Record of the Month: Delving into the beauty of Bill Ryder-Jones’ masterpiece ‘Iechyd Da’
Good things come to those who wait. It took Bill Ryder-Jones four years and a whole load of life’s “shit sandwiches” to arrive at Iechyd Da, but now, like the rest of the world, he has been graciously affirmed by its roaring, gentle beauty. “I’m just blown away by the reception Iechyd Da has received,” he humbly tells us. “It means a great deal to have people point out the parts of it that I spent a lot of time on.”
All this sweating over the small stuff seems to pertain to the soul of the record rather than any nerdy over-production. It’s getting the tone right and dictating the scope that Ryder-Jones has tirelessly mulled over. And he has triumphed in this capacity. This is why his new album has been crowned our Record of the Month.
Originality is an overvalued word in music these days—it is immediately bellied by the fact that the second you strive for it is the same second you surrender honesty, and as is often the case, you usually wind up manufacturing dissonance to create a point of difference. Bill hasn’t bothered with that on Iechyd Da, not because he simply doesn’t like “angry guitars” but because he wanted to offer up a sincere and authentic experience—originality follows by virtue of that heartfelt pursuit.
You get an impression of that unabating sincerity throughout the album. He offers specifics about American Dad and favourite TV shows throughout, ensuring that this is a very personal affair. In the process, he makes it feel more relatable and communal, allowing you to see yourself and your own circumstances somewhere amid his.
This is one of the many paradoxes that the record prides itself on. It feels both huge and yet very small, like the dust-like spray of the ocean as you stand on a peer. It also feels mightily profound and yet humanly tender, like a feather that floats towards a windowpane and shatters it on impact. Its scope is as orchestral and vast as Ennio Morricone, and yet when you hit pause, give it a breather, and return to it in hindsight, your mind has ascribed it as a folk album.
“The arrangements and scope of the thing in particular,” Ryder-Jones points out as a source of pride. “Being able to actually make music and express yourself fully within it is itself a blessing but this record means a great deal more than any other to me.” That was showcased by the title alone, a Welsh phrase for ‘good health’, that also serves as a reminder of the music that has saved him in the past (the title is also the name of a song by his favourite band Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci).
Wales was also the place where his older brother, Daniel, lost his life aged nine. All of this and more surges out in a sweet swell of reconciliation as Ryder-Jones chooses love. In this way, it feels like his own personal epic, and something about that renders it deeply touching and motivational. It’s an album that sounds like jogging by the sea feels.
Reflecting on what the album means to him and the masses at large, Ryder-Jones concludes: “It’s so easy to focus on and ruminate over the things we can’t do or don’t have… so seeing this thing that truly kept me going over the last few years be met with so much love has been not only great for my sense of self but also leaves me fairly positive about the future. Thanks”.
Release Date: 12 January | Producer: Bill Ryder-Jones | Label: Domino Records
