You may know Jamie Lidell from any number of projects over the years, whether it be his early IDM work in the duo Super_Collider, his pop-soul solo records spanning the aughts through the mid-’10s, or his contributions to iconic albums by Feist, Lianne La Havas, and Mura Masa (or even his recent return alongside RJD2). A decade since relocating from his native UK to Nashville, Lidell is beginning yet another chapter later this summer with his first album since 2016 with Places of Unknowing, an experimental recording in the sense that it displays his chops on piano, which he learned during the pandemic, and lyrics written by his wife.
Following the release of the project’s lead single “The Center,” today we’re getting another composition that balances a live-band feel with searching, “mantra-like” lyrics confined to the track’s final moments. “‘How Do I Land’ is about a life of uncertainty, where unconditional love and support that should have been there simply wasn’t,” Lidell shares, noting that the lyrics were a last-minute addition to the song. “That idea of falling and being caught (or not!) is where I feel I put my attention. So much anxiety seems to stem from a life of trying to fit in and feeling the ways of society’s demands. The old square peg in a round hole effect. That’s a separate issue, really, but it’s all in the mix. I was certainly left to my own devices a fair bit and in the heady spin of my mind I often felt lost at sea. Having solid markers in an autistic mind can really stop the panic.”
Regarding the piano lying at the forefront of the track, Lidell adds that it was a long journey to learning the instrument, rather than continuing to explore the mystery of composition. “I recall a podcast interview I did with the guitarist Matt Sweeney,” he says. “He was telling me that the punk in him had resisted learning technique on his instrument, but finally he caved and studied finger-picking and that opening and learning really defined his whole career and gave him so much pleasure. I still grapple with it all. Unlocking my own old songs and simply singing and playing for the first time left me in tears (of joy!). I’ll be honest, I can’t really play anymore. I’d love to get back into it.”
Check out the video for the new track below.
