This truly is music to get lost to. Unlike the last Harvestman album proper which emphasised a more folky side, this ethereal collection (which provides the soundtrack for a low-budget, Italian horror film) are beautifully rendered ambient soundscapes which shift between the lush and the distressing with consummate ease. The distinction between the title track and ‘March to loch barren’ are a case in point – easing from the warm drip of acoustic guitars and lilting synth to distressing noisescapes which recall nothing so much as a distorted take on the background noise in The Wicker man.
Limited to a paltry 1000 copies (only 350 of which are available in Europe) this is a beautiful package for fans of Neurosis, Red sparrows and Isis as it comes in a black card case, overlaid with silver artwork which, while minimalist, is strikingly beautiful to behold as is the music contained within.
‘Pure space’ is an astonishing track – harking back to Pink Floyds glorious ‘meddle’ period only with modern day production accurately capturing the vastness of Steve Von Till’s vision. Slow moving and yet laden with an undercurrent of menace, this is the music of dreams that border on the edge of a nightmare and as swells of noise slowly take over from the acoustic strums the ominous feeling of a slide toward the latter is as irresistible as it is pre-ordained.
Weighing in at a massive 71 minutes, ‘trinity’ has echoes of neo-classical music as one piece perfectly intertwines with the next forming a haunting composition that has to be heard from start to finish rather than dipped in to from time to time. Dropped into the psyche-rock genre this is rather a unique piece of music from a master craftsman that defies categorisation, existing in a realm of one. Aspects of progressive, drone, art rock, psyche rock and stoner all drift through the haze, but ultimately this is a triumph of the imagination. Arguably too chilled out for your average metal fan, this is intelligent, epic, beautiful and challenging music that demands your attention from the moment it is placed in your CD player. Get one before it’s too late.
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