- Label: 'Last Night From Glasgow'
- Genre: 'Folk'
- Release Date: '23.1.26.'
Our Rating:
Greetings from Gartnavel is Amy Duncan's Ninth album and is an album of songs written by David Paton, most of which were written while he was in Gartnavel Psychiatric Hospital being treated for Schizophrenia. The album was produced by Paul McGeechan and Mark Freegard. Amy plays all the instruments apart from Electric guitar and synthesizer played by Graeme Milleron.
The album opens with Phantasmagoria a beautifully wistful folk song, for someone whose bitten off more than they can chew, feeling the need to slowly pick her guitar while ordering her thoughts on what happened.
I Feel A Little Lightheaded not sure what has caused it, while being grateful for a visitor bringing you apples, wondering about the spectral light they can see in the corridors at certain times of day, fixated on small glimpses of joy within the despair.
The Path Ahead (Crossroads) is deeply reflective of the choices you have at those crossroads, when you believe all paths lead to hell, so which path to choose, slow hushed vocals, effortlessly beautiful and serene, despite the tumultuous feelings consuming them.
I Am Ashamed a barely there slow folk song of lucid dreams of the pain of admitting your unwell and in need of care attention and specialist help to recover, the shame you feel for not being able to cope with modern life.
Pleasant And Forgiving is how you hope the world will be with you if everything becomes too much, over the gently suggestive piano delving into the self-reflection, hoping to make progress in quelling all your fears.
A Cautionary Undertow asks questions about infinity and different ways friends and family interpret your difficulties. I Hope That I Can Be Redeemed begins acapella, sounding like Amy is singing in a huge chapel, with gentle piano accompanying her pleas for redemption, looking for a way forward to leaving hospital and rejoining society.
Reconcile is so sparse while asking if you'll live or die, will you make it through another day and night. Tomorrow Can't Come Late Enough is David's thoughts on losing his brother to suicide, wondering how he's made it through another day, dealing with the pain and sorrow, can he ever forgive or feel forgiven, does that pain ever leave you, no matter how strong you may be, just making it through another day might be as good as it gets.
I Can't ever get over the feelings of not being able to control events that are totally out of your control, despite desperately wanting too. How do you stop events catching up with you, the gently plucked guitar hinting at the netherworld of despair you're fighting, trying to stop everything overwhelming you.
The Big Sadness that never seems to leave your side, surrounded by beautiful music and calm gentle feelings of love among your feelings of contrition at seeing The Big Sadness that will forever be imprinted on your life's memory reels.
The album closes with The Diminution a sparing reflection of pain subsiding slowly, will euphoria ever be your friend once more once all the grieving stops consuming you, while you navigate through the troubled times.
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