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The Wardrobe, "Cups in Cupboard"
The Wardrobe is a collaboration with Sol Invictus driving force TonyWakeford and Andrew Liles; the release more resembles Wakeford's workwith Matt Howden than Sol Invictus. Cups in Cupboard is limited to 500signed copies and is released on Wakeford's own label Tursa. Tursa
Throughout the album images arise of time passing, empty and dustyrooms filled with the distorted tinkling of a music box, furniture leftbehind in an abandoned manor, and an atmosphere of grandeur faded andforgotten but not gone. Pianos, strings, and chimes are manipulated,layered, and paired with underlying low snarls. Almost-liturgicalchants mingle with muted brass. The music is harsh at times but alwaysstately, muted but never muddy, shrouded but not obscured.
"Arcade" begins as something like a carousel or circus tune,but distorted, dark, and muted as if echoing through thick fog, thendeteriorates into something more foreboding before sliding into softchimes. "Wind in the Willows" brings in footsteps, trickling andbubbling water, and wind sweeping past age-rippled windows. Thepenultimate track "Windows" has more of a Sol feel than the rest of thealbum with prominent acoustic guitar.
At a brief 46 minutes Cups in Cupboard still had the power todistort all my perceptions of time. The feeling that's left is ofagentle dread and a yearning for things lost.
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