Paradise Ballroom, Boston, MA
09/17 - Canal Room, New York, NY
09/19 - North Star, Philadelphia, PA
09/21 - Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
09/22 - House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
09/24 - The Abbey, Chicago, IL
09/25 - Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
10/04 - Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
10/05 - Dante's, Portland, OR
10/07 - Slim's, San Francisco, CA
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