Ant - These Long Dark Country Roads

Antony Harding, former drummer of Hefner (the British cult band), returns after three years of silence with These Long Dark Country Roads, an exclusive mini-album for Acuarela, that features collaborations with his friends and ex–band mates in Hefner Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter (and his son), as well as help from members of Cornershop. Antony Harding started writing his own songs under the moniker ANT eight years ago, short before the band he used to play drums in (Hefner) ended, releasing a couple of low key singles and the EP Cures For Broken Hearts (Fortune & Glory, 00) plus the recording of a four song session for The John Peel Show. He then released his debut album A Long Way To Blow A Kiss (also on Fortune & Glory) in 2002. After that he moved to Malmö (Sweden), became married and started the raising of a family. He then signed a deal with Italian label Homesleep Records in 2003 who released ANT's second mini album also recorded at home called Floating On The Breeze and returned to Fortune and Glory Records to release his first compilation album Sad To See It's Morning in 2004, featuring all the singles and B-sides and rarities ANT had released up to that point. In 2005 he collaborated once again with Hefner band-mate Darren Hayman, providing acoustic guitar, backing vocals and percussion on the track “The Light In Her Room” on Darren's solo EP Cortinaland on Acuarela. A sense of home warmth that fills each of his records and now comes back after almost three years with These Long Dark Country Roads, six tracks recorded at home with the help of Darren Hayman, who played ukulele and melotron on “Time I Was Gone”, an opening track that sets the pace and mood for the following eighteen minutes, all covered in a tender feeling of routine, it’s simple pleasures and difficult choices. Other recording pals include Jack Hayter (another ex-Hefner); who played mouth organ and slide guitar on the beautiful ballad “Magpies”, helped by his son James on tablas, or Tjinder Singh and James Milne (both of Cornershop) as bass players on “These Long Dark Country Roads”.

Tracks : 1. Time I Was Gone / 2. These Long Dark Country Roads / 3. Come To The Phone / 4. Smile Your Best Smile / 5. Magpies / 6. Wherever You Go

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