Church of Tenderness

Released 26 February 2026

Church of Tenderness is my first full length album in a few years. Over the past year I lost my father, and my young son was diagnosed with autism. I’ve had a lot on my plate, and I have tried to process it by working. There is a strong Spanish/flamenco flavour in a few of the pieces, as well as some darker (one might even say funereal) pieces more in the post-rock and ambient space. I continue to be enamoured with odd time signatures and it shows.

Also, you can hear my first attempt at playing the blues – and in the company of an actual guitar legend! By pure serendipity, I met and played with Chris Spedding, who should need no introduction. He is a living legend of British popular music, having played as a session guitarist with some of the most important artists of the century: Paul McCartney, Elton John, Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music), John Cale (of Velvet Underground), Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker (both of Cream), Nick Mason (of Pink Floyd), Art Garfunkel (of Simon & Garfunkel), and Roger Daltrey (of The Who). That’s on top of his own solo career (10+ albums). Playing and recording with him was an honour and a privilege.

These pieces were born either while busking and improvising in Bishops Park, or by fooling around with my guitar, pedalboard and amp at home. But I’ve never wanted to be a bedroom guitarist, and I seek out collaborations and live performance eagerly.

For the audio engineering side of things, I am partnering up with my friend David Llewellyn.

Brant, my favourite jazz cat, is here on trumpet once again.

The wonderful Emilija contributed on kankles (an ancient Lithuanian instrument which to me evokes Baltic and Slavic mysticism and wizardry).

The phenomenal Silvio Centamore contributed percussion on a few pieces, and really rather elevated them. This is another first for me.

Agall Koe, an Italian singer living in Japan, provided wordless vocals on the piece “Bishops Park” (obviously inspired by the place that means so much to me).

The gifted drummer Francesca Prattico (so many Italians on this record!) plays drums on the piece “De Profundis” – it is a darker track which really benefits from added percussion.

Sebastián Greschuk from Argentina (now based in Basel) plays trumpet and flugelhorn on Sleepless in Sofia – I was going for a nocturnal, neo-noir kind of flavour, and I think his contribution was vital.

Last but not least, the wonderfully talented Zhana Viel and Gerry Aneva both tried their hand at creating the album artwork – I ended up using Zhana’s interpretation of my concept. Gerry then proceeded to handle the packaging design of the CD with exceptional artistic instinct.

Released February 26, 2026

Aleksandar Vasilkov Composition & Guitars

David Llewellyn Production & Piano

Chris Spedding Electric Guitar
Brant Tilds Trumpet
Emilija Karaliūtė Kanklės
Silvio Centamore Percussion
Sebastián Greschuk Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Agall Koe Voice

Zhana Viel Artwork
Gerry Aneva Packaging Design

Special thanks to Martina.
In loving memory of Kiril Vasilkov.

Recorded in London Oct’2024 – Jan’2026.

Church of Tenderness on Bandcamp.
Church of Tenderness on Spotify.

Diamonds and Rust

Released 04 September 2022

This is a new arrangement of “Diamonds and Rust”, the timeless folk masterpiece by Joan Baez. My version is of course very stripped-down and lean, but I hope in a respectful and dignified way. There is a cheeky flamenco bit during the bridge – I simply couldn’t help myself.

Diamonds and Rust on Bandcamp.

Of Time and the River

Released 06 June 2022

Of Time and the River is the first composition in which I steer away from 4/4 and 3/4 (the most commonly used time signatures in Western music) and venture into 9/8 – a trickier, uneven metre. I tried to create a slow, meandering piece with hidden depths. Mr. Lloyd Marshall made a vital contribution on the clarinet. Mr. Fabio Maiorano mixed and mastered the recording in his studio in Valencia. Mr. Christo Stankulov provided the artwork.

Of Time and the River on Bandcamp

Sinnerman

Released 07 December 2021

Sinnerman is a traditional spiritual song which has been performed and recorded by many outstanding artists, most notably Nina Simone. This version is in Alexander Kyd’s trademark style, Post-Nylon.

Message from Alexander:
I teach music in a prison. I help people who are currently in prison discover the guitar. In the morning, I pass through security and head towards the wings, which is where the cells are. I have 1-on-1 lessons with several people every day – sometimes in their cell, sometimes in a room on the wing. Needless to say, there is a lot of pain and darkness on these wings, so I like to think that my work is making their lives a little more tolerable. Obviously the main reason for the existence of my job is to increase rehabilitation and reduce reoffending. When I’m not in the prison, I work on my own musical projects, one of which is this cover of Sinnerman – obviously inspired by my prison work.

Click the Play button above to listen to Sinnerman.

Buy Sinnerman on Bandcamp

Rays that Heal

(“Лековити лъчи”)

The times are challenging, but joy and serenity need not be luxuries.

Raise your heels and let the rays heal you.

Cassis

The new album by Alexander Kyd is now available.

Тhe music explores immemorial mysteries, champions the organic before the mechanic, and unashamedly embraces nostalgia.

Listen here:

51 Pegasi

(“Коне и Космос”)

A musical work in two parts.

Stream it for free. If you love it, buy it.

Released 07 July 2018

Produced by David Llewellyn

Trumpet by Brant Tilds

Artwork by Sevda Semer

Obsidian

Five minutes of liquid smoke.

Stream it for free. If you love it, buy it.

Released 09 March 2018

Produced by David Llewellyn

Artwork by Sevda Semer

These Waters Remember

(“Запомнили води”)

Stream it for free, own it for £2 or more.

Produced by David Llewellyn

Vocals by Deborah Eckman

Artwork by Sevda Semer

Live at Forum Station is a live recording of me playing at Forum Station (duh) in Copenhagen.

It’s my way of paying homage to a beautiful place.

I spent countless hours busking there, I honed my skills, and met some great people.

Forum is more than a metro station to me.

I feel like I know it better than anyone.

Engineered by Ricko Vesterlund

Artwork by Martina Skrobanska (ednamartina.com)

Special thanks to Ingegerd Andersen at the Metro Kundeservice for her enthusiasm and support.

Dedicated to Martina.

Push the orange button and listen for free.

Western Plans is my debut album. As you might expect, it’s charmingly amateurish. It’s a collection of early works for solo acoustic guitar. Some of the pieces have since been re-composed and re-recorded as part of other releases. For example, Rays that Heal is a radical remake of a much older piece called Rice which can be found on Western Plans.

Produced by Ricko Vesterlund.
Artwork by Martina Skrobanska.
Recorded in Copenhagen in the autumn of 2011.