Half Deaf Clatch - A Secret Life

Size: 107.9 MB
Time: 46:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Taproot (1:45)
02. Sylvan (6:26)
03. Storm (4:20)
04. Petrichor (2:21)
05. Outlaw (4:03)
06. War (5:11)
07. Garden (5:39)
08. Raven (4:37)
09. Winter (5:14)
10. Renewal (6:35)

Last year I found mysef thinking about trees, their life span, events that could have happened around them, events we know nothing about, because obviously trees can't talk. But what if one could, what stories could it tell? That's the premise for this album in a nutshell, imagining a fictious tree and telling the stories this silent observer could have witnessed.

Musically you could call this album 'Folk Blues','Gothic Americana' or even 'Chamber Blues', but I'll leave genre definition to those who think such things are important, I just sat with a guitar and wrote music I loved playing. I wanted this album to sound organic, so everything is first take recordings, 'mistakes' and all, tempos rising and falling with the flow of the music, making a connection with the guitar and the songs in my head, after all the guitar was once part of a tree itself!

After listening to 'A Secret Life' if just one person stops and looks at a tree to ponder the things it could have witnessed I'll consider this album an unmitigated success.

A Secret Life MP3
A Secret Life FLAC

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Half Deaf Clatch - Metamorphosis

Size: 97.2 MB
Time: 41:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. The Transmutation (3:58)
02. Song To A Dying Land (4:15)
03. While We Sleep (4:28)
04. New World Hell (3:46)
05. Three Fates (4:55)
06. Life On Tape (5:25)
07. She Walks As A Ghost (6:10)
08. The Alchemical Blues (4:45)
09. In The Dead Of Night (4:12)

Drawing on his obsession with pre-war country blues, Half Deaf Clatch (aka Andrew McLatchie) has been impressing audiences all over the UK for the last ten years with his raw down-home blues and his original song writing. Described as a Slide Stomp Blues Machine he was a finalist in the British Blues Awards eleven times between 2013 and 2016, and finalist in three categories of the UK Blues Awards in 2018 and 2020. He is currently a finalist in the 2021 UK Blues Awards for Acoustic Artist of the Year.

Metamorphosis MP3
Metamorphosis FLAC

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Half Deaf Clatch - Dr Bloodwort's Nefarious Medicine Show

Released: 2018
Size: 119.7 MB
Time: 52:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

1. Roll Up! Roll Up! [3:56]
2. The Superlative Spiel [1:13]
3. The Miraculous Elixir [3:42]
4. All Part Of The Show [3:41]
5. Poor Sweet Eliza [3:00]
6. The Pertinent Prediction [2:07]
7. The Diabolical Doctor [3:28]
8. Something Sinister [5:16]
9. Behold! The Mesmereyes [4:10]
10. What's Your Poison? [4:01]
11. The Old Switcheroony [2:55]
12. Death Comes Calling [4:32]
13. A Twist In The Tale [3:44]
14. The Nefarious Show [6:18]

Drawing from his obsession with pre-war country blues, Half Deaf Clatch (aka Andrew McLatchie) has been impressing audiences all over the UK for the last seven years with his raw down-home blues sound and his original song writing. Described as a Slide Stomp Blues Machine he has been nominated in the finals of the British Blues Awards eleven times, and three times in the finals of the UK Blues Awards 2018.
Not one to rest on his laurels or shy away from a challenge, in 2017 Half Deaf Clatch pushed at the boundaries of traditional Blues when he released Crow Soul, a two-song ‘Gothic Blues concept album’ to wide-spread critical acclaim.
Half Deaf Clatch has graced the stages of most of the UK's top Blues events and festivals over the past seven years including; Hebden Bridge, Colne, Maryport, Broadstairs Blues Bash, Shetland and Orkney Blues Festivals – and has played on the daytime line-up of BluesFest at the O2 Arena in London on two separate occasions.

Dr Bloodwort's Nefarious Medicine Show

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Half Deaf Clatch - CrowSoul

Size: 102,4 MB
Time: 44:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Acoustic Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. Crowsoul (20:33)
02. Crowsoul, Pt. II (24:03)

"Releasing an album made up of just two songs could be seen as a very brave, or stupid thing to do nowadays..."

Thus spake the opening line to the press release for 'CrowSoul' by Half Deaf Clatch.

