Neil Halstead

Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician, widely known as singer, primary lyricist, and guitarist of shoegazing band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as “one of Britain's most respected songwriters",[1] and Time Out as "one of Britain's greatest songwriters".[2]

Neil Halstead
Neil Halstead performing at The Faversham, Leeds on 22 September 2008.
Background information
Born (1970-10-07) 7 October 1970
Reading, Berkshire, England
GenresAlternative rock, indie rock, shoegazing, dream pop, folk
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Associated actsThe Pumpkin Fairies, Slowdive, Zurich, Mojave 3, Black Hearted Brother

Career

Halstead was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He is a singer/guitarist and served as frontman and primary songwriter for the shoegazing band Slowdive, formed in 1989 out of his first band, the Pumpkin Fairies.[3] Slowdive released the albums Just for a Day (1991), Souvlaki (1993), Pygmalion (1995) and Slowdive (2017).

Halstead also recorded with a side project called Zurich with members of Seefeel and Knives ov Resistance; the trio's sole album was released in 2009.[4]

After their 1995 breakup, Slowdive morphed into the Halstead-helmed Mojave 3 and released a string of highly celebrated records that merged jangly alt-country with dusky psychedelic dream pop.

In 2006, Mojave 3 went on indefinite hiatus, prompting Halstead to embark on an acoustic-driven solo career marked by an emphasis on British folk-inspired melody and a love of surfing. An occasional drift into more whimsical territory prompted NME to describe Halstead as "like Syd Barrett if he’d ever set foot on a surf board". Halstead's first solo album, Sleeping on Roads, was released in 2001,[5][6][7] followed by Oh! Mighty Engine (2008), released on friend and fellow surfer Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. Halstead's third solo album, Palindrome Hunches, was released in 2012; it was described as "an exquisite set of dark folk music" by The Times,[8] while God Is In The TV called it "undoubtedly one of the finest British records released this year".[9]

Halstead formed the project Black Hearted Brother in 2013,[10] releasing one album, Stars Are Our Home.[11]

Slowdive, including Halstead, reformed in 2014, and released their fourth self-titled album in 2017.[12]

Solo discography

Studio albums
  • Sleeping on Roads (2001, 4AD)[5]
    1. Seasons – 05:23
    2. Two Stones in My Pocket – 04:27
    3. Driving With Bert – 06:17
    4. Hi-Lo and Inbetween – 04:47
    5. See You on Rooftops – 06:34
    6. Martha's Mantra (For the Pain) – 05:11
    7. Sleeping on Roads – 04:17
    8. Dreamed I Saw Soldiers – 06:20
    9. High Hopes – 05:04
  • Oh! Mighty Engine (2008, Brushfire)
  • Palindrome Hunches (2012, Brushfire)

Guest appearances

References
  1. "Neil Halstead - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  2. "Richard Winham Interviews Neil Halstead". Wutc.org. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. "The Pumpkin Fairies discography". RateYourMusic.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. "Important Records announces upcoming LPs by Ashley Paul, Zurich, Aidan Baker, and Mugstar + Damo Suzuki". Tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. Sleeping on Roads - Neil Halstead, AllMusic. "Release Date: January 28, 2002; Duration: 48:20"
  6. Neil Halstead: Sleeping on Roads, Amazon.com. "Release Date: January 28, 2002; Label: 4AD; Copyright: 2002 4AD Ltd; Length: 48:19"
  7. iTunes - Music - Sleeping on Roads by Neil Halstead. "Released: Jul 01, 2001; ℗ 2001 4AD; Length: 48:19"
  8. "Neil Halstead - Palindrome Hunches". Rough Trade. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  9. "Neil Halstead – Palindrome Hunches (Sonic Cathedral) - God Is In The TV". Godisinthetvzine.co.uk. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  10. "Black Hearted Brother: Stars Are Our Home". Popmatters.com. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  11. "The Quietus - Reviews - Black Hearted Brother". Thequietus.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  12. "New Album Announcement". Slowdiveofficial.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
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