Grant-Lee Phillips - In The Hour Of Dust - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Several years ago, Grant-Lee Phillips found himself wandering the elegant halls of the Norton Simon Art Museum in Pasadena, California. Amid a collection of highly detailed Indian paintings, one piece stood out. He jotted a note in his notebook, struck by both the imagery and the ominous title. That entry would eventually inspire the name of his 12th solo album In the Hour of Dust.InchA common theme throughout Indian poetry and painting,Inch Phillips explains, Inchis this concept of 'the hour of cow dust.' It's that moment when cows are led home and kick up dust; a cue to prepare the lamps. Night is about to fall.InchWhile Phillips doesn't shy away from today's larger societal issues, In the Hour of Dust is an intimate, self-produced album. It's stripped-down musical presentation and often autobiographical lyrics reflect personal reckonings, all set Inchagainst this larger discordant backdrop.InchLike many, Phillips grapples with staying afloat in the chaos of modern life. For him, songwriting is a way to push back against the encroaching dark - to light the lamps and find a path forward, for both himself and his listeners.InchWe can focus on all the various freedoms being threatened,Inch Phillips says, Inchthings we might've taken for granted a year or two ago. But eventually, it comes back to very human, primal things. I don't see songs of love and songs of protest as that far apart. It's all about recognizing the value of connection in a disconnected time.Inch