…the music often hovers like some miasma in a churchyard; at times in tracks like ICA things get very “Pre Raph” in spirit.
…the music often hovers like some miasma in a churchyard; at times in tracks like ICA things get very “Pre Raph” in spirit.
http://cstrecords.com/cst094/ http://www.konkurrent.nl
It seems that Saltland’s LP can do without time; and could (if you’re in the mood) be presented as a perfect companion to idle along to, wrapped in the contemplative gloaming of the evening’s fire. But whilst the idea of dropping out of time (with the correct musical accompaniment) can be very appealling, our conduit here, I Thought It Was Us But It Was All Of Us, is also one of those records that glides through its playing time without you ever getting a real handle on it. Maybe we shouldn’t worry too much; as over describing it could lead to a critical over egging of a very simple pudding. Tracks like Hearts Mend, I Thought It Was Us or Unholy do little else than conjure up a sort of warm incohate fug of sound (though I’m sure Rebecca Foon has worked out these compositions to meticulously) where lots of mid textures and long drawn out, droney notes join forces with softly whispered vox.
Talking of vocals, Rebecca Foon’s got a very sweet, appealling voice that sometimes breaks through these layers of texture like a knife through butter. This sweetness is best heard in Colour The Night Sky, which balances a lovely melody against a plodding beat. Elsewhere Foon softly emotes a bunch of sweet nothings in tracks like ICA; but the most defined, “upfront” vocal line is found on Treehouse Schemes where Foon uses her voice to give shape to the whither my lady-isms that would otherwise gang up on this track.
Treehouse Schemes does have a simple beat that works to good effect, opening up the track and giving it a degree of light and shade. And when used, it is noticeable that the beat really helps; the opening track, Golden Alley boasts a steady rhythm which lends a strong frame to the minimal melody and the rich tonal meanderings. But – as I think I’ve hinted at all the way through this review – the music often hovers like some miasma in a churchyard; at times in tracks like ICA things get very “Pre Raph” in spirit, the notes and counterpoints combining to create a ghostly procession of music.
It’s the simple things, innit?