‘Plant a Seed (and Watch it Grow)‘ – the first track from our forthcoming album – ‘Euphoria‘ – will be played tomorrow morning (October 29th) on Radio Western – the campus radio station at Western University, London Ontario. Many thanks to Jonathan Whitford for including the track in his show – ‘Coasting‘. 

Progress continues toward the release of the new Anam Danu album – ‘Euphoria’.

The ten chosen tracks have been polished and given final mixes and the whole sent off to our mastering studio of choice – CPS Mastering in Vancouver. Brock McFarlane (who has mastered all of the Anam Danu albums thus far) has now sent us the first mastered copies and we are in the process of listening intensely in as many environments as we can – preparatory to signing off the album and sending it to our distributors and CD manufacturer. 

We also now have the cover art for the release. Those who have followed Anam Danu’s exploits will know that we like to commission local artists to create the covers for each release. In this case the wonderful artwork that can be seen on this page is by Alberta artist – Mairéad – who has, in our view, captured the intent of the album perfectly.

Of Mairéad Siobhan writes:

“Mairéad is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Alberta, Canada.  She expresses her art in paint and textiles.  As a visual artist, she creates vibrant multi-media paintings and collage.  Her love of detail, color and texture is evident in her one-of-a-kind unisex handbags, backpacks and wallets.  She is an expert knitter whose cable-knit outerwear is beautiful and expertly made.   Mairéad creates custom dog sweaters and jackets that are both stylish and playful.  She is passionate about interior design and customizes existing pieces through upholstery, refinishing and fabric furnishings”.

Not long to wait now! The release dates for ‘Euphoria’ will be posted just as soon as they have been confirmed.

The recent lack of activity on this news feed should not be interpreted as a sign that nothing is happening. Anam Danu have been busy behind the scenes; with results that are already becoming apparent.

A quick glance around will reveal that the website itself has undergone a considerable face-lift. We like to think that it is now fresher, cleaner and somewhat easier to navigate. Do let us know what you think.

You will also observe that we three have recently done something that we had studiously avoided doing for the past four years – to wit: participating in a photo shoot. Such things do not come naturally to any of us, but we hope that you find the results helpful in gaining a clearer picture of who we are.

In our last news update – which revealed the arrival of our new member, vocalist Adrienne Dyer – we also announced that work was well underway on our fourth album, with an intended release date later in 2024.

Well – we are still on target for that release, having written and recorded ten tracks for the album. We are currently mixing and sequencing them, following which they will be sent for mastering. Cover artwork has been commissioned and the pace is picking up.

If you would like to be notified when the new album becomes available – which for subscribers will be in advance of the general release date – subscribe to the Anam Danu newsletter by using the link below.

Over the last five years Anam Danu has released – through online streaming and download services – three albums of original music and two singles. At the start of 2024 work on our fourth collection is well under way, with a release date penciled in for later this year.

Siobhan and Andy are keen to take this new music out of the studio and onto the stage and working to this end is one of our major projects for the year.

Reproducing our recorded music is quite a complex task and, though we are these days blessed with all manner of technology, we feel that there really is no substitute for real musicians playing live. This means that we are looking to expand our number.

Given the centrality of the voice to everything we do we decided that finding the right additional vocalist was a priority. We are delighted, therefore, to welcome to our number – Adrienne Dyer. Adrienne is already working with Siobhan and Andy on the new album and you will soon be able to hear the fruits of this extended collaboration.

Adrienne is hugely creative and brings a further wealth of experience to Anam Danu.  Her biography may be found here:

The second Anam Danu single of the year (following January’s release of “Perfect“) is “The Journey Home” – which was released to streaming and download sites on June 16th.

“The Journey home” is about three types of journey; The first considers the emigrant returned home to the land of his or her birth – the second refers to the rediscovery of one’s culture – the third to that part of a life that follows the turn for home.

The finest wisdom that we can offer is that each of these journeys is best accompanied by a friend!

The track is re-worked and extended version of the song that appeared on our first collection, “Winds of Change”. It features – for the first time on an Anam Danu recording – a musician other than Siobhan or Andy. In this case Victoria violinist Kate Rhodes does the honours on the fiddle.

We are very excited to be featured in the the underground music chart  provided by Aldora Britain Records from the UK.

To discover what the fuss is all about, head for the Aldora Britain Bandcamp page and, of course, check out our own Anam Danu Bandcamp page.

Having been the subjects of an article in Tom Hilton’s Aldora Britain Records eZine just a little earlier in the year Anam Danu now feature on two releases from ABR.

‘A Different Ocean‘ is a song from Anam Danu’s first collection – ‘Winds of Change‘ that gets a welcome re-release here on a compilation of independent music from around the world under the title ‘Street Corner Jive‘. You can find the release here.

As Tom says: “As always, please download, listen loud, dig deeper with your discoveries, and support Aldora Britain Records and independent music”.

The other release is even more exciting for us; our first single release on Aldora Britain Records. This offering pairs our recent single – ‘Perfect‘ – with what will be our next – a reworking of an earlier song – ‘The Journey Home‘. Two great songs that, whilst quite different, complement each other well.

‘The Journey Home‘ is also interesting in that it features, for the first time, a musician on an Anam Danu recording other than Siobhan or Andy. In this case Victoria violinist Kate Rhodes does the honours on the fiddle part.

Anam Danu are very proud to be featured in the latest edition of the Aldora Britain Records e-Zine.

Aldora Britain Records is the brainchild of Scot Tom Hilton, who writes:

“Aldora Britain Records is an independent music e-zine and record label. The e-zine produces interviews with unsigned and underground artists and reviews their music. The label produces compilations of these artists. The vision of AB Records is to create a go-to place for music lovers all over the world to discover great new stuff, an online platform for independent music. It’s much needed!“

To read the feature pick up a copy of the e-Zine here. Tom produces new editions at regular and frequent intervals and they shed a fascinating insight into the creative processes and endeavours of independent artists. If you like what you see why not make a suitable ‘magazine-sized’ donation by following the link in the e-Zine.

As ever we would like to express our very grateful thanks to Tom for his huge efforts on behalf of independent musicians everywhere – and particularly in this instance for his support of Anam Danu.