Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician, widely known as singer, primary songwriter and producer and guitarist of shoegaze band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters",[1] and Time Out as "one of Britain's greatest songwriters".[2]
Neil Halstead | |
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 Halstead performing with Slowdive in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 7 October 1970 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Genres | |
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| Instruments |
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| Labels | |
| Member of | Slowdive |
| Formerly of | Mojave 3 |
Career
editHalstead was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He is a singer/guitarist and served as frontman and primary songwriter for the shoegaze band Slowdive, formed in 1989 out of his first band, the Pumpkin Fairies. Slowdive released the albums Just for a Day (1991), Souvlaki (1993), Pygmalion (1995), Slowdive (2017) and Everything Is Alive (2023).
Halstead also recorded with a side project called Zurich with members of Seefeel and Knives ov Resistance; the trio's sole album was released in 2014.[3]
After their 1995 breakup, Slowdive morphed into the Halstead-helmed Mojave 3 and released a string of highly celebrated records that merged jangly alt-country with dusky psychedelic dream pop.
In 2006, Mojave 3 went on an indefinite hiatus, prompting Halstead to embark on an acoustic-driven solo career marked by an emphasis on British folk-inspired melody and a love of surfing. An occasional drift into more whimsical territory prompted NME to describe Halstead as "like Syd Barrett if he’d ever set foot on a surf board". Halstead's first solo album, Sleeping on Roads, was released in 2001,[4][5][6] followed by Oh! Mighty Engine (2008), released on friend and fellow surfer Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. Halstead's third solo album, Palindrome Hunches, was released in 2012; it was described as "an exquisite set of dark folk music" by The Times,[7] while God Is In The TV called it "undoubtedly one of the finest British records released this year".[8]
Halstead formed the project Black Hearted Brother in 2013,[9] releasing one album, Stars Are Our Home.[10]
Slowdive, including Halstead, reformed in 2014, and released their fourth, self-titled, album in 2017.[11]
In 2015, Halstead served as the touring guitarist for Sun Kil Moon on select European dates, including their appearance at the Primavera Sound festival.[12]
Halstead produced Mary Lattimore's 2020 album Silver Ladders.[13]
Solo discography
editStudio albums
edit- Sleeping on Roads (2001, 4AD)[4]
- Oh! Mighty Engine (2008, Brushfire)
- Palindrome Hunches (2012, Brushfire)
Guest appearances
edit- "Has Your Mind Got Away?" – Friends and Lovers by Bernard Butler (1999, Creation Records)
- "Away" – Shelter by Alcest (2014, Prophecy Productions)
- "Lonely Heart Reverb", "Cloudy Heart" and "Lover" – Cross the Verge by Joana Serrat (2016, Loose)
References
edit
- ^ "Neil Halstead – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Richard Winham Interviews Neil Halstead". Wutc.org. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Important Records announces upcoming LPs by Ashley Paul, Zurich, Aidan Baker, and Mugstar + Damo Suzuki". Tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ a b Sleeping on Roads – Neil Halstead, AllMusic. "Release Date: January 28, 2002; Duration: 48:20"
- ^ Neil Halstead: Sleeping on Roads, Amazon.com. "Release Date: January 28, 2002; Label: 4AD; Copyright: 2002 4AD Ltd; Length: 48:19"
- ^ iTunes – Music – Sleeping on Roads by Neil Halstead. "Released: Jul 01, 2001; ℗ 2001 4AD; Length: 48:19"
- ^ "Neil Halstead – Palindrome Hunches". Rough Trade. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Neil Halstead – Palindrome Hunches (Sonic Cathedral) – God Is In The TV". Godisinthetvzine.co.uk. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Black Hearted Brother: Stars Are Our Home". Popmatters.com. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "The Quietus – Reviews – Black Hearted Brother". Thequietus.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "New Album Announcement". Slowdiveofficial.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Weiss, Dan (14 May 2015). "Stream Another New (Ten-Minute!) Track From Sun Kil Moon's Upcoming Album". Spin.
- ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (15 July 2020). "Mary Lattimore Teams With Slowdive's Neil Halstead On New Album". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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