Track Of The Day 29/7 - Hamish Hawk

'The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973'

Edinburgh songwriter *Hamish Hawk* has a literate flair to his work.

An artist in love with words, his wry, brooding constructions put us in mind of Jarvis Cocker's solo work, or even aspects of Richard Hawley's catalogue.

That being said, there are also elements that push him out into his own realm - the post-punk elements for example, or the raw sonics that flirt with the DIY underground.

Incoming album 'Heavy Elevator' - out on September 17th, order it *HERE* - was produced by Rod Jones of Idlewild, and it's already bowling over all in its path.

6Music are huge fans, with singles like 'Calls To Tiree' and 'Caterpillar' finding a devoted cult audience.

This new release, however, could be his finest moment yet. Out now, 'The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973' has a novelistic flair for language with an arch, highly ironic feel. Insisting that it remains a "pop song" in spite of its ambitions, Hamish says "it covers all the classic pop bases, namely death, badminton, and cathedrals..."

He adds: "The initial idea for the song came to me when I was standing on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. I’d previously failed to notice just how colossal a structure it really is. For Christopher Wren to have designed it, and for him to have seen its construction finished in his lifetime, the thought just staggered me. Not only had he fashioned a legacy for himself, unlike no other, he was able to pay witness to his own legacy whilst he was still alive."

"I suppose it got me thinking: if I were to fashion a legacy for myself, it might well be a song. I imagined what it would sound like, and in turn, the song became a wider rumination on matters of life, family, marriage, and ultimately, death. It was a song I knew I had in me; all it took was Andy Pearson's beautiful guitar line to squeeze the blood out the stone. It’s one of my favourites on the album, and very close to my heart."

The video finds Hamish Hawk engaged in a highly retro game of badminton, but somehow evolves to become a metaphor for something much more involved.

Tune in now.

Catch Hamish Hawk at the following headline shows:

*November* 
14 *Sheffield* Record Junkee
15 *Blackpool* Bootleg Social
18 *Birmingham* The Victoria
19 *Manchester* Mood Swings
21 *Glasgow* McChuills
27 *Edinburgh* The Great Eastern Festival

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