He’s also a prolific environmentalist, having performed at rallies and demonstrations including 2014’s Bentley anti-gas blockade campsite. As an activist, Rudd champions the rights of indigenous Australians, carrying out vital work to raise awareness of Aboriginal culture and preserve his own Wurundjeri heritage. “Everything I wrote just had a sprinkle of magic dust on it,” he says of working with Chris Bond.īut there’s more to Xavier Rudd than making music: his peace-promoting messages travel way beyond the recording studio. A brave move, but one that ultimately served him well. Produced by Chris Bond (Ben Howard, Tom Speight) and mixed by Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, Bowie, U2), it’s the first time Rudd has ever handed over the reigns completely to a producer. Storm Boy marks a landmark shift in the ARIA-nominated star’s working process. “I’ve had a great career of mucking around with different sounds… so every record you learn a little bit here and there,” says Rudd, whose new album tips its hat to his love of reggae and blues as much as it feels palpably more symphonic in sound than his previous LP, the collaborative Nanna. Hailing from Australia’s surf hotspot Torquay, Rudd kickstarted his career in 2002 with the now classic album To Let, before going on to release seven studio LPs over the next thirteen years: Solace (2004), Food In The Belly (2005), White Moth (2007), Dark Shades Of Blue (2008), Koonyum Sun (2010), Spirit Bird (2012), and his first album with The United Nations, Nanna (2015). I feel like I’ve come to the end of that chapter where I’ve learned a bunch of lessons and I’ve been shown a bunch of things spiritually.” “Life feels strong and solid for me now… and this record is in a different space. And if Spirit Bird signalled the beginning of his spiritual self-awakening, Storm Boy arrives at the conclusion. “It’s definitely a theme on the record,” agrees Rudd. Storm Boy tracks the last five or six years of his journey, his “awakening” and of all the things that “have made sense” along the way. Six years have passed since Rudd’s last solo release, Spirit Bird, and a lot of things have happened in that time. It’s a line where Rudd’s spirituality really comes to the fore: “Kookaburra calls just like he knows / And I call a ride back yes I’m home / He’s been with me he’s watched me grow / Through those rainy days and those rocky roads.” One specific moment seems to sum up the record for Rudd, an album which he describes as “pondering” and “more personal” than previous efforts. In the picture-perfect video for ‘Walk Away’, Rudd is captured swimming in lakes, catching the surf and strumming his guitar, while booming bass drums amp up the track’s near-transcendent quality. It’s just one of many highlights on a record that celebrates strength and stability at their most powerful and fundamental. Backed by the gentle strum of acoustic guitar, on ‘Storm Boy’, Rudd sends out a postcard of a sun-drenched life lived outdoors: “Freedom of the heart is what we crave / When we sit by the river with a cup of tea / Watch the movement of the tide in the gentle breeze,” he sings, in his comfort-blanket voice. The Australian multi-instrumentalist’s new album title track best encapsulates this idea. ![]() The result is a personal sound that strikes a universal note. Environmental work, activism, veganism, spiritualism, surfing, family camping trips in the bush and dog walks on the beach everything Rudd does, he pours into song. “I’m literally just singing about the things that are going on around me,” he says of his sublime and soaring indie-folk. 03.08.For Xavier Rudd, writing music and living his life are one and the same.IT-Gardone Rivera - Anfiteatro del Vittoriale FR-Montmartin sur Mer - Chauffer dans la Noirceur Rudd will be back in Europe throughout this Summer for headline shows and festival appearances, full list of tour dates below. ![]() Storm Boy is Xavier Rudd’s ninth studio album (#1 Australian ARIA Charts, #53 of the Belgian Ultratop Charts, and #92 in The Netherlands) and follows on from his previous release, the ARIA Gold Certified 2012 album Spirit Bird. Together they have worked with the likes of Cashmere Cat and rising UK acts like Elderbrook and Call Me Loop. Mixed by Paul Harris, who is part of Grammy awarding winning electronica group Dirty Vegas, and Toby Scott (Little Mix, Gossip). The new mix is rich of vibrant zest that fully complements the original version. Aftering releasing his cricitally acclaimed album Storm Boy last year, Australian musician and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd returns with a special summer mix of the fabulous titled track “Storm Boy”.
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