broadway project - autumn breaks ep
4 instrumental tracks that hark to the days prior to the bands sublime second album last year which featured vocals and proper songs. this limited edition (vinyl only !) means that anyone who wants a perfect soundtrack for the oncoming autumn better get their skates on and get their orders in quickly as this is gorgeous gorgeous stuff.
the ep features the typical ambient moods, lots of jazz drum loops, melancholy soundscapes and yes, of course it is bloody cinematic to the extreme.
opening with a brian eno style sound and then adding jazz type drums (ie real and live as opposed to process computer beats) the mood is instantly drawn into the listeners headspace. enthralling and very special, with the last minute adding weirdness and muso guitar/piano licks. very late night jazz.
'solar lunar' continues with some massive stereo processing to the sonics, turning this into a lost dj shadow classic, the successful combination of the old scratchy sounds and the new production methods fully showing how dan berridge is a master at this genre previously known as trip-hop (go on, sneer all you like - it is back!), despite the fact that 'linear 7s' features jazz riffs on a clarinet should be a warning for any sane person, but fear not. it works. i think.
hear the harp opening of 'raga 4' and tell me it doesn't remind you of cinematic orchestra's epic 'all that she gives track from a couple fo years ago, thankfully, once the harp is subdued we are dropped into a mighty heavy dub style bass line, slight distorted guitar line and a raga groove. i wonder if dan has been spinning some of bill laswell records recently as this would fit in with any of laswells stuff. unfortunately this track is a mere 3 mins 45 secs, i would like this to have grooved on for at least another 10 minutes to get that full on epic dub vibe - easily my fave track of the ep, and 'fragments' is a nice ambient comedown which finishes things off perfectly.
wow.
tracklisting :
from treetops
solar lunar
linear 7s
raga 4
fragments