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The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions)

from The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single by Sarah McQuaid

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about

“The Silence Above Us” is the first single from The St Buryan Sessions, filmed and recorded live (with no audience due to COVID-19) on 1 July 2020 in the beautiful church of St Buryan, Cornwall, parts of which date back to the 11th century.

Please do check out the YouTube video of this track to see the gorgeous work done by Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis of Purple Knif with the help of veteran camera op John Crooks. There’s a link to my YouTube channel in the profile section of this page.

Heartfelt thanks to the 184 individual contributors whose voluntary donations made this recording possible. Your kindness and generosity will not be forgotten.

lyrics

The silence above us
The comfort in darkness
Pale clouds in a blanket of sky
The light from my window
The trees lost in shadow
We’ll likely have frost later on tonight

It’s cold, I should go back
Inside, where I know that
It’s warm if I sit near the fire
And as I stand shivering
The mist from my breathing
Forms tendrils of smoke that drift lower and higher

Orion the hunter is low in the sky
The guiding star is blue
I ask myself yet again
What is this world coming to

The silence above us
The green earth beneath us
Abounding with power and life
The bushes are rustling
The small birds are settling
Hunkering down to be safe for the night

Orion the hunter is low in the sky
The guiding star is blue
I ask myself yet again
What is this world coming to

As the night becomes colder and darker
More stars will appear in the sky
Tiny pinpoints of light
Shining steady and bright

The silence above us
The comfort in darkness
Pale clouds in a blanket of sky
The light from my window
The trees lost in shadow
We’ll likely have frost later on tonight

Orion the hunter is low in the sky
The guiding star is blue
I ask myself yet again
What is this world coming to
And what can we do

credits

from The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, released January 29, 2021
Words and music by Sarah McQuaid
Sarah – vocals and piano
Production and recording by Martin Stansbury
Mixed by Martin Stansbury at Cacophony Cottage Studio – cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk
Mastered by Stuart Bruce

Many thanks to the St Buryan Male Voice Choir for generously allowing their Yamaha concert grand piano to be used for this recording

The St Buryan Sessions were filmed and recorded live (with no audience due to COVID-19) on 1 July 2020 in the beautiful church of St Buryan, Cornwall, parts of which date back to the 11th century. The idea was to recreate the energy, heart, soul and magic of a live performance in a quality production that would stand the test of time.

Thanks to the generosity of the 184 individuals who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign, to Canon Vanda Perrett and the St Buryan Parish Council, to the immense skill of the team I had the privilege of working with, and most of all to the church itself, whose glorious natural acoustic we captured with the help of ambient microphones placed around the soaring space – I believe I’ve achieved that aim. I hope you think so, too.

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Sarah McQuaid Penzance, UK

“One of the most instantly recognisable voices in current music … Shades of Joni Mitchell in a jam with Karen Carpenter and Lana Del Rey.” —Neil March, Trust The Doc

“Captivating, unorthodox songwriting … layered satin vocals ... enthralling, harrowing arrangements … a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.” —PopMatters

See sarahmcquaid.com/about for more info. ... more

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