Robert Wyatt, Mew, David Sylvian, Wu-Tang Clan, Adem, Four Tet, Wilco, Nick Cave, Antipop Consortium,Tom Waits, Talk Talk, Gorecki, Blue Nile, Scott Walker, Eno, Joni Mitchell, all things Def Jux, Queen, Efterklang, Angels of Light, Ben Christophers, Slint, Nick Drake, Aphex Twin, Husker Du, Vaughan Williams, Akron/Family, Peter Gabriel
Sounds Like
Adem, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Christophers, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, James Yorkston, PG Six, Four Tet, Iron and Wine
Tinkering about somewhere between the earthy and the ethereal, Sweet Billy Pilgrim scrape strings and tap away at laptops and try to make beautiful things.
Their debut album was "we just did what happened and no one came", a collection of songs recorded in a draughty shed with a cast of spiders and crispy moths. Mojo magazine awarded it four stars and The Sunday Times called it, ‘a rather special debut’, making the single ‘Stars Spill Out of Cups’ one of their songs of the year. The band were just pleased as punch to find it in the racks of HMV in Watford, sandwiched between The Sweet and Swervedriver.
Since then, they've turned careful hands to remixing, most notably 'bringing a fierce pop quality' to David Sylvian's 'The Heart Knows Better' for his 'The Good Son vs. the Only Daughter - The Blemish Remixes' project, and buggering about with Steve Jansen’s ‘Conversation Over’ from the ‘Slope’ album, Tim also contributing vocals and lyrics to the album for the song ‘Sleepyard’.
Second album, ‘Twice Born Men’ was released on David Sylvian’s Samadhisound label recently, to four star reviews in Mojo and Uncut, and a 5 star 'CD of the Week' in the Sunday Times. Following collaborations with folktronica luminary Adem, Norwegian electronicists Punkt, and successful shows at the Royal Opera House, The Barbican and festivals in Spain and Norway, Sweet Billy Pilgrim are building fires to warm their little musical corner while they wait for planning permission to build their ramshackle beach huts on those tiny, storm-bruised plots inside us all. Should it not be granted – they’re prepared to settle for a gazebo.
Twice Born Men was recently named as a Barclaycard Mercury Music Award 'Album of the Year'
About the debut album:
"Disturbing and beautiful, layered and arranged with funereal precision." (8/10) - Americana - UK
"...stunning..." (8.5 /10) - *sixeyes
"This calm, pretty folktronica is strange but not difficult: there are choruses here that, if Chris Martin had stumbled across them, would have shifted another million Coldplay albums. A rather special debut." (3/5) - Mark Edwards (Sunday Times)
"Elsenburg's perfectly shaped songs have the same power as magic realist short stories that sieve the emotions and leave you reduced to jelly." (****) - Mojo Magazine
About second album 'Twice Born Men':
CD of the Week (*****), Sunday Times
"A fascinating antidote to the falsehood and artifice prevalent in current pop music." BBC website.
**** Uncut magazine.
**** Mojo magazine.
"An unassuming thing of minor beauty." The Wire magazine.
Great profile. Peace and progress. Many thanks for adding me and looking forward to your comment.. Any suggestion is welcome. Hope you enjoy and dance to my Music. All the best wishes. Farid
Just wanted to drop by and say how much I enjoyed last night's show at Koko, you sounded great (that's not a strong enough word but you get the idea). I'd like to pick one track and say that sounded brilliant but can't because they all did. The hour went by so quickly. It wasn't long enough for me - it seemed to go by in a flash. I could have listened all night.
Wish I'd had the courage to come and find you and get my cds signed - I am kicking myself this morning - maybe next time??! (I might actually remember my camera then too!)
Hope you are well and enjoying the shows as much as I enjoyed last night's.
Pleased to have a sweet billy pilgrim t-shirt now too.
Look after yourselves.
My best.
Penny
PS very happy I took the time a couple of years ago to listen to your work - just can't get enough of it - any new stuff in the offing? Maybe after the tour? I'm sorry want want want...
Just a quick e. Absolutely fabulous to hear you on Radio 1 last weekend. I have to confess though I didn't quite make the 5am start...
Hope the tour dates are selling well for you and that you are finding time to relax before it starts.
Koko is nearly here!!!!!! By the way are you able to say what time you will be on stage? (coming up from Essex so need to plan the journey. I'm not leaving anything to chance ;)
Leipzig would be ace, of course. Dresden, Halle, Berlin would be manageable also. but Leipzig would be beyond wonderful. remind Tim of the Fockeberg here... that's not really FOKKERberg, but close to.
October is marigold, and yet A glass half full of wine left out To the dark heaven all night, by dawn Has dreamed a premonition Of ice across its eye as if The ice-age had begun to heave. The lawn overtrodden and strewn From the night before, and the whistling green Shrubbery are doomed. Ice Has got its spearhead into place. First a skin, delicately here Restraining a ripple from the air; Soon plate and rivet on pond and brook; Then tons of chain and massive lock To hold rivers. Then, sound by sight Will Mammoth and Saber-tooth celebrate Reunion while a fist of cold Squeezes the fire at the core of the world, Squeezes the fire at the core of the heart, And now it is about to start.
