Silver Moth (ft Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai) share ‘The Eternal’

Silver Moth, the new collective involving Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai and other celebrated musicians, will release their debut album ‘Black Bay’ on April 21 via Bella Union. Having previously shared first single Mother Tongue, Silver Moth have now shared The Eternal, one of the album’s standout tracks. The Eternal is a deeply heartfelt song written in tribute to Elisabeth Elektra and Stuart Braithwaite’s close friend Alanna who passed away suddenly. A major theme of the song is the regenerative sense of hope that comes with the knowledge that the love we have for our friends and loved ones is eternal. Stuart’s guitars are shimmering and transcendent, Elisabeth’s vocal has a pure, hymnal tone, while Ben Roberts’ cello emotively weaves in and out complementing and responding to her vocal. 

The Eternal has a serene yet powerful quality to it, echoing the landscape of The Hebridean island where it was written and recorded A leap of faith reaps extraordinary rewards on ‘Black Bay,’ an album of depth, atmosphere and daring from the collective known as Silver Moth. Recorded under unusual circumstances, ‘Black Bay’ is the sound of seven storied musicians yielding to shared goals; a policy of trust in action. Between hushed incantations and molten guitars, 15-minute noise-rock epics and healing psalms, the record is a testament to connectivity and receptivity: to a union of disparate minds committing to something greater than the sum of its parts. Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, Elisabeth Elektra, Evi Vine, Steven Hill, members of Abrasive Trees, Burning House and Prosthetic Head convened to improvise the album in early 2021, following a Twitter exchange between Abrasive Trees guitarist/songwriter Matthew Rochford, musician Elisabeth Elektra and fellow artist Nick Hudson about the Isle of Lewis. A couple of Zoom meetings would subsequently lead to Rochford, Elektra, Vine, Braithwaite, Hill, drummer Ash Babb and cellist Ben Roberts visiting the dramatic location of Great Bernera’s Black Bay Studios on the Isle of Lewis. Listen to The Eternal via YouTube below.

A tribute from Elektra to her late friend Alanna, The Eternal unfurls with hymnal serenity. The chorus ascends from the plangent verses like a prayer, the players attentive and empathetic. Written by Evi and Elisabeth, the Talk Talk-ish madrigal Mother Tongue extends an invitation to “listen” as its paean to female equality unfolds, fuelled by – explains Evi – the “need to reclaim and remember and give voice to those who are silenced”.  Described by Elisabeth as “the magician who brought it all together,” Pete Fletcher’s production shows great sensitivity to space and mood. The cumulative effect is an album of elemental force and evocative poise, its controlled power focused around the ego-free chemistry between the players. “I knew with everything in me that we could make something powerful, beautiful, celestial and driven,” says Evi, “even though we had never met. We spend our lives in repetition, surrounded by certainty. It’s important to push aside the things we think we understand, because when we least expect it, change comes and we are lost.” By abandoning all certainties, Silver Moth have found something truly special on Black Bay. Matthew Rochford of Silver Moth has written a personal bio with more info about how the project came together which can be read here.

’Black Bay’ track list
1. Henry
2. The Eternal
3. Mother Tongue
4. Gaelic Psalms
5. Hello Doom 
6. Sedna