Strange, beautiful and haunting, this genre-defying album from Kevin MacNeil and Willie Campbell is utterly unlike anything else you’ve heard recently.

It’s the result of a rare collaboration between two extraordinary talents from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides: award-winning poet, novelist and playwright Kevin MacNeil and acclaimed singer-songwriter Willie Campbell. The two have brought their unique gifts together to produce an album that is raw, tender, funny and uplifting all at the same time.

MacNeil’s poems (it’s just wrong to call them lyrics, even on an album) leap across the spectrum of human emotion, from male anguish over an abortion on the gorgeous, unflinching Every Month, to wry, dark-edged hope in Optimist Drowns in Half-filled Bath. It’s all spun together with Campbell’s yearning tunes, his distinctive soaring voice providing melodic refrains on each track. Visible From Space will strike a chord with everyone who’s failed, loved, hoped, despaired, and survived to see the funny side.

But don’t just take our word for it. Local Man Ruins Everything (MacNeil and Campbell’s first collaboration) was Single of the Week in The Guardian and The List (where it was described as ‘tragically heartbreaking and brilliantly uplifting’) and also on Steve Lamacq’s 6 Music show. The duo have, over the years, built up a cult following – so we’re delighted to be able to announce the release of their long-anticipated debut album, on 12 May.

This is the fourth release on An Lanntair record label, which aims to promote artists and material from the Western Isles of Scotland. Release date is 12^th May 2012, and the recording will also be available on itunes

www.lanntair.com

Source: An Lanntair