Ruth Lyon’s spirit and powerful resilience permeate her successful solo musical career. Extensive charity work as a diversity and inclusion activist and accessibility campaigner establishes Ruth’s credentials as a role model for her generation.
As Ruth explains:
‘Wickerman’ lives in the borders between lucid dreaming and painful reality and I wrote this at a time I found myself alone yet haunted. The iconography of the burning wickerman evokes the chasing away of winter through fire and ceremony, welcoming the Spring; a re-seeding of soul into new light. Unraveling life changes can be disorientating, kicking up heavy questions to ask and the only answers I found were in time, nature and spirit. I wanted to be remembered and more importantly to remember myself.
The video reflects the muted nature of the production capturing these textures and loosely depicts a priest, a groom and a bride in an uncomfortable marriage of self – the rebinding of a knackered heart with the looming witness watching on unbiased, expressionless, dancing. Time creeping closer like the tide. There is no end to the seasons of healing.
Mixed by John Parish
Engineered by Oliver Baldwin at J&J studios
Mastered by Loud
Performed by Ruth Lyon (piano, strings, Clarinet)
John Parish (electric guitar)
Thomas Evans (drums, bass, percussion, acoustic guitar)
Videographer and editor Sel Maclean Lighting
Video assistant Roberto Colapietro
Dancer/Choreographer Matthew Fraser
Assistant Tommy Arch
Puppet by Tatwood Puppets
Published by Wipe Out Music
Distributed by Singing light
The scene is set with Ruth’s sumptuous introductory piano tones underpinned by Tommy’s empathetic and intricate percussion. Lyon’s vocals reflect her vulnerability, sincerity and honesty as she reflects on her acceptance of loss, heartbreak and what it means to be human.
Musical texture is added to the captivating rhythm as Ruth introduces strings and clarinet to the guitar and drums. One of England’s most influential producers, John Parish, has encouraged Ruth on this and earlier recordings to sing from her mind and emotions and not to sing like anyone else. Together with his tasteful guitar contributions, this advice contributes to the unique, very special and, at times, haunting and ethereal sound of “Wickerman.”
Ruth Lyon is an exceptional individual who not only pursues power in fragility and beauty in imperfection but also achieves these highest qualities.
This video and single are a precursor to a highly anticipated new project later in the year.
