Written by: Alex Green

Photo By Andreas Hornoff

Our Track of the Day today comes from singer/songwriter Robert McVey.

Taken from his debut solo album–which is currently under the working title Ordinary Beauty–“History” is a stunning return to the ring for the former Longview frontman.

Ordinary Beauty was recorded and mixed in Hamburg with producer Paul Corkett (The Cure, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and it finds McVey approaching his craft in a more organic way than he did before. “After Longview,” he says, “I wanted to just try and be myself; I knew I wanted to make a real record – play the song live, no drops, no edits, straight to 2-inch tape. Some of my favourite records were made like this: Astral Weeks, Harvest... I wanted to see if I could do it like they did.”

McVey split from Longview in 2008 and his journey since then has found the singer playing with Marianne Faithful, becoming a father, teaching guitar and working through the loss of a dear friend.

At work on the record for close to seven years, “History” is redolent with experience and perspective. It’s a track that suggests everything we leave behind in the past is the best way to understand what’s waiting for us in the future. A moody shuffle, the song is brimming with introspection and soulful precision. Emotionally exact, deeply moving and decidedly stirring, it’s one of the most affecting numbers you’ll hear all year.