Ker’s “Wondering on Giants” Marks the First Step Toward “Converging Paths”

A reflective debut single from the Scottish songwriter introduces a thoughtful new voice preparing his first full-length album

From a quiet corner of Scotland comes a project several years in the making. Ker — the musical identity of producer and songwriter Barry G. K. Thomson — has released “Wondering on Giants,” the first public glimpse of a forthcoming 13-track debut album titled Converging Paths. It is an understated unveiling, yet one that carries the weight of someone arriving at music later in life with conviction, care, and the unfaltering sense that this new chapter has been waiting patiently for its moment.

Ker’s story begins not in studios or rehearsal rooms, but in the long arc of influence that shaped him well before he ever picked up a guitar. A childhood stirred by the crackle of a 78rpm Elvis record, a glimpse of The Beatles on an Edinburgh airport tarmac in 1964, and the presence of artists like Hendrix, Dylan, Neil Young, and the expansive sound worlds of Yes and Pink Floyd — all of these found their place in the background, remaining dormant until the time was right. That time arrived unexpectedly in 2014 in a music shop in Kalispell, Montana, where a simple decision to start learning the guitar quietly set this entire project in motion.

From there, a path unfolded. Local musicians offered guidance. Songs emerged — first in the country tradition, then gradually widening toward Ker’s own interests in melody, narrative, and atmospheric sound. A garden studio was built, piano studies began, and the first outlines of an album took shape. Throughout, he maintained a songwriter’s curiosity: Why do some phrases resonate? What makes a melody linger? And how might lyrics reflect personal experience without becoming overly confessional? Converging Paths is his answer to those questions, and “Wondering on Giants” serves as the opening note of that larger conversation.

The single introduces listeners to Ker’s methodical yet instinctive songwriting. It is centered on the timeless, almost mythic relationship between human beings and the vastness of the natural world. Hills, mists, ridgelines, and ancient stone share the frame with the people who climb them — a three-sided dialogue between man, mountains, and the elemental forces that challenge both. The language is modest, not ornamental, but the imagery lands with clarity: “Rocks and boulders lace the hills… Heavy mists, low-lying clouds… Shroud the mighty peaks…”

There is an unhurried confidence here, a sense of someone writing about spaces he knows well. The production, helmed by Jamie Graham, allows each element to breathe — from Pete Fairbairn's grounding bass lines and textured keyboard work to Graham's own understated percussion and vocal support. The song’s early foundations were first captured in a recording by Andrew Entwistle, whose work provided the initial shape that Graham later refined in the final mix.

The Highlands and the rugged terrain of Scotland are never mentioned outright, yet the atmosphere of the song places the listener firmly among those familiar ascents. “Wondering on Giants” carries the traits that appear throughout Ker’s work: steady pacing, clear melodic centers, and arrangements designed to support the lyric rather than eclipse it. It does not attempt to overwhelm the listener, instead inviting them to settle into its vista and stay a while.

This approach aligns closely with Ker’s stated aims for the album. The writing for Converging Paths — which includes the reflective “Lofty Thoughts,” the intimate “There Are No Words,” and the light, piano-led interlude “North Valley Stroll – Part 1” — focuses on subjects intended to resonate rather than provoke. Ker’s own tender guitar fills, woven subtly throughout, begin to hint at the distinctive musical identity he continues to cultivate. Equally important is the contribution of Pete Fairbairn, whose expressive playing on both keys and bass has become a defining part of the album’s texture. 

The hope is simple — that listeners leave the songs with a sense of ease, perhaps even nourished, and curious about the stories behind them. Ker aims to craft music with a gentle emotional lift, shaping lyrics and sentiments to genuinely connect with whoever finds their way to these songs. There is already mention of a second album forming in outline, suggesting that this is not a one-off venture but the beginning of ongoing creative work.

As a taster of Converging Paths, “Wondering on Giants” suggests that the album will balance clarity with contemplation — songs built from personal experience yet shaped to reach outward. It is a panorama rendered in sound, a reflection on the pull of the natural world, and a marker of the direction the creator intends to follow. 

And as Ker steps onto his own converging path — from early influences, to an unexpected turning point in Montana, to a garden studio — this first single carries a fitting sentiment: that some journeys begin not with a grand moment, but with a small, undeviating ascent toward something that has been waiting just beyond view.

In time, the album will arrive. But for now, the path begins here, with a songwriter finding his footing among the giants.