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Northerner - The Ridings (Home Assembly Music)
If
you are going to start a new label, then you better make sure your
first release is something quiet remarkable. Home Assembly Music’s
first release is Northerner’s first full length album and the results
have taken us by storm. If this is the shape of things to come from
HAM, then I’m salivating already.
Utilizing influences ranging from Labradford and Arthur Russell,
Northerner (Martin Cummings) has constructed a delicately pungent debut
album. A one man trip through facets of ambient serenity.
Like
warm scented air on a breezy summer’s day , the visceral perfume of the
songs floats in, bringing in varying sensations that shimmer and
reflect new glimpses of life with each passing second and sound. The
naturalistic approach of less being more is here in abundance. The
quiet moments of reflection create anticipation of something more
beautiful arriving and in each song new awakenings force you gently to
take a back seat and listen. This musical world satisfyingly drifts
by but pulls you in, leaving you sated and sedated.
Gentle acoustics, delayed guitars and slow motion synths weave
minimalist patterns. Think "E Luxo So" era Labradford with delicate
splashes of Yellow6 - like colours and you are halfway there, It is
hard to be so definitive about this album as it demands repeated
listening and has to be experienced fully by the listener. It’s not the
sort of album that you would put on before a night out but is more akin
to something you would listen to after being caught in a thunderstorm -
a place to take refuge and look at menace in the clouds knowing that
you are momentarily safe from nature’s more turbid moments.
“Titus” is ambient precision. Chiming acoustic melodies that have more delays than British Rail on a rainy day.
The song repeats a musical phrase that only changes slightly but at the same time you never want the track to end.
“Caroline”
has guitar that is awe inspiring. Again the melody reverberates and
stirs the mind, a sense of longing or of being forlorn is felt but this
is the kind of music to dwell on such powerful feelings. Once the song
stops, you breathe sigh of calmness you actually feel like you have had
some “me” time.
This release would have been perfect enough if we stopped right here but no, there’s more!
A second disc of remixes. Not any old remix cd. One that includes
wonderful mixes by Epic45, The Declining Winter and Portal amongst
others. After the near perfection of the first cd the songs are grasped
lovingly and moulded into something completely new. Never a fan of
remixes in general, the whole cd here could stand on it’s own as a
truly remarkable release. Glitches, bright synth washes and occasional
drums are added to sublime effect. The Aus remix of ’Cull’ is the sound
of the perfect summer morning coming to life. The song bristles to
life, ready to seize the day with all the energy and enthusiasm of
nature itself. The Glen Shipley remix of ’The Cut’ has James brown
samples and a funk beat that is enough to make the most miserable sod
get up and dance like The Godfather himself.
When Labradfrod spilt I always thought that I would never hear the
sort of ambient album that Labradford perfected. With The Ridings, I
got exactly what I didn’t expect but longed for and a lot more. This
will definitely be one of the albums of the year and I can safely say
that, even though we are in February. Ambience at its most innovative
and original.
9/10
http://www.homeassemblymusic.com
Reviewed by Nicky
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