SGÀILE

Sgàile is the artistic endeavour of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, of which Avantgarde Music released the overlooked, yet greatly crafted debut Ideals & Morality in december 2021. Two years later, the talented Scot is back with his sophomore opus, Traverse The Bealach, which he describes as follows.

“When I started the Sgàile project in 2018, and through the writing and recording of Ideals & Morality, I wasn’t sure that anyone would take to the style, or even care. This time around I knew I had a small audience that enjoyed what I was doing so I felt free to create from pure instinct. 

With that freedom came focus and direction, which led me to create a concept album, a venture that I had never previously attempted. What this did was create a driven narrative that brought a maturity to the Sgàile sound.

Through the recording process, there was a feeling of refinement, taking the lessons I learned from Ideals & Morality and carefully honing them to improve the overall production. Working with Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Remina) for a second time really helped to pin down the sonic quality that I was looking for. 

The story of Traverse The Bealach is that of a nomadic traveller in post-apocalyptic Scotland, trying to figure out his fate and facing the elements while travelling north, battling inner demons along the way. Thematically, the inspiration came from the events of the pandemic, our ongoing battle with climate change, and my fascination with long distance trekking.”

100 copies LTD black vinyl

Sgàile is the solo project of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, a venture that was a long time in the making due to Dunn’s commitments with other bands such as Falloch, Cnoc An Tursa and Saor. “For almost a decade, I had concentrated on playing other people's songs, singing other people's lyrics, and not feeling that I had an identity of my own. The name Sgàile means "ghost" or "shade" in Gaelic, and this was born from the fact that I didn't quite "fit in" with the Scottish Black Metal scene that these bands were an integral part of”.

In August 2018, Dunn parted ways with Saor in an amicable manner. It was then and there that “I decided to really concentrate on putting out a body of work that I could put my own name to and be proud of”. Sgàile was officially born. Ideals & Morality was conceived, composed and recorded in most of its parts in late 2019/early 2020. At this point Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Light Field Reverie) was brought on board for the mixing and mastering. “He had a look at the quality of the recordings, and gave me a great deal of advice, so much that in late summer 2020 we decided the best course of action was to re-record all of the guitars and bass from scratch. So in essence, Ideals & Morality was recorded twice”. 

Musically and lyrically, Sgàile’s debut is an emotional record. “It is a record that I feel is both melancholy and quite dark in places, but uplifting and inspiring in others, as during the recording sessions I felt like I was in quite a low place at times mentally, but the actual writing process itself lifted my spirits. I feel that the album certainly has the potential to both haunt and elate in equal measure”. Lyrically, it's almost a stream of consciousness of various aspects of Tony’s psyche, dealing with his love for Scottish mountains (“The Summit”), the feeling of becoming a parent (“Instinct”) or even the experiences of the past decade (“Facade”). Every song comes from its own background, making Ideals & Morality a multifaceted experience. “The album is almost like a peek at what goes on inside my head. My ideals and my moral compass are what have guided me on my path as an artist since being thrust into the music industry and will stick with me through the rest of my journey, wherever that may lead”.

200 copies, Olive green with black vinyl

Sgàile is the solo project of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, a venture that was a long time in the making due to Dunn’s commitments with other bands such as Falloch, Cnoc An Tursa and Saor. “For almost a decade, I had concentrated on playing other people's songs, singing other people's lyrics, and not feeling that I had an identity of my own. The name Sgàile means "ghost" or "shade" in Gaelic, and this was born from the fact that I didn't quite "fit in" with the Scottish Black Metal scene that these bands were an integral part of”.

In August 2018, Dunn parted ways with Saor in an amicable manner. It was then and there that “I decided to really concentrate on putting out a body of work that I could put my own name to and be proud of”. Sgàile was officially born. Ideals & Morality was conceived, composed and recorded in most of its parts in late 2019/early 2020. At this point Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Light Field Reverie) was brought on board for the mixing and mastering. “He had a look at the quality of the recordings, and gave me a great deal of advice, so much that in late summer 2020 we decided the best course of action was to re-record all of the guitars and bass from scratch. So in essence, Ideals & Morality was recorded twice”. 

Musically and lyrically, Sgàile’s debut is an emotional record. “It is a record that I feel is both melancholy and quite dark in places, but uplifting and inspiring in others, as during the recording sessions I felt like I was in quite a low place at times mentally, but the actual writing process itself lifted my spirits. I feel that the album certainly has the potential to both haunt and elate in equal measure”. Lyrically, it's almost a stream of consciousness of various aspects of Tony’s psyche, dealing with his love for Scottish mountains (“The Summit”), the feeling of becoming a parent (“Instinct”) or even the experiences of the past decade (“Facade”). Every song comes from its own background, making Ideals & Morality a multifaceted experience. “The album is almost like a peek at what goes on inside my head. My ideals and my moral compass are what have guided me on my path as an artist since being thrust into the music industry and will stick with me through the rest of my journey, wherever that may lead”.

Six panels digipak CD

Sgàile is the solo project of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, a venture that was a long time in the making due to Dunn’s commitments with other bands such as Falloch, Cnoc An Tursa and Saor. “For almost a decade, I had concentrated on playing other people's songs, singing other people's lyrics, and not feeling that I had an identity of my own. The name Sgàile means "ghost" or "shade" in Gaelic, and this was born from the fact that I didn't quite "fit in" with the Scottish Black Metal scene that these bands were an integral part of”.

In August 2018, Dunn parted ways with Saor in an amicable manner. It was then and there that “I decided to really concentrate on putting out a body of work that I could put my own name to and be proud of”. Sgàile was officially born. Ideals & Morality was conceived, composed and recorded in most of its parts in late 2019/early 2020. At this point Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Light Field Reverie) was brought on board for the mixing and mastering. “He had a look at the quality of the recordings, and gave me a great deal of advice, so much that in late summer 2020 we decided the best course of action was to re-record all of the guitars and bass from scratch. So in essence, Ideals & Morality was recorded twice”. 

Musically and lyrically, Sgàile’s debut is an emotional record. “It is a record that I feel is both melancholy and quite dark in places, but uplifting and inspiring in others, as during the recording sessions I felt like I was in quite a low place at times mentally, but the actual writing process itself lifted my spirits. I feel that the album certainly has the potential to both haunt and elate in equal measure”. Lyrically, it's almost a stream of consciousness of various aspects of Tony’s psyche, dealing with his love for Scottish mountains (“The Summit”), the feeling of becoming a parent (“Instinct”) or even the experiences of the past decade (“Facade”). Every song comes from its own background, making Ideals & Morality a multifaceted experience. “The album is almost like a peek at what goes on inside my head. My ideals and my moral compass are what have guided me on my path as an artist since being thrust into the music industry and will stick with me through the rest of my journey, wherever that may lead”.