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Gareth Dickson - Collected Recordings (Drfiting Falling records.)
Gareth Dickson was not a name I was familiar with when I first opened
an envelope to find his debut album delicately wrapped inside. I am
thinking that the packaging was there to protect the fragile
compositions within. I thank the Royal Mail for getting this to me
without the usual battering that seems to go on in the life of cds in
the post.
 As a fan of Nick Drake, I can hear the delicate finger pickings
that have influenced Gareth Dickson. Add to that, plenty of reverb,
delay, folkish vocal musings and you get an artist that is somewhere
between Nick Drake, July Skies and Labradford. It is also no surprise
to learn that Gareth Dickson hails from Scotland; you can picture his
songs drifting gently across a misty Scottish loch with glowing
autumnal skylines up above.
“Trip in a Blanik”
showcases this man’s organic talents to the full -- lush, slow, and
emotionally moving, Gareth Dickson utilizes the “less is more"
approach. As each string is plucked it suspends you in calm
anticipation. A Blanik is a type of glider plane and as much as I hate
heights, I could quiet happily float over those lochs in the Highlands
with this song as my comfort blanket.
“As You Lie” is the clincher for me on this album. Gareth Dickson
toys with every sentient emotion that you could posses. Making you glow
with happiness, whilst dragging you into the quagmire of darkly
intricate minor chord musings. Dickson confronts the listener by
letting them into the most private of meditations and the results pull
you into the most pungent vignettes of sound.
I actually feel like the world has slowed down whilst listening to
“Collected Recordings.” The pace takes you from the rigours of city
modernity and slides you into the calmer waters of pensive naturalistic
awakenings. It’s a slow journey that is fraught with melancholy but
it’s the sort of stupor that you can actually feel the music help you
release from. Like a dose of aural medicine that is bound to have a
cathartic effect on the soul.
This album is an absolute must for anybody that is into cleverly crafted acoustic ambient folk.
Even
after eleven tracks, you just want to stay in the world that you have
experienced. As the album winds down, so will the listener , who will
also feel safe in the knowledge that sometimes in life a retreat is
closer than you think. Thank you Doctor Gareth Dickson.
8.5/10http://www.myspace.com/garethdicksonReviewed by Nicky.
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