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2006 Private Issue £5
From the very beginning of Woven Wheat Whispers we have been supported by the musician and folklorist Antonello Cresti of Italy. Antonello leads the band 'Nihil Project' who merge electronics with folk concepts. As the service developed Antonello started to collaborate with Simon Lewis of 'The Phoenix Cube', one of Britain's hidden psychedelic folk treasures. With the addition of Vitorio Nistri they came together as 'In Yonder Garden' to record an exclusive set for the service.
'In Yonder Garden' brings together folk with psychedelic instrumentation to make a sanctified music of imagined places. Their garden is mysterious and half remembered, magical and illusionary. Their music seeks to evoke this hinterland between the human and the etheric. Informed by folk. ambient and mellow electronics it has a wonderful calming sound. Bird song and atmospherics sit behind coils of flute, guitar, violin and pulsating rhythm. Rippling patterns of glockenspiel give a delicate feeling whilst drifting lap steel and glissando guitar disorientate the senses.
Sombre spoken word comes in at points, heightening the mystery and air of ritual around the music. There are some quite unique combinations, for example on Descend there is n American driftwoods aspect to the music as though merged with Brian Eno's 'Apollo' soundtracks. That same air of innocence and wonder, something greater only partially remaining hidden. 'Broken Sleep' starts with psychedelic backwards guitar, vocals as though heard in a dream and then becomes a poignant lullaby. Flute and hand percussion play folk melodies with surreal backwards noises fading across the speakers. It really is a psychedelic masterpiece.
Our final piece is 'Blessing' a twelve minute ambient psychedelic folk epic starts with fantastic keyboards, harp, vocals and birds. Cello roots the piece as interstellar sounds float in and our of perception. It's always melodic though with mellow electric piano evoking 'In A Silent Way'. There is the feeling of intense meditation heard on Steve Hillage's 'Rainbow Dome Musick'. The synth melodies are stunning, worthy of mid 1970s Tangerine Dream, whirling around the speakers. If these references make you think it doesn't sound like folk music, somehow it really does. Especially as violin and Robert Fripp like sustained electric guitar melodies weave over the top.
At the four minute stage Terry Riley style melodic repetitions are joined by a subtle but pronounced rhythm. Antonello sings a lovely melody sounding just like Brian Eno on his recent marvellous 'Another Day On Earth' album. With a lot of affection this recalls that point in music around 1990 when ambience, electronics, field recordings and dance started to come together. It's like The Orb backing The Incredible String Band when massed folk vocals begin to sing the climatic refrain. There is joy and a dedication to the land, to traditions, to the garden here that literally put a chill down my spine as the bird songs came back in.
"In an English Garden, may the circle be unbroken" Antonello says towards the end, binding this album with our service and partner site at http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk/ - http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk . A beautiful and moving chamber string section takes us towards the end with Antonello. I may have even heard some inferred reference to us in the piece 'Descend'.
This is folk as imagined in the 21st century. Although sonically different, in intention and spirit it is true to the form. It's a profoundly moving experience and an album we are truly honoured to be distributing. |