Phelan Sheppard - Harps Old Master (The Leaf Label)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
Picture a lone deer by a lake, with vast mountains in the background; you're watching the dear from behind a tall evergreen tree at the other side of the lake. Then suddenly, you are the deer, and you can