Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan to unveil solo album next month in U.S.

I can't wait to hear this. The Blue Nile's Hats is one of the favorite releases of the 1980s...

Blue Nile frontman Paul Buchanan will release his already acclaimed solo debut full-length, Mid Air, in the U.S. on Oct. 30 via Essential Music. The U.S. edition will contain a bonus disc of alternate takes, a live recording and remixes from fellow Blue Nile member, Robert Bell.

Buchanan released Mid Air in Europe this past May and debuted at #14 on the UK sales chart. A sparse, intimate and stunning collection of songs, Buchanan largely abandoned the synthesizers that have marked the Blue Nile's sound throughout their four full-lengths, since their debut in 1983, putting his rich yet bruised voice, front and center, accompanied solely by piano and the occasional light strings, brass or whispered synth. Mid Air was written from a place of humility and wee-small-hours contemplation.

"You can struggle with your sense of entitlement," explains Buchanan. "You think, I'm not Coldplay - is this valid? There's a modesty that comes with that, but the upside is that many of the external pressures disappear and you start to feel dangerous as a songwriter again. You realize you're still in love with music and you remember why you're doing it."

Mid Air was recorded at Buchanan's home in Glasgow at a friend's house on the east coast of Scotland and at Gorbals Sound, a state of the art studio in Glasgow. Robert Bell dropped by to offer a few thoughts as the work neared completion, but Buchanan is the only musician on the record.

Track listing:

Disc One

1. Mid Air

2. Half The World

3. Cars In The Garden

4. Newsroom

5. I Remember You

6. Buy A Motor Car

7. Wedding Party

8. Two Children

9. Summer On Its Way

10. My True Country

11. A Movie Magazine

12. Tuesday

13. Fin De Siecle

14. After Dark

Disc Two

1. Have You Ever Been Lonely?

2. My True Country (piano version)

3. After Dark (instrumental)

4. Lost, Duty

5. Tuesday (instrumental)

6. Half The World (live)

7. A Movie Magazine (instrumental)

8. Buy A Motor Car (Elegance Remix)

9. God Is Laughing

paulbuchanan.com