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NWW/ARANOS, "SANTOOR LENA BICYCLE"

Housed in a handmade and painted case, this idiosyncratic release marks the peak of Stapleton and Aranos' creative activity.
  This is a fantastic album; mature andconfident in its' experimentation and the furthest and most completedevelopment of the Nurse 'sound'. Each richly evocative and colourfulpiece of music is framed and divided by the brief tinkling of a piano;juxtapositions similar in sense to those that constructed "SpiralInsana". Now however, this collaging of sounds is less obvious andobtrusive, the result being that each song is satisfying when listenedto either individually or collectively.
The overall sound is far warmer and inviting than the bleak meditationon desolation that was "Acts of Senseless Beauty". The quieter songs-such as "Two from Half's be Cracked" and "Peak of Purified Dream"- havea deeply hallucinogenic quality, inviting the listener to mentallyimpose sounds and patterns of their own construction on to the piece.The listener switches from passive to active listening to becomefurther immersed in the experience, only to be plunged into thestartling kraut-funk paradise of "Sunset Belly Mother".
The most immediate and accessible song is "Mary Jane", which evokes theheavy, slow swirl and sway of a hashish trip, and the descent intoquiet absurdity that lies at the heart of it. Indeed, Aranos brings avivid sensuality to Nurse's surreal visions, exemplified in "GenerallyRegarded as Safe" whose mechanised and serpentine caress, submerged ina sea of wooden chips, remains remarkably tactile, whilst still evokingthe compelling claustrophobia of a David Lynch film. Elsewhere, on"Dusty Bella", Aranos' violin lurches like a drunken superheroalongside his extraordinary vocals. A real treat.

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