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The Invisible Ray

by The Low Countries

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Signed CD album in a cardboard slip case with cover photo by Richard Davis

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Invisible Ray via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 5 
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Press Release:

    "The Low Countries release their sixth (and final) album on the 7th of October 2013 through Nub Country Records and Van Steene Music Publishing Ltd.
    The Invisible Ray blasts out eleven eclectic and melodious tunes that cover the gamut of human emotions. Sci-fi paranoia, Tony Hancock's demons, prescription pills, Inspector Morse, A&R people – these are just some of the subjects covered by The Invisible Ray.
    Two years in the making and destined to enjoy immense worldwide indifference.
    You can’t beat the ray.
    Catch them before they disappear"


    Album includes five bonus tracks plus photos and a live video rehearsal of 'Long Story Short' along with a solo performance of
    'Demons, Have At Thee' and a band version of 'All Things to All People' and 'The Invisible Ray' (live on the Main Stage, Lancaster Music Festival, 2016)     ... more
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP  or more

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    15
    releases

    Get all 15 The Low Countries releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Failing of the Strains - Live 2008, Betty's Boudoir Sessions Vol. II, The High Ones, Sundries, Betty's Boudoir Sessions, We Weathered The Storm, An Extended Play, A Prize Every Time - The Greatest Bits, and 7 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £79.20 GBP or more (40% OFF)

     

1.
Everyone's Mental 04:09
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I can’t let it out, I can’t let it in It’s eating me up, it’s making me thin The pills from the doctor, they made me sweat They turned me dizzy so I made a bet I’d cure myself before the year was done But in the end the illness won So I begged the doctor to look in my head She smiled to herself and here’s what she said: Everyone’s mental it’s considered the norm If you’re not mental you ain’t been born boy
2.
The One Who got Away 01:57
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I’ve written all these songs for you Don’t know what else to do Penny for your thoughts they say Well it’s the one who got away You ever write a note for me? You ever haunted by memory? Don’t believe in ghosts you’d say Oh you’re the one who got away I’m sailing down this river of regret I didn’t drown but I got wet. There’s a road we’ll never take No matter how long we wait Wait until my dying day For the one who got away
3.
Saved 03:00
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4.
Summer Doesn't Know Me 02:54
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We used to meet up once a year Shoot the breeze, have a beer But Summer doesn’t know me, anymore Recall the days we were thick as thieves? Stealing time neath shady trees But Summer.................. Anymore Stick your memories in a box. Douse it, light it, change the locks Cos Summer doesn’t know you anymore How I long for your warm caress Gentle as a spider’s breath But Summer...... INSTRUMENTAL Stick your memories in a box. Douse it, light it, change the locks Cos Summer doesn’t know you anymore A little bird says you headed South But I don’t need word of mouth to tell me
5.
Sun Street 03:52
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In a City like this it’s easy to miss, just what I’m not The future’s tomorrow to beg steal and borrow and tomorrow’s all I’ve got But if you still need me, there’s one place we can meet Sun Street, Sun Street Yesterday’s done, today’s what we’ve won, who would have thought? When I saw you last you struggled to grasp, how I was caught But if you still need me, there’s one place we can meet Sun Street, Sun Street If you’re hunting me down Well I’m, I’m still around (Inst...) But if you still want me, there’s one place we can meet Sun Street, Sun Street
6.
Hummingbird 03:01
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Won’t you ever learn, that the world will turn without you? Chasing dreams only frightens them away. Don’t ever burn those bridges behind you The darkest night is always blessed with day... So don’t be afraid, life’s only made so we cry The times that we spent, and all that they meant, never die. Never die. The end of the road, you must keep on moving Ways and means are only for the few. Try as you might, it feels like you’re losing Believed in God but he won’t believe in you... So don’t be afraid, life’s only made so we cry The times that we spent, and all that they meant, never die. Never die.
7.
All Things To All People 02:39
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I hadn’t cried since Inspector Morse died And I hadn’t sworn, since the children were born And then, there was you... You’re all things to all people but you’re always a cunt You’re all things to all people but you’re always a cunt I hadn’t laughed, since Di and Dodi crashed And I hadn’t smiled since the birth of our child And then, there was you You’re all things to all people but you’re always a cunt You’re all things to all people but you’re always a cunt
8.
Kite 02:30
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Through summer and winter, searching the cities, waiting for love to strike It suddenly hits you fills you with wonder, you’re senses all take flight You’re as high as a kite High as a kite High as a kite I can feel it flying spinning around me, shining like a sun Glorious colours dancing together, for me and everyone You’re as high as a kite, high as a kite, high as a kite It’s more than riches, it’s more than wealth It’s all there is there’s nothing else Lay in the meadow, breathe in the madness, there’s magic in the night Loves gonna get you let it infect you, you’ll know what it’s like You’re as high as a kite, high as a kite, high as a kite It’s more than riches, it’s more than wealth It’s all there is there’s nothing else… nothing else! And you’re as high as a kite, high as a kite, high as a kite
9.
Demons, Have At Thee 03:07
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My heroes died a lonely death, with whispers from the nothingness Oh Demons, have at thee Tigers clawing at your back, perfection lay beyond your grasp Oh Demons, have at thee What’s done is done, the battle’s won, you’re free “ “ “ “ “ Ground your heart into a paste, and dumped you like your toxic waste Oh Demons, have at thee Salvation sought in an empty glass, but life was never so cheap so crass Oh Demons, have a thee What’s done is done, the battle’s won, you’re free “ “ “ “ “
10.
The Invisible Ray 04:24
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There’s a house on the hill & an abandoned mill, that’s where He built his machine that’s crazy & mean, I swear He’s aimed it at us, with its derange buzz, we can’t hide. It’s hot on our heels, but no one else feels its mad vibe Washing us away, washing us away, invisible ray Science gone mad, in a home-made lab, I’m sure No reason or rhyme, for this paranoid crime, and no cure Washing us away, washing us away, invisible ray Washing us away, washing us away, invisible ray It must be destroyed, hurled in the void, before long We scream and we wail, to no avail, we’re gone Washing us away, washing us away, invisible ray Washing us away, washing us away, invisible ray
11.
Long Story Short 02:37
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You and I we got history Many tales to tell When the endings a mystery Here’s hoping it turns out well We all love a happy ending, where the bad guy is caught These dreams they all need mending So don’t cut a long story short You and I we got previous We go way back when Getting hard to believe in us Turn the page or start again? We all love a happy ending, where the bad guy is caught These dreams they all need mending So don’t cut a long story short

about

Originally released in 2013

Some reviews:

'The Invisible Ray' review by Ralph's Life
The Invisible Ray - one Jack Russell's view


"First track on the album is the lyrically sombre yet compulsive 'Everyone's Mental' which displays clever, incisive songwriting overlaid on some very stylish guitar work. 'The One Who Got Away' on the other hand leans on acoustic simplicity to deliver its sad, wistful message.

Shades of The Daintees (and the same quality of songwriting as Martin Stephenson) with 'Saved', 'Summer Doesn't Know Me' and 'Sun Street. I'm half way through the album and struggling to see how they've not found greater recognition for past works and could 'The Invisible Ray' be a seminal album?


The folkier 'Hummingbird' with it's delicate piano and vocals is a delight and it leads into the more Americana-esque, folky and whimsical ("I hadn't cried since Inspector Morse died") 'All Things To All People'.

'Kite' is upbeat, catchy with a poppier (single?) feel and has musical hints of Stuart Murdoch's God Help The Girl project, whilst 'Demons Have At Thee' reverts back to the acoustic folk vibe.


I don't know if already knowing the background story to this being the last album influenced my perception of the track 'The Invisible Ray' but it has a rueful feel to it and seems to sum up the passing of The Low Countries.

Finishing off with (the ironically titled?) 'Long Story Short' and it's a poignant finish to not only the album but also the life of the band. Let's hope that (as hinted) he'll be moving on to projects new in the future, and I for one will be watching and listening with interest from now on"



'The Invisible Ray' review by The Sound Of Confusion 16.10.13

"It's a little disappointing that 'The Invisible Ray' is serving as my introduction to Lancaster duo (with occasional helpers) The Low Countries, as after a decade of making records, this, their sixth album, we're told will be their last. Perhaps the pair will work together in the future or perhaps they have other musical plans, but for this incarnation the curtain is falling. On the plus side, there are a further five albums out there to investigate, so personally this isn't an end, but a beginning. They've never been world-beaters in terms of sales or fame, but plaudits don't seem in short supply, and we're supplied with segments of praise from various publications, some of note, some we don't know, but they have their fans, and I'd like to add The Sound Of Confusion to that list.

The band (as we'll refer to them, as the two main players have been joined at various points by other musicians) are generally described as indie-folk, which just about fits, although the music that phrase brings to mind is doing them a huge disservice. They're witty, they're psychedelic, they're individual, they're self-depreciating at times (they say about this album, "Two years in the making and destined to enjoy immense worldwide indifference") and they write some very good songs. You can see why the folk label is so commonly used. 'The One Who Got Away' has a traditional feel and is a song of loss made with subtle beauty and sadness, and it's little more than acoustic guitar and voice. 'Demons, Have at Thee' could be put into the same bracket despite a richer arrangement. The beautiful 'Sun Street' is flooded with harmonies and a gently bobbing bassline that does bring a more modern folk sound, and this great vocalisation is used again on 'Hummingbird', a more pensive, piano-led track that again shows a terrific standard of writing. Similarly piano-based is 'All Things To All People' which is a perfect example of the light-hearted lyrical style ("I hadn't cried since Inspector Morse died, I hadn't sworn since the children were born").

It's when they indulge in more colourful songs that they're at their best, as heard on the electric, twinkling 'Saved'; the classic British songwriting of 'Summer Doesn't Know Me' is delightful (think Ray Davis, Robin Hitchcock and other typically talented and unique individuals, even certain George Harrison and Paul McCartney tracks). 'Everyone's Mental' is the second song in as many days that we've featured about the perils of our nation's woefully inadequate attitude and approach to metal health (whilst maintaining a certain whimsical wit), complete with a great psych-pop sound that banishes the folk altogether. The shuffling 'Kite' is a slight curiosity, because while it maintains their British feel, there's a hint of Americanisation about the music, perhaps a slight alt-country influence, but this is subtle and is also mixed with a minor hint of Belle & Sebastian. The title-track, fittingly, takes every aspect shown by the album's other songs and combines them, perhaps giving a perfect snapshot of where the band were at during the time of recoding. It's another fine track on a record which doesn't really have any low points whatsoever. Signing off on this stage of their career is 'Long Story Short', a song that details with an ending ("You and I we got history, many tales to tell...") and then they're gone. 'The Invisible Ray' will most likely become a lost treasure. We just hope that in a few years it's uncovered and given the respect it deserves."

credits

released October 7, 2013

Written and recorded by Nigel Parrington
Els D'hooge - BVs, accordion

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The Low Countries UK

The Low Countries are the off-road vehicle for songwriter-singer Nigel Parrington. Nigel is currently performing with Els D'hooge in Belgium after enjoying a heady 5 year run of full band activity in the UK.

'indie-folk at its best...' Folk Radio UK

'Blissfully wonderful music' Beehive Candy

'They make literate, clever music that makes Belle and Sebastian look like a bunch of thugs' Popshifter ... more

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