Sheffield label Singing Knives have gathered together some of the city's more appealing noise/folk underground (and their peers) here showing that it's certainly not a city still in thrall of Warp's legacy and output. The similarity between these acts is pretty loose, but most appear to work within or around the use of traditional forms / instruments, improvisation and drone or a combination of the two styles.
The vast majority of compilations will contain a couple of fast-forward stinkers, but this is relatively rare in that regard; there isn't a duff track here. From the opening Halloween at Christmas squall of Tirath Singh Nirmala’s title track to McWatt’s wearily gorgeous "Untitled," this is a route that winds between conventional and abstract musicality. The simple folky bent of Peril Hill and Feather Gatherers don’t suffer from being programmed up against the braised trapped chord hum of more established acts like Chora.
The songs that take the less established route, flowing into improvisational heavens could do with extending a touch; there’s nothing worse than coming out of a trace too early. The lava lamp ambience of Ben Reynolds and Big Eyes Family Players feel particularly brief, sucking me in and spitting me out too soon. Competing for this release’s finest moment are Directing Hand and their chilling obsessive take on "Down in Yon Forest" and Michael Flower Band's frantic toe tapping swoon of "Santa Flauta." Compilations don't always need central themes, concepts or strictly adhered to genre rules if they can keep up the quality quota like me Singing at the Moon.
samples:
- Directing Hand - Down in Yon Forest
- Nalle - Are You Beautiful Inside? Are You Here?
- Michael Flower Band - Santa Flauta
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