Richard Reed Parry Announces Two Solo Albums, New Music Video

Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry has announced two new solo albums. The multi-instrumentalist and composer will release Quiet River of Dust Vol. 1 on Sept. 21, followed by Quiet River of Dust Vol. 2 on March 20, 2019.

The albums follow Parry’s 2014 solo release Music for Heart and Breath, his first classical composition. Parry collaborated with The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dessner, Nico Muhly and members of Kronos Quartet, using stethoscopes to create an album paced by their own heartbeats.

Parry shared an animated music video for two songs from the new album, titled “Sai No Kawara (River of Death)” and “On the Ground.” The tracks were inspired by a recent trip to Japan and the Buddhist myths that Parry learned there.

In a statement, the composer explained that inspiration for “On the Ground” came out of an encounter with a supernatural voice in a forest near the sacred mountain Koya-S?n in Japan: “[I was] alone in this magical environment of giant cedar trees and hearing a loud chorus of powerful harmony singing that sounded inexplicably identical to my late father’s folk band the Friends of Fiddler’s Green, who were the soundtrack to my entire childhood and upbringing.”

Watch the official music video for “Sai No Kawara (River of Death) / On the Ground” below, and read Paste’s review of Music for Heart and Breath here.