aaamusic | On 20, Nov 2011

There were high expectations for Savaging Spires’ debut album and the London-based band respected them. Described by record label Critical Heights as ‘psychedelic pastoralism’, the quirky folk deployed by Savaging Spires enthrals and hypnotises.

 

From the incipit of Bending The Rules Of Time the recipe adopted by this mysterious ensemble is clear in all his weirdness. Distant choirs that seem taken from the most intriguing explorations of Sufjan Stevens get muddled with acoustic atmospheres that remind of Icelandic Múm, if only they existed before the invention of electricity.

 

After the hypnotic duo When The Devil Says He’s Dead and Trust, with October we are sent back to Earth with its banjo and xylophone, almost reassuring after the first ten minutes of eerie craze. Photographic Memory and Apostrophe Lake enchant as Nico unplugging John Cale’s instruments.

 

We are now acquainted with these sinister atmospheres and the limits of this album become apparent and what was before inspiring now seems dull. Blackbirds wake us up after the soporific Messenger and Cemetery Lounge projects us towards Velvet Underground with a funereal touch a la Paavoharju.

 

The final trio Crows/Sisters/Seconds In Motion confirm delight and doubts about this album. Intriguing, weird, and twisted, Savaging Spires could be a fantastic journey into vivid nightmares or a sleep-inducing valerian. The choice is up to you, just avoid magic mushrooms before this.

 

Lorenzo Coretti