The Longest Day

Guitarist Toby Hay hails from near Rhayader on the Welsh border. Its atmosphere permeates his second instrumental album; it's dreamy, elusive and appears to have all the time in the world.

Hay's debut, The Gathering, only came out last year, but he has already developed a name for creating ethereal sounds that are rooted in a sense of place. It puts him within the wider explosion within the arts that is informed by a study of the natural world. On this second outing, Hay ties his handkerchief to a stick and sets out for wider horizons, with songs inspired by his touring experience in Chicago and Montana, as well as a reflection on summertime in Boscastle in Cornwall. But the melodic air of the open mid-Welsh grasslands never really leaves this record, where Hay is joined by fellow musical travellers Aidan Thorne on double bass, Mark O'Connor on drums, saxophonist Greg Sterland and violinist David Grubb.