aaamusic | On 18, Dec 2011

Three Cane Whale are three folksters from Bristol, and this is their self-titled debut album. Coming from various highly regarded bands – Organelles, Get The Blessing, and Spiro – the trio got together to form this experimental, instrumental folk project. Using a barn-load of interesting instruments, including the harmonium, glockenspiel, lyre, mandolin, music box and the psaltery (allegedly some kind of harp-like device), Three Cane Whale have created a collection of delicate, minimalist acoustic compositions. Many of the tracks are simplistic in their arrangements and short in length (six of the songs are under two minutes), while others come armed with an understated progressive edge, incorporating inventive time signatures and melodies. Fascinatingly, it was recorded live in one 11 hour meeting (because it was the only day all the members were available) in a church, and the result was that the intimate atmosphere of the setting was recorded to track. Many of the trumpet-laced songs sound like Beruit tunes, sans vocals of course – such as ‘Bird From A Cloud’, ‘Eggardon Hill’, and the breezy ‘Cassiopeia’ – while others, like highlight ‘Sluice’, contain the sweeping drama of some of the recent, electronic-less Apparat productions. Simply Beautiful.

 

Clive Rozario