Christopher Haddow playing 'Talla Reservoir' on acoustic guitar in his back garden. The song is from his debut album 'An Unexpected Giant Leap'. Available via all major streaming platforms, as a digital download and on limited edition vinyl from 6th September 2024. Pre-order now from: errolshotwax.com
An Unexpected Giant Leap, the debut instrumental album from guitarist Christopher Haddow, is a contemplative journey evoking the hazy moments of early parenthood. Recorded over three intense days at the Green Door in Glasgow, it weaves together lap steel, double bass, open-tuned acoustic guitar, and piano through the hum of whirring tape machines.
Influenced as much by Brian Eno as by John Fahey, Link Wray and Marisa Anderson, Haddow set out to create a musical landscape, rich with imagery and emotional depth. Accompanied by Josh Longton and Jamie Bolland, the process involved a blend of spontaneous improvisation and deliberate soundscaping, with each track primarily recorded on the first take, capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of their collaboration.
The album is bookended by an ultrasound of Haddow's son Louie, encapsulating the deeply personal and emotional nature of this work. With undertones of deconstructed ambient country, this album serves as both a time capsule and a tool for soothing his son to sleep, echoing the continuous loops of pushing a buggy in circles around the park.
An Unexpected Giant Leap is an intimate portrait of Haddow’s experiences as a new parent, a musical photograph rendered in sound, and a heartfelt tribute to his family.
Christopher Haddow - Guitars, Tape Loops & Atmospherics
Josh Longton - Double Bass
Jamie Bolland - Piano
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Samuel Joseph Smith at the Green Door Studio, Glasgow, 2023.
The artwork for the album was created by Haddow's wife and collaborator, the visual artist Athene Greig. An Unexpected Giant Leap is, in part, a response to her 2020 exhibition ‘Til Morning Wakes, which also reflects on time spent as a new parent. Both works occupy the space between dusk and dawn, half awake / half asleep, and can be viewed as companion pieces.