Vashti Bunyan

Vashti Bunyan’s Lookaftering is 20 years old. To mark the occasion, and also Vashti’s 80th birthday, an expanded edition is released. As well as the original studio album itself, the second disc features demo versions, alternate takes, and live performances of all the original album tracks. This edition also comes with sleeve notes from Vashti, producer Max Richter, Devendra Banhart and a 16-page lyric booklet featuring a collection of paintings by Vashti's daughter Whyn Lewis – paintings that closely, and coincidentally, reflected the lyrics of the album. Vashti says “the beautiful photograph of Max in the studio playing wine glasses with his young daughter’s violin bow, brings it all back to me - how very fortunate I have been.” Dating from 2001 to 2005, the demos were recorded at home by Vashti, accompanying herself on acoustic and electric guitar and experimenting with synths – from piano to strings, pipe organ, harmonium, recorders and accordion. The sound is, of course, stripped back compared to that of the finished album, but the live version of Lately recorded at an early “comeback” gig in L.A. in 2006, orchestrated as on the record, is absolutely pitch perfect.