The Durutti Column :: Renascent
Cover art: Studio 8vo
Photo: David Corio/Redferns
Returning to the soft, sonic surface with a blissed-out collection of new material over a decade since the release of the band’s 2010 classic “A Paean to Wilson” and the first album of originals on the acclaimed label Factory Records since the passing of Tony Wilson nearly two decades ago, The Durutti Column have been an iconic institution for nearly half a century, with the group’s founding member Vincent Gerard "Vini" Reilly leading the lyrical landscapes of the group’s intimate interior into the unknown universe of sophisticated songwriting like no other. Rising from the anarchic ashes of Fast Breeder, a local outfit that acted as the feverish foundation for the Durutti Column, the band was born in the harmonious haze of Manchester during the infamous Factory Records days, and has since become an iconic institution for bands around the world. Shortly after the release of the 1983 classic "Short Stories For Pauline" in 2012, Reilly suffered a series of strokes, leaving him unable to do the one thing he knows how to do: tour and play music. Over the years, the veteran guitar God has rehabbed his revolutionary approach to art and has since found his way back to the top, where his transcendental tones and tender timing can be heard from every corner of the Earth. While most of us wake up assuming Keith Richards has begun to age backwards like Benjamin Button as the rest of us plummet towards our inevitable demise, Reilly, who just turned 73 a few weeks ago, showed a more intimate immortality that we should never take for granted as we carefully celebrate our harmonious heroes. Assembled in pure artistic alchemy over the course of several years, the recordings found within the fabulous fibers of “Renascent” began in Reilly’s kitchen with the most minimal setup and sonic structure imaginable, while simultaneously keeping the legend’s health condition in mind as the project intensified in immediacy. Renascent, which means to become active or vigorous again, is not only the perfect title for this collection of music but also a sophisticated statement that sincerely reflects the band's eager energy and unparalleled universes and their jaw-dropping juxtapositions between post-punk and the shapeshifting sounds of the new wave world.
Photo: Christopher Thomond
With production dating back to 2017, the blood began to flow during the early COVID lockdowns in 2020, making travel and meetups for the older communities difficult, to say the least. Consisting of longtime collaborator Bruce Mitchell on drums and multi-instrumentalist Keir Stewart, who's been working with the band since the mid to late 1990s, helping to bring this near-decade-long project to life, “Renascent” slowly captures the elemental essence of the group and their melodic majesty to a liberating level in comparison to previous classics like “The Guitar and Other Machines”, and “Sex and Death”. Featuring tracks like “Your Shadow At Evening”, “Time Present And Time Past”, and “For Friends Everywhere”, Reilly takes listeners, both new and old, on a journey filled with aluminum atmosphere and perfected precipitation that has aged like a pirate wine over the years. Never take for granted that we still share the same space and timeline as some of these legends. While we no longer have T.S. Eliot around to tire out our existential eyes at night after a long day of creative contemplation, we still have Vini Reilly, and for that we should feel blessed.
