King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine (Double Six)
4/5
By: Francesca Wright
The album is a collaboration from Double Six artists King Creosote (the stage name of Kenny Anderson) and Jon Hopkins; the London based electronic producer, musician and remixer. King Creosote lends his unique Celtic folk-influenced vocals and acoustic instrumentation to Hopkins’ powerfully emotive electronic melodies. Weaved into it are sounds of Scotland, from chatter in a local café to spring tides and birdsong from the Highlands. King Creosote describes the duo’s debut collaboration as a “soundtrack to a romanticized version of a life lived in a Scottish coastal village”.
The album begins with the sombre and understated ‘First Watch’, a beautiful lamenting track that paves the way for the plethora of nostalgia and contemplation that Diamond Mine has amidst its depths. Although hard to choose, the standouts here are ‘Running On Fumes’ a song about Andersons lifelong feuds with his younger siblings, and ‘Bubble’, which features vocals from King Creosote in a duet with Brightonian beauty Lisa Lindley-Jones.
According to Mr. Creosote, Diamond Mine was completed over seven years, with no deadlines, no budget to work within and no pressure to deliver anything. Perhaps the lack of pressure is the reason they ended up delivering so well; it’s a completely absorbing listen. In order to really take it in, the patience to experience it from start to finish pays dividends. It’s just under forty minutes long. It’d be a shame if you didn’t have that amount of time in your day for a sit down, a contemplative listen, and donating the time to this absolute gem of a record that it deserves. But hey. I know you’re busy.
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins 'Diamond Mine' (Sample) by DominoRecordCo
Artists in this article: King Creosote, Jon Hopkins
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