{"title":"David Kilgour","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom his earliest days as a member of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-clean\"\u003eThe Clean\u003c\/a\u003e onward, singer\/songwriter, \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Kilgour\u003c\/strong\u003e has come to be known as one of the most respected and admired songwriters of his generation and certainly one of the greatest rock musicians to come out of New Zealand. His signature guitar twang and languid, carefree melodies are readily identifiable. Kilgour is a guitar god for guitar atheists. He’s worthy of worship, but his style neither demands nor expects it, all of which only serves to increase his otherworldly cool.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"david-kilgour-left-by-soft","title":"David Kilgour - Left by Soft","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeft by Soft\u003c\/i\u003e was recorded in the Catlins, about two hours south of Dunedin, New Zealand, in an old lodge surrounded by native bush, birds, and the sea. David spent about a week down there with the Heavy Eights. Thomas Bell engineered and produced but also played bass AND cooked the band awesome meals every night. After chilling out most mornings, the band would start recording mid afternoon into the night. Apart from a couple of overblown tracks, they kept overdubs to a minimum and when mixing left most takes as is—no cleaning up via Pro Tools editing, etc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Kilgour is a guitar god for guitar atheists. He’s worthy of worship, but his style neither demands nor expects it, all of which only serves to increase his otherworldly cool. \u003ci\u003eLeft by Soft,\u003c\/i\u003e his first album in four years with the Heavy Eights, comes on the heels of the Clean’s excellent 2009 outing \u003ci\u003eMister Pop\u003c\/i\u003e. You could say it’s all part of a late-career renaissance, but that implies there’s been some sort of valley in his 30 years of making music. This time, there are more of the elegantly chiming chords and beautifully drifting solos, all presented with Kilgour’s sparkling pop sensibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Heavy Eights are Taane Tokona on drums, Tony de Raad on guitar and keyboards, and Thomas Bell on bass and keyboards. David plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Mike McCloud from Shifting Sands guests on “I’ll Climb Back Up That Hill.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739157885239,"sku":"MRG419CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739157918007,"sku":"MRG419digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/1b73103a674b6bf611b805d64a750d0f64d63560_e0a05642f9f855844da9c5841af6910ddd852fbe_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380052"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-a-feather-in-the-engine","title":"David Kilgour - A Feather in the Engine","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 2002 and reissued on vinyl in 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded at home and mostly alone (The Verlaines’ Graeme Downes provides lush string arrangements), co-founder of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-clean\"\u003eThe Clean\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Kilgour \u003c\/strong\u003eonce called \u003ci\u003eA Feather in the Engine\u003c\/i\u003e, his first album for Merge, “the most solo LP I’ve made.” Interpolating his genius for guitar pop through acoustic guitars and gorgeous instrumentals, its melodies unfold gently, suggesting that the 13 songs here, written over the course of four years, were searching Kilgour as much as he was searching them. The dichotomy between \u003ci\u003eA Feather in the Engine\u003c\/i\u003e’s pop songs and its instrumentals fascinates the ear, drawing the listener closer and closer to Kilgour’s virtuosic guitar playing when his lyrics aren’t imparting his breezy charm. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739174334775,"sku":"MRG197LP","price":28.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739174269239,"sku":"MRG197digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/99291d0b8f8268f058998d504a2ce0fb0cb7e195_91384c259eb18bd77881f14fecb7de84823959f7_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1789600298"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-frozen-orange","title":"David Kilgour - Frozen Orange","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Kilgour\u003c\/strong\u003e captures the sound of the waning days of summer perfectly on \u003ci\u003eFrozen Orange\u003c\/i\u003e, the fifth solo record of his long and storied career. Beginning in the late seventies with The Clean, Kilgour has continued to deliver 3-minute bursts of New Zealand pop genius. With production help from Mark Nevers (\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/lambchop\"\u003eLambchop\u003c\/a\u003e, Calexico, Will Oldham), and guest appearances from members of Lambchop, \u003ci\u003eFrozen\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eOrange\u003c\/i\u003e offers 11 songs steeped in the wistful melancholy of a late August night on the beach when you've only got a couple of days left with your special summer love. You can almost smell the salt spray and the suntan lotion from the opening notes of the rollicking sea shanty, “The Waltz” all the way through the pastoral washes of the ocean's waves on \u003ci\u003eFrozen Orange's\u003c\/i\u003e closer \"Rolling.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739174465847,"sku":"MRG233digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/9f8651f429ea15c7b23c9d6c64fb89d12ebbf97d_7ffeffbdd05438f84a6831433f48da01ac91f851_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380579"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-the-far-now","title":"David Kilgour - The Far Now","description":"\u003cp\u003eDavid Kilgour's first band, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-clean\"\u003eThe Clean\u003c\/a\u003e, changed the face of rock music when they kickstarted New Zealand's pop underground in the early ’80s. More than 25 years later, Kilgour still loves music but loves life more, which is why he's still making records that are monuments to good old-fashioned song craft. This is his third record for Merge and sixth solo affair. It takes some cues from its predecessors, the shimmering, trippy \u003ci\u003eA Feather in the Engine\u003c\/i\u003e and the lush, soul-tinged \u003ci\u003eFrozen Orange\u003c\/i\u003e, without sounding like either of them. \u003ci\u003eThe Far Now\u003c\/i\u003e is filled with gorgeous melodies, singing that conveys subtle emotion, and effortlessly eloquent guitar playing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739174498615,"sku":"MRG287cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739174531383,"sku":"MRG287digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/32bba0df6fb41ea0561852dfeee5e7c9a58125b8_6fbd6d2c49852d07798b1542d33c2bbd288fc20b_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380582"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-christopher-columbus-b-w-shifting-sands","title":"David Kilgour - \"Christopher Columbus\" b\/w \"Shifting Sands\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eDavid Kilgour states, \"I started writing 'Christopher Columbus' in my head after being stuck in Barcelona a couple of years back at the end of a \u003cstrong\u003eClean\u003c\/strong\u003e tour of Europe. My flight out was delayed by a day, so I spent most of that time hanging around the Rambla de Santa Monica, where a statue of Columbus stands. It got me thinking about how his discovery of America led the world to where we are now.\" The b-side, \"Shifting Sands\", was originally recorded in 1967 by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. \"You can find the track on their LP \u003ci\u003ePart One\u003c\/i\u003e. I discovered the band in the mid ’70s and have loved those first three LPs ever since.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739181183287,"sku":"MRG483digital","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/8aa93d1f2a0008ecb3e3603acf7affeed6a54fdb_8a37c0ad6c59f8008f7883c18011f80dd2f01178_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380733"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-end-times-undone","title":"David Kilgour - End Times Undone","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnd Times Undone \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ewas recorded in David Kilgour \u0026amp; the Heavy 8's in their native New Zealand between 2012 and 2014, but that’s a bit misleading. In fact, very misleading. That span covering three calendar years suggests this might be one of those albums that was slaved over, with weeks-upon-months spent recording and then mixing until every minor detail was perfected. The opposite is true. \u003ci\u003eEnd Times Undone\u003c\/i\u003e took so long to finish only because Kilgour assembled his bandmates every four or five months, and then only for a couple days at a time. And when they convened, the tape was rolling almost from the start.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We’ve become so obsessed with capturing the creative moment as early as possible when we get together,” Kilgour says of making music with guitarist Tony de Raad, bassist Tom Bell, and drummer Taane Tokona.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s the perfect way for Kilgour to operate these days, more than 30 years into a career that is equally compelling, consistent, and influential. From his first recordings with \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-clean\"\u003eThe Clean\u003c\/a\u003e, the iconic band who remain active and whose legend deservedly grows mightier every year, Kilgour has had a distinct sound that has inhabited all of his albums and sounds fresh with every new release.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEnd Times Undone\u003c\/i\u003e will be released shortly after a reissue of The Clean’s \u003ca href=\"\/products\/the-clean-anthology-reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnthology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, a 46-track set that serves as the band’s defining document that can attest to their pantheon status. \u003ci\u003eEnd Times Undone\u003c\/i\u003e is a perfect companion piece to that collection that left off in 1996, and in many ways feels like it could have simply been the next album helmed by Kilgour instead of one that comes nearly 20 years later. That’s what happens when you have an artist so comfortable with his sound and approach that you just turn on the amps and start playing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003ci\u003eDavid Malitz\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739188719927,"sku":"MRG519CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739188752695,"sku":"MRG519digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/cda62765c77fa58723e183d302ded7e74fba88b7_8ecab618b83ff85583bd3711a9e107e243204712_medium_jpg_4b8f4912-7888-43dd-bf7f-76739d2d1ce5.jpg?v=1789600342"},{"product_id":"david-kilgour-bobbie-s-a-girl","title":"David Kilgour - Bobbie's a girl","description":"\u003cp\u003e“It’s moody—as in low, subdued,” says \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/david-kilgour\"\u003eDavid Kilgour\u003c\/a\u003e of this album. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe atmosphere of \u003ci\u003eBobbie’s a girl\u003c\/i\u003e does feel a bit mysterious. Largely missing the jangly distortion of Kilgour’s other work, the album’s ten songs exude a hazy warmth, with a light psychedelia that recalls ’60s outfits like The Byrds and The Velvet Underground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFour decades into his career, Kilgour remains as creatively restless as ever. Wherever that drive takes him next, you’ll want to follow.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739225878839,"sku":"MRG688CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739225911607,"sku":"MRG688digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/0f4671fc58692a2429e37e877feac9a2227ac8e8_6ea5c61b9586d7960247a50b9193c7df7525ddde_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381522"},{"product_id":"the-clean-david-kilgour-bundle","title":"The Clean + David Kilgour - Bundle","description":"","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52826146734391,"sku":null,"price":42.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7d58b0c1ac75dcb3e731912bffd8db988ca1baa5_51bfac667824fbf8ccc1817d4b40daaa769b8342_medium_jpg_af8e848b-11c5-454f-a8a6-c32c528d10fe.jpg?v=1786568618"}],"url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/collections\/david-kilgour.oembed","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}