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RAPT

Within Thrall

UK  self-released  CD/DL  (2019)

Brighton-based Jacob Ware follows up his 2018 self-titled debut album with this EP; a collaboration with Demi Haynes of the US nu-shoegaze troupe Seashine, and with the addition of Nestor Middleton on piano.  Haynes and her lank-haired troupe have perfected the kind of The Scene That Celebrates Itself (TM Steve Sutherland) or “cathedrals of sound” – there, I said it – approach typified in the late 80s by Lush, Moose, Slowdive, Catherine Wheel, Curve, Kitchens Of Distinction, Chapterhouse and Ride, which seems to be on trend in the US recently.  Despite seeing most of those 80s bands the first time, it is a trend I have little first-hand knowledge of - I do have a soft spot for Ringo Deathstarr and Ulrika Spacek - but Seashine themselves keep a fairly low profile within it.  What evidence I have found of their work on YouTube demonstrates that their output is pretty interesting, although miles away from Ware’s previous work, stylistically at least, so at first glance I thought this might be a weird pairing.  Not so.  Yes, largely a complete departure from his first – self-titled - album, Within Thrall carries over the lush production techniques but presents material less electronic in nature, more within the genre occupied by Haynes’ musical activities; neo-folk, rock influences in other words, or gentle, US-style acoustic indie-rock.  An acoustic Galaxy 500? A more upbeat Mazzy Star?  You get the idea.

Ware states: “The starting point on the EP conceptually was WB Yeats’ poem The Song Of Wandering Aengus.  Hmmm…the poem that gave Silver Apples their name.  And gave Morton Subotnik a groovy title.  You may think this poetic reference suggests wistful, windswept pale youths pining away and/or contemplating the meaning of it all from the relative mystery of a windswept promontory, deserted jetty or distressed attic room at dusk.  And you may be correct, but those are fairly apt images, considering the faintly dark mood of the music here.  Case in point is the first song, “Girl In Black”.  A minimal arrangement of Demi Haynes’ vocals, acoustic guitar and a nice Mellotron-like flute way back in the mix.  Nestor Middleton’s pretty piano parts are treated to a smudge of delay.  The chorus of “killing me…killing me…” has a backwards pad of some sort.  “Wax And Rosewood” features Ware on vocals while Haynes contributes heavily reverbed backing “aaah”s.  “Torn” sounds to be like it should be a parallel universe My Bloody Valentine demo with its whispered harmony vocals and pseudo-MBV chord progression.  Closing track “Lighthouse” has suitably remote and weather-beaten lyrics.  Isolation, regret, letting go…

Ware imbues a similar atmosphere of vague intoxication into the music on Within Thrall as on Rapt.

But where Rapt was expansive, Within Thrall is intimate.  Only his second release under the name Rapt, this is a beautiful and well put together EP.

https://rapt.bandcamp.com/album/within-thrall

Matt Atkins & Peter Marsh

Matthew Atkins & Peter Marsh

Paper Wasps

UK  Invisible City Records  ICR40  Cassette  (2019)

Paper wasps gather fibres from dead wood and plants stems which they mix with saliva and use to construct water resistant nests.  From ICR, (not to be confused with Colin Potter’s ICR), comes scuds of therapeutic laptop hums and buzzes from London based musicians Matthew Atkins and Peter Marsh.  You may recognise Marsh’s name as the bassist from the consistently wonderful Woven Entity, but he also dabbles in live soundtracks with Fourth Page and general freeformery with others including Found Drowned; a trio with drummer Crystal Moth (also from Woven Entity) and guitarist James O’Sullivan.  Atkins has released previous work under the name Platform, which was “…about lo-fi computer based sound manipulation and rhythm, twisting and deconstructing found sounds and unlocking the patterns within.”, but currently seems to be operating under his own name.  I’ve also been listening to his recent Porous Inner Montage cassette/download.  I believe Atkins is a drummer, but there is little evidence of what you might ordinarily think of as percussion in those recordings, being made up mostly of a most agreeable type of diaphanous backwards things, and delay.

Here on the four pieces that make up Paper Wasps, a stringed instrument is plucked and struck.  There is a good amount of creaking in the background and noises made by sheet steel and rebar being dragged around a builders’ yard.  Marsh is credited with "electric bass and assorted machines", which is intriguing, while Atkins uses "computer, percussion, objects, contact mics and pedals".  The music feels constructed to me, (although I cannot back this assertion up with any hard evidence); the final arrangement could have been made via software or possibly a hardware sampler.  I could be completely wrong and it may be that Messrs Atkins and Marsh have simply set up a mic in the middle of the rehearsal room and got everything as you hear it straight down to tape in one pass.  Either way, it’s certainly worth your attention.

https://invisiblecityrecords.bandcamp.com/album/paper-wasps

The Necks in Brighton

photo by Al Hill

The Necks

St Lukes Church, Brighton

Sun 26^th May 2019

Presented by Dictionary Pudding and The Brighton Alternative Jazz Festival, who were responsible for bringing this Antipodean improvising trio of Lloyd Swanton, Chris Abrahams and Tony Buck to Brighton at the same venue in 2017.  Tonight, BAJF founder Daniel Spicer makes the mildly irreverent introductions:  “Make good use of the cushions; the pews are quite hard…” Spicer urges; “The Necks will be performing two sets this evening…so that’s one per cheek…”

The Necks’ first set finds them in an abstracted mood.  Gradual changes, locked-in interplay of the type usually displayed by groupings that have played together for over thirty years.  Chris Abrahams’ piano works through every conceivable extrapolation of the key in which they play; a trembling filigree from his right hand while his left holds down rhythmic chords for drummer Tony Buck to bolster with his simultaneous shakers and bells; tinkling artefacts, openly resonating bass drum skins, simultaneously playing in marching time and syncopation.  Over the top of all this, double bassist, Lloyd Swanton coaxes simple yet effective non-typical sounds from his strings, sometimes pushing little scraps of melody off toward the edge of his plate.  At one point, the piano sounds almost like an electronic organ; lending a kind of Popol Vuh flavour to the music.  All the while, the group are bathed in an unchanging blue and pink light; the height of the church ceiling producing a lovely airy acoustic.  Beautiful music, a superb example of what can be done by three musicians improvising together at a consistently high level.

After a half hour or so interval – I use the word “interval” deliberately; this concert’s presentation at the foot of the pulpit had more than a little theatricality about it, albeit most likely unintentionally – the trio reconvene.  This time, however – and perhaps this was discussed as a strategy during the break – the initial impression is of the deep communication and delicacy of the methodically drifting first set has been lost and replaced with what seems to me, an almost a deliberate attempt to disrupt unity.  Tony Buck seems to unseat the rhythmic propulsion of the first set with a much more tangential strategy.  In fact, unison playing only happens sporadically – yet beautifully – as the players seem to concentrate on themselves as individuals.  Perhaps they simply wanted to make it a little harder on themselves; I’m all for musicians pushing their ideas of what is possible, especially improvising musicians.  Swanton veers from percussive mark-making to melodic input and Abrahams produces more electronic-like tones until, finally, unexpectedly, they bring the whole thing to a precision close with a pretty resolution; hitting the final note together in crystal harmony.

The difference in approach to each piece clearly appeals to the audience who applaud generously with even some whooping and some members off to the right hand side trying to encourage a standing ovation.  This ain’t a concert hall, sunshine, but it is the best place to see a jazz trio, only partly because St Luke’s reportedly has the best grand piano of any venue in Brighton.  Their recent long player, Vertigo is now available on vinyl as well as cd I’m told.  Best get your hands on a copy.