Very brave? Certainly. Stupid? Certainly not.

CrowSoul comprises two songs: Emissary, and The Reaping, each of which run for over twenty minutes.

Emissary is the first song, and opens the album with a delicate guitar instrumental that offers a Mississippi Delta Blues-esque thumb-picked bass line, coupled with delicate finger-picking and soaring slide guitar notes, married with a Spanish Flamenco feel and delivered at the tempo of a theme to a Spaghetti Western movie.

Trying to provide a written description of this unique music doesn't do justice to the sublime result of this apparent fusion of styles. This listener was hooked from the first note, and carried along for two blissful minutes.

And then, just when you think it can't get any better than this, Clatch begins to sing.

His voice is a force of nature. Blind Willie Johnson meets Charley Patton, opening the narrative of a biblical, apocalyptic tale of The CrowSoul arriving on earth to claim the souls of the sinful, the greedy, and the just plain bad.

The Reaping opens with the tolling of a bell behind a sombre slide guitar intro, the tone of which hints at the darkness of what is to come.

Clatch's superior musicianship and growling delivery is a match made in...well, maybe not heaven, but somewhere where the cool people live.

These are songs that will never make the mainstream charts - and that's a good thing because when the CrowSoul comes down, Clatch and his followers, and all who are like him will be the ones left behind to spread the word of great music born in dark places of the imagination, and performed from the heart.

An album comprising just two songs?

That is very brave. But not stupid. Not stupid at all.

Really bloody good ~Richard Wall

CrowSoul

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Half Deaf Clatch - Forever Forward

Size: 150,3 MB
Time: 64:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. Forever Forward (3:42)
02. You Can't Delete The Devil (5:12)
03. Strange Days (4:08)
04. One Big Sky (4:56)
05. No More (Hangover Blues) (5:40)
06. Contemplatin' Blues (4:27)
07. Omens (5:57)
08. Tempus Fugitive (3:10)
09. Ghost (8:36)
10. Pocket Watch (6:57)
11. Stop The World (5:44)
12. Looking Back (6:09)

Just for a change I thought I'd release an album that hasn't a story or clear concept, that being said there is a thread of time running throughout (I'm saying no more than that). Forever Forward is a collection of songs with a their roots firmly in the acoustic blues tradition, but with a mind to the continued evolution of the genre, like many modern musicians I'm inspired by the past whilst striving Forever Forward.

Half Deaf Clatch (a.k.a Andrew McLatchie) is one man with a guitar, slide, stompboard and some songs. Playing resonator blues and stamping on a homemade amplified plank o' wood just for the sheer hell of it. He combines the influence of the Delta and Hill Country Blues of Mississippi with a contemporary alternative edge.
Since his first gig in December 2010 Half Deaf Clatch has played over 50 shows, including The East Yorkshire Custom Bike Rally (once on the main stage, then as an invited special guest in the VIP enclosure), The Springboard Music festival, The Trinity Music Festival and recently played two extremely well recieved sets at The Beverley Blues Festival.

Forever Forward

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Half Deaf Clatch - Simple Songs For These Complicated Times

Size: 98,5 MB
Time: 33:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Acoustic Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. The Hush Blues (1:39)
02. The Blinkered Blues (3:17)
03. The Lost Blues (2:22)
04. The River Blues (3:57)
05. The Undertow Blues (3:00)
06. The Exodus Blues (3:06)
07. The Apocalypse Blues (4:45)
08. The Struggle Blues (3:42)
09. The Countdown Blues (4:29)
10. The Elysian Blues (2:58)

Originally I envisaged this release as 'The Apocalypse Blues EP,' featuring the title song and three other tracks all thematically related to each other. It has grown into a full length album and I'm very happy that it has. All of the album shares a common theme, which can be stark and downbeat at times...but as a reflection on worldwide events and society in general, it's hard for it to be anything else. I have tried to inject a little humour here and there though, so it's not all doom and gloom. I enjoyed writing and recording this special project very much, I hope you enjoy listening to it too. - Clatch

Simple Songs For These Complicated Times

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Half Deaf Clatch - The Life And Death Of A.J. Rail

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:13
Size: 108.1 MB
Styles: Roots/blues
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. Old Time Rail
[4:16] 2. Boxcar Bulldogs
[4:56] 3. 1927 Flood
[5:47] 4. Boneyard Bound
[3:15] 5. Long Gone Friends
[4:18] 6. Revelation Road
[4:29] 7. Make Your Own Way
[4:06] 8. 1930 Drought
[2:59] 9. No Hallelujahs
[5:00] 10. The Ballad Of A.J. Rail
[3:39] 11. Singing With Old Scratch
[2:08] 12. The End

Written over the course of a year, and recorded in two days. The Life and Death of A.J Rail is a one man Blues & Roots concept album, in the raw downhome style of a by-gone age.

"I love this album from start to finish - the concept, the songs and the instrumentation. The Life and Death of A.J Rail is Clatch’s next logical step – and a huge step up it is too. A career defining album at this point in his career may be surprising, but Clatch’s drive, determination, and – most importantly – talent leave me in no doubt that this is THE ONE. If there is any justice this will be the album to move Clatch even further up in the blues scene - not just in the UK but Internationally. It is really that good. It paints fantastic pictures in my head of those tough times - always in black & white - dust, roads, travelling, life stories, death stories, everything. Wow! This is Clatch’s best work yet and deserves to be huge... And it will be!". ~Gary Grainger

The Life And Death Of A.J. Rail mc
The Life And Death Of A.J. Rail zippy

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Half Deaf Clatch - 2 albums: Eat Sleep Stomp Repeat / The Blues Continuum

Album: Eat Sleep Stomp Repeat
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:00
Size: 100.8 MB
Styles: Acoustic delta blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:30] 1. Dancing In The Rain
[3:42] 2. Big Plans In A Small Town
[2:56] 3. Well Well
[3:01] 4. Let Her Go
[2:42] 5. Good Ol' Diablo
[2:56] 6. Hypertension Blues
[3:05] 7. Tumbledown Blues
[4:06] 8. Hard Times Make Me Harder
[3:21] 9. Little Babe
[4:20] 10. Don't Mess With Fred
[2:47] 11. Ol' Death Train
[3:10] 12. Application For A Licence (To Play The Blues)
[3:17] 13. I'm No Superman

Half Deaf Clatch (a.k.a Andrew McLatchie) is one man with a guitar, a slide, a stompboard and some songs. Playing resonator blues and stomping on a homemade amplified butchers block, he combines the influence of the Delta and Hill Country Blues of Mississippi with a contemporary alternative edge to produce some wonderful sounds. He writes, records and produces all his own work from home.

Eat Sleep Stomp Repeat

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Album: The Blues Continuum
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 40:41
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Acoustic delta blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Storm Brewin'
[4:37] 2. Hill Country Rain
[3:42] 3. Get Your Stomp On
[4:23] 4. Movin' On
[2:48] 5. R. J. Blues
[4:24] 6. Deathly Blue
[3:20] 7. Bury My Bones
[3:13] 8. If The Cap Fits
[3:11] 9. Good Things
[3:56] 10. Go It Alone
[3:39] 11. Movin' On (Banjolele Version)

"With the relative success of ‘A Road Less Travelled’ (the most played album by British Blues DJ’s over the last 12 months) some may see this new album, 'The Blues Continuum’ as that notoriously difficult second album. Those same people will have the pleasure of discovering that there’s quite a deep back catalogue that they can discover - and discover it they should! Having discovered that catalogue, the evidence that this album is a progression will become clear. There’s sweet backing vocals and harmonies, a seldom heard banjo and, most importantly, an increased depth in the songwriting. There’s songs here that will lift you up, songs that will make you dance (or should that be stomp?), songs that will leave you thoughtful and there’s even a well crafted ballad of sorts in ‘Go It Alone’. But definitely do not take my word for it. Slide this silver disc into your CD player or load the MP3s into your media player and let the music wash over you. This is, to use business parlance, a grower - and with each listen you’ll find something new.

Half Deaf Clatch is an artist who is maturing and, quite rightly, whose popularity is increasing. As it gets repeated plays by all the Blues DJs (which it surely will), 'The Blues Continuum' will be a strong contender for album of the year. If this was that difficult second album then it’d be the one that broke the artist through to broad appeal. Here’s hoping, as I’m already looking forward to queuing up to buy the next one!" ~Richard Dunning

The Blues Continuum

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