A mesmeric new experimental release of 21 short-ish tracks by the British producer, musician and soundscape artist who uses field recordings of nature, human and “more-than-human voices”, traditional instrumentation and electronic production. Within all the wonder of the nature’s noises, there is of course an underlying urgency to it in the face of climate change, the tracks intending to “speak to the urgency and possibilities of our times”. From the growls and woodwind flourishes of opener Gnort or Gnortle, the human vocals and beats of Stop The Music, the whisperiness, organs and clangings of Marvellous Clouds, the ploddy chirps and squeaks of I Did And I Don’t And I Do, or Old Ocean’s squeezy organ, percussion and Sheldrake’s low-key voice, the joyful oddness continues from track to track, summoning every wheezy quack, squark, gurgle, clang and chirp, plus every other sound imaginable. Try also for example the unaccompanied vocal harmonies of The Feet Are The Link, the wonderful bird warbles of Numinous, all the way to the swoonful, woozy, gentle gospel of the finale Does The Swallow Dream Of Flying “… as it sleeps on the wing does it long for the summer / As it flies home for spring / Does daisy feel a sadness / At the last rays of sun / Does the wind feel a gladness / At the work that it’s done.” There’s so much more to enjoy here too. Sheldrake is at times English folk’s softer answer to Tom Waits – gentler, but no less experimental, and full of fabulous, sometimes psychedelic, offbeat melodies and invention with overall yet another landmark of experimentalism. Out on Tardigrade Records.
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