Category Archives: On record

On Record – House And Land – Across The Field (Thrill Jockey)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

House And Land are from North Carolina, and Across The Field is their second album. The duo – guitarist and instrumentalist Sarah Louise Henson and fiddle / banjo player Sally Anne Morgan – present traditional folk music recast into today’s world.

What’s the music like?

Deceptive. If you listen to the first minute or two of Across The Field it is easy to underestimate the emotions House And Land are capable of conveying, but by the time you get to the rippling guitar of Rainbow Mid Life’s Willows you will have fallen hook, line and sinker for the duo’s fresh faced vocals and imaginative instrumental responses.

That song in particular hits the sweetest spot of emotion, with Morgan’s double-stopped fiddle the perfect foil to Henson’s vocal and 12-string acoustic guitar. It is a rich tapestry of colours, but these orchestrations never get in the way of the song’s message.

House and Land “Across the Field” Album Trailer from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

The heart of their music is Appalachia, the duo creating their landscape with delicate shades and colours, but some of their music draws from across the Atlantic. Blacksmith shows the duo’s homage to the great Shirley Collins, a close harmony duet over a drone which is then dressed with glockenspiel. There follows a powerful instrumental track Carolina Lady, from past Madison resident Dillard Chandler, which features earthy guitar and Morgan’s fiddle rising through the textures as it takes on an improvised air.

Collins is again the source for the final Ca The Yowes, and here Henson’s alto recorder sets the evocative scene, while Morgan’s banjo shadows the vocals. It is a haunting yet curiously uplifting coda to the album.

Does it all work?

Across The Field is a powerful and deeply personal piece of work. It may be that the voices are on occasion too shrill for headphone listeners, but that’s more a question of the listener acquainting themselves with the tones than the singers needing to compromise. The songs themselves retain their traditional heart but updated for today are very emotive and winningly sung. The inventive and constantly rewarding instrumentation is a treat, always responsive to the substance of each song.

Is it recommended?

Yes, and I speak as very much an occasional listener to folk music. Across The Field inhabits a rarefied space few albums are able to reach.

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Switched On – Georgia Anne Muldrow – VWETO II (Mello Music Group)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

VWETO II is the sequel to Georgia Anne Muldrow’s 2011 album. Like that release it is an instrumental piece of work, an intriguing melting pot of hip hop, jazz, R&B and soul. Its colourful artwork offers clues to the author’s inspiration and the mood of the album, for although it is largely down tempo VWETO II is positive in mood.

What’s the music like?

Subtly inventive. Nothing here is routine, but nor is it too challenging as Muldrow finds a really fertile ground between experimenting and producing really good, solid grooves. Often her rhythms are syncopated and this means they can stumble slightly, a practice used on first track Almost Trendy which actually ends up depicting a natural walk along the street.

This establishes the mood and tempo of the record, which is a lot of fun and always has something of interest. The enjoyable inventions with beats and colours include the wonky bass and general weirdness of Something Fun, the undulating piano and oblique chord progressions of Brokenfolks and the cool vibraphone and piano of Bass Attack Bap.

After the pleasingly brassy CV Jam Number 2, Emo Blues opens up darker hues, nicely led by its acoustic bass, and later on Mary Lou’s Motherboard explores the macabre side of Muldrow’s thinking.

Does it all work?

Yes – VWETO II is consistently rewarding. While it is a shame not to hear Muldrow’s memorable voice in full flow her rate of output means it will surely not be long before that happens again. In the meantime we have this set of irresistible instrumentals, which work as well on the morning after as they do on the night before.

Is it recommended?

Yes, wholeheartedly. The range of beats and colours on VWETO II is very strong and original, turning over stones aplenty in its quest for original voices and memorable grooves. In the course of the album Muldrow hits both of those goals repeatedly and with ease.

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Switched On – Cocoon Compilation S (Cocoon)

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Various Artists: Compilation S (Cocoon)

reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Each year Cocoon release an additional ‘letter’ in their compilation series, which has incredibly reached its 20th instalment. Once again it is house music with a sound blend of experience and promise, presented in unmixed form. A dozen tracks with both eyes on the dancefloor.

What’s the music like?

As always with this series, consistency is the key, with quality intersections between house and techno – and a few big names delivering the goods.

Talaboman (John Talabot and Axel Boman) present one of the big draws in Big Room Anthemic Groovy Pounding Trance Dub Bomb. Music that delivers exactly what it promises! There is a superb track from Emmanuel Satie, Planet XXX offering a strong breakdown, while Mark Broom offers a lively, retrospective track with Jaded, its bell effects standing out. Edward’s End Days has a metallic edge, as does the more acidic Tering from Egbert, which brings a heady rush, but the one that burns brightest is Keep Changing Basslines from Dino Lenny. This is a brilliant collision of mood swings with the tag line ‘stay on the dancefloor’ the most memorable hook of the twelve.

Does it all work?

Yes, and in their 20th year it offers further proof of why Cocoon are at the top of their particular game. Sven Väth’s label has strength in depth, and a high quality threshold. Business as usual, in effect!

Is it recommended?

Yes – fans will know exactly what is in store here, a dozen tracks that push all the right dancefloor buttons. No need to hesitate for the converted or the new arrival.

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Switched On – John Beltran: Hallo Androiden (Delsin Records)

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John Beltran Hallo Androiden (Delsin Records)

reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

John Beltran is a mainstay of Detroit techno, and continues a productive period of his career with his first new music for the Delsin label in three years. It is his second album of 2019, complementing a return for his Placid Angles alias which we heard in March – and which marked his fiftieth birthday.

What’s the music like?

Beltran is a reliable source of high quality ambient techno, and if that all sounds a bit routine and grey – like the record cover – it isn’t meant to. What that statement really says is that he very rarely puts a foot wrong, as is the case here.

Hallo Androiden, in keeping with its friendly title, has a warm and welcoming tone, but balances its softer harmonies and melodies with solid beats. Beltran often knits his tracks together with a network of loops, busying themselves over broken beats that bring focus to the softer, fuzzier centre.

The rolling beats of Perfect In Every Way illustrate how well this approach works, and how heavier drum tracks can complement the loops really well. On the other side It’s Because Of Her is a really lovely bit of soft ambience that gradually flowers, while Beautiful Robots a stately progression

Like all the softer tracks on Hallo Androiden, The Coming Home is delicate but has depth too, and its intricate construction means repeated listening is always repaid with Beltran’s work.

Does it all work?

Yes, and it complements the more retro dance approach of his Placid Angles work beautifully. Hallo Androiden is an ideal soundtrack to either end of the day, with or without headphones.

Is it recommended?

Yes, with every bit as much enthusiasm as Beltran’s work to date. Who said robots don’t have feelings?!

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Switched On – Loscil: Equivalents (Kranky)

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Loscil Equivalents (Kranky)

reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Scott Morgan’s twelfth album as Loscil is inspired by Equivalents, a collection of black and white cloud photographs by Alfred Stieglitz from the early 20th century. Given that he lives in Vancouver, with its panoramic sky views towards the eastern Pacific, Morgan had constant reminders while writing his concentrated musical responses to eight of the pictures.

What’s the music like?

The imagery fits Loscil’s music perfectly, Morgan often creating music that works as an audible representation of a weather system.

Once again time and space are suspended in this music, which seems to be incredibly simple when placed in the middle background, but which on closer inspection reveals intricate lines when up close, rather like those cloud systems. The eight equivalents, slightly confusing in their placements out of conventional order on the album, unfold with slow gravity. Like their clouds they are weighed down, almost to floor level, but their layers combine to make constructions of rarefied beauty.

Equivalents 1 & 3 (picture above) make a good pair with which to start, both brooding in minor keys but in the second piece oscillating softly between two pitches above a long, held note. If you close your eyes and concentrate at this point natural phenomena come into view (they did for me at least!) and there is a palpable, windswept energy despite the complete lack of percussion.

The central Equivalent 5 (above) is the most memorable and remarkable, with the closest thing to a melody you will find on this album. A four-note motif, drawn over around 10 seconds, enjoys a stately progression through the clouds, like a plane on an onward journey as the mass of water swells around it.

In response Equivalent 2 (above) has that rare breed of stillness Loscil can conjure up, floating weightlessly above the solid masses. Again though this has a slow moving, four note movement, audible in the bass part.

Finally Equivalent 4 (above) inhabits a similar timeless space to Holst’s final planet Neptune, with a rich added chord bolstered by fuzzy outlines that gradually fade from view.

Does it all work?

Yes, with the greatest intensity. Some of the best ambient music is pleasant and relaxing to listen to but carries with it a concentrated feeling. Loscil achieves that balance once again on Equivalents, placing his listener in the very photograph providing him with inspiration. On headphones that notion becomes a very intense but also private experience.

Is it recommended?

Absolutely. A Loscil album that is ideal for new listeners but which will wholly satisfy his devoted fans. If you haven’t joined them already you are strongly advised to do so!

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