Shady Bard - Trials (Part III)

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5...according to our Brian on Thu 27 May, 2010.

These guys & gals have been most conspicuous by their absence in recent times. A thoroughly nice surprise it is to hear their covert return. They've three tracks on this baby collectible & appear to have Mariachi'd up their oeuvre somewhat, much to this person's delight! They always had a sense of cracked drama & passion, even where the music was relatively discreet & graceful. They've kept their chamber folk sensibilities & tender essence but cranked up the fire to the top over the course of these three new "segments". They've possibly been inspired by everyone from Mariachi el Bronx and the blinding success of Beirut whilst indulging in their absence. In doing so they've brilliantly bolstered an already stirring sound to new heights and appear more seductive & sensual than ever!! Lovely stuff....like the hand scorched sleeves too!!

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CULT BIRMINGHAM BAND COME OUT OF THE SHADE WITH EAGERLY ANTICIPATED SINGLE

A Birmingham band who found international fame after being chosen to front a global MTV environmental campaign are celebrating the release of their eagerly anticipated new single.

Trials (Part III) is the long-awaited new release from six-piece orchestral indie outfit shady bard.

The eponyomous lead track from the group’s forthcoming album, Trials (Part III) details the heart-rending story of a village ravaged by fire and in doing so sets the scene for the rest of the record to chronicle its devastating aftermath.

Fusing the band’s trademark cinematic instrumentation with vivid imagery, Trials (Part III) follows on seamlessly from shady bard’s previous releases ‘Treeology ep’ and ‘From the Ground Up’ - each of which takes the destruction of the planet as its central narrative.

It’s a theme that has served the band well – shady bard’s song ‘Treeology’ was chosen by MTV Switch as the soundtrack to an international global warming campaign.

The band has also featured on Emmy Award winning shows on America’s ABC network including Grey’s Anatomy, which is watched by over 20 million viewers.

Closer to home their music can be heard on a number of high-profile BBC productions including the internationally broadcast primetime drama Waterloo Road.

shady bard enjoys an unusual make-up – by day its members work variously as a project manager, a librarian, a neuroscientist and a surveyor.

For lead singer and songwriter Lawrence Becko, Trials (Part III), which comes after a year-long break to focus on other artistic projects, is worth the wait.

He said:”It was great to get back into the studio and make this record, and we’re really looking forward to playing it to people in May.

“The new record will take people by surprise a bit – it still sounds like us but it’s also a real development as it’s quite dark and dramatic in places with lots of new sounds and big orchestral arrangements”.

He added: “It’s going to be great to get back out there and reconnect with our fans”.

Trials (Part III) is out now as a limited edition 3” CD and download.

The new album, Trials will be released later this year.