'The Holy Pictures' is an album whose incubation has lasted almost the entire length of Holmes' career. To cut straight to Holmes own words, The story of this album really began on the 4th of August 1996, when my mother, Sarah Holmes, passed away. I had always wanted to make a record about my life in Belfast and all the things attached to that family, friends, loss, love and starting a family of my own. All the stuff that shapes the person you become. Personal themes as a basis for creative work proved to be challenging though, hence The Holy Pictures brewing for a period of over a decade while Holmes carried on with his eclectic and productive career to date. In terms of its musical direction, The Holy Pictures shares with Holmes other work a rich and idiosyncratic fusion of influences. The first single, I Heard Wonders, (which will be released with a remix by Andrew Weatherall amongst others) calls to mind The Velvet Underground, Blondie and La Düsseldorf. David teamed up with Martin Rev from Suicide to write the lyrics for this track. Threaded through the rest of the album are myriad other influences from the Jesus and Mary Chain on Story of the Ink, through the Soft Machine and the Beach Boys on Melanie and Hey Maggy, to Daniel Johnson and early Eno and Lanois on the beautifully haunting track The Ballad of Sarah and Jack. As well as Rev, The Holy Pictures features collaborations with Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins. The album was recorded in Belfast, which, given its themes, seems only fitting. Universal.
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David Holmes first release under his own name in at least five years doesn't disappoint. Not the dark and introspective vanity project that you might suspect, The Holy Pictures is, in fact, a strong and uplifting collection, featuring the smooth production that anyone familiar with Holmes' music would expect, along with hooks aplenty. It's also essentially a "Rock" record as opposed to Holmes' past excellent work in the DJ/Dance and Soundtrack genres. The opener, "I Heard Wonders," kicks the disc into gear... more info
