With his surprising first solo album Edmund November, Edmund Lauret (Nordmann, Kosmo Sound, The Milk Factory) returns to his British roots and the music he grew up with. He also debuts as a singer. “I had been making solo songs for a while, but that process was accelerated during the corona period,” he says. “I think there has always been a singer inside of me and now it has come out.”
It is striking that while we know him as a jazz guitarist, Edmund November is clearly influenced by music from the sixties and seventies, the songs he grew up with. As a young guitarist, Edmund was enthralled by Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, early Pink Floyd, and The Beatles.
His influences showed him how to master the balance between harmony and melody. This is how Lauret has always worked with his bands for the past fifteen years; in that sense, his solo work is no different.
Edmund November floats between psychedelic folk and melancholy pop. The songs were recorded live with minimal editing, which only adds to the liveliness of the record. Ten songs take the listener on a dreamy musical trip that showcases Edmund's singer-songwriter qualities.
The idyllic setting of the southern English countryside where Edmund and his band recorded the album undoubtedly had an impact on the organic, vintage British character of the music. The songs are open and expansive like the landscapes around the recording studio. The titles and lyrics also have an elusive character; Lauret prefers to leave them to the imagination of the listener.