Last week, Leyland Kirby shared a video teaser building up to the release of his new album as The Caretaker, the third in a series of six exploring dementia through music. You can read more on that project here.
The album, titled Everywhere At The End Of Time Stage 3, has now been released and is available to buy here. It has also been released alongside a surprise free album, called We, so tired of all the darkness in our lives, which you can stream in full above. That album comprises music from The Caretaker’s archives and you can get it for free or for any price of your choice via Bandcamp here.
Announcing the two releases, Kirby has clarified his anti-streaming stance, saying: "I refuse at present to appear on Spotify and those other big players and play the corrupted but fun parlour games of ‘Chase the click’, ‘Snakes and no ladders’, ‘Pin the tail on the false artist playlist’, Downfall aka ‘let’s all promote energy drinks’, ‘Clickbait Cluedo – It was Professor Plum in the Boiler Room being corporately sponsored’, ‘Stab you in the Backgammon’ and that old, old favourite of all of musicians Ludo aka ‘two million streams = Just enough coin for half a cup of instant coffee’."
He continues: "Here, call me old school but I prefer still to go to jail, to go directly to jail, to not pass go and to not collect my £200 PRS cheque."
Leyland Kirby has shared the free record itself with another accompanying text which you can read in full below.
"These days it feels like it’s at an all time low for positive outcomes.
"The music here is free for you to download or to pay for. It’s your call. It’s not free because I place no value on this work. It’s free because I mean it.
"It shows a slightly different side and production value to previously released works. These are the tracks I’ve personally revisited most in the past four or five years. They have all helped me out. I’d like to think you don’t see this as throwaway work. It’s been collated carefully.
"Production wise I think it’s more in focus and it gives some indications to early influences. It goes somewhere, it goes nowhere, there’s drawn out synths, drums, piano and drift. It’s about the fact that not everything need be angry, distorted or bombastic to show defiance. It’s every bar stool I’ve sat on and am yet to sit on. It’s me throwing myself down stairs again and again because I’m as sick of things as you are.
"If it’s not released now then this work just sits on a drive for even longer gathering digital dust which I feel is a shame. Maybe you will find some solace in the sounds if your mood is right or you need them. Maybe one track hits home, maybe more do. Hopefully it can help here and there.
"I still greatly believe in the value of music and of true independent music. This is in spite of the constant devaluing of music by big business and streaming services. I’m not creating work to help push cans of energy drink or to look for cheap clicks on playlists or to get involved in scenes.
"The bottom line here is if you have no coin right now then this one is on me with pleasure. If you can support the work then this is great too. It’s always a lot of hard work and a dream.
"I’ve been hard at it lately with The Caretaker work so now I afford myself a night out finally sinking the odd whisky or two down at my favourite Krakow bar, Propaganda. It’s been a good while since the last time I was sat on the bar stool.
"I’ll raise the whisky glass in there for us all. You know the score."
