DAMON ALBARN
SECOND SOLO ALBUM OUT NOW
THE NEARER THE FOUNTAIN,
MORE PURE THE STREAM FLOWS
APPEARING TONIGHT ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON
“… the perfect soundtrack for a time when the world is .. emerging from the storm.” – Rolling Stone
“… the acid wit of Damon Albarn’s earlier work further peels away to reveal contemplative lyrics about the passage of time, among other openhearted ideas, set against a shimmering musical backdrop of strings and synth textures.” —The New York Times
“Backed by the sounds of crashing waves and blissed-out ambient textures, the singer has never sounded so deeply in touch with nature — and with himself.” —Entertainment Weekly
“dreamy and evocative” —Los Angeles
Damon Albarn’s second solo album is out now. The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is finally released today by Transgressive Records, along with new track Darkness To Light —which Damon will perform this evening on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Originally conceived as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscape of Iceland, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows evolved during lockdown to the 11 new tracks included on the album. Albarn has performed the record in full at sold-out shows throughout the summer, a highlight being a headline show and global live stream from the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe in September, and he will perform a select number of solo piano dates in the UK for the first time next month. This run of very special shows, presented in association with local record stores, will start on 2nd December in York Minster ahead of Norwich, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Glasgow and Coventry. The stripped back solo set will feature Albarn performing tracks from his new album, as well as selected favorites from across his songbook, for a series of short, intimate piano performances.
In a career of perpetual musical shifts and exploration, this new record uncovers yet more ground, finding expansive orchestral arrangements nestling with intimate melodies, discordance brushing up against infectious majesty, all set to some of Albarn’s most arresting vocal performances to date. Much like the beauty and chaos of the natural world it soundtracks, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows vividly documents the emotional ebb and flow of the human condition, in all its extremes, serving as a soul enriching document for our times.
To mark the album release, Damon Albarn – The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, a special guest takeover at the Eranda Studio at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, powered by Amazon Music, will open for a limited run from 12th November – 21st November 2021. A studio space, curated by Anna Sparham, showcasing source materials and inspirations behind the new album, featuring unseen artwork, photography and film footage, plus Albarn’s own sketches and lyrics. Ticket and information here.
Also available today is new track Darkness To Light “…a deliciously sad ballad about the Arctic winter in which ‘Crushed satellites dance/In silent conga…’” (UNCUT). Listen here. To accompany the song’s release, a track visualizer of Darkness To Light is available today on YouTube. Watch here.
Further Information:
Download high res press images here.
Download social assets here.
Damon Albarn is a singer, songwriter, producer and composer whose eclectic musical style and observational lyrics have made him one of the UK’s most influential and consistently interesting musicians.
A founder member of Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen, he is the recipient of six Brits, two Ivor Novello Awards and a Grammy Award.
Outside of Blur and Gorillaz, Albarn has a number of other releases, including Mali Music (2002), The Good The Bad and The Queen (2006), Monkey: Journey to the West (2007), Kinshasa One Two (2011), Rocket Juice & The Moon (2012), Dr Dee (2012), Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes (2013), Africa Express Presents: The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians (2016), Merrie Land (2018), Africa Express Presents: Egoli (2019), as well as his Mercury Award-nominated debut solo album Everyday Robots (2014).
UK Piano Tour Dates 2021:
2 December – YORK – York Minster
4 December – NORWICH – UEA
5 December – NEWCASTLE-UPON TYNE – Boiler Shop
6 December – GLASGOW – St Luke’s
7 December – COVENTRY – Empire
Tickets and information here.
2022 Tour Dates (rescheduled from 2021):
21 & 22 February – London (Barbican)
23 & 24 February – Dublin (National Concert Hall)
26 February – Luxembourg (Philharmonie)
28 February – Brussels (Bozar)
1 March – Brussels (Bozar)
2 March – Eindhoven (Muziekgebouw)
4 & 5 March – Paris (Philharmonie)
6 March – Lyon (Auditorium)
7 March – Hamburg (ElbPhilharmonie)
9 March – Copenhagen (KB Hallen)
11 March – Reykjavik (Harpa)
Tour tickets and information here.
Order the album here.
Alongside a digital release, there will be limited edition color vinyl formats, plus CD and cassette. There will also be a deluxe version of the album, taking the form of a casebound book with additional photography, original scanned lyrics and artwork from Damon, alongside a clear vinyl version of the album, a high quality digital file and a bonus 7” featuring an exclusive song from the recording sessions.
The tracklisting is as follows:
- The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
- The Cormorant
- Royal Morning Blue
- Combustion
- Daft Wader
- Darkness To Light
- Esja
- The Tower Of Montevideo
- Giraffe Trumpet Sea
- Polaris
- Particles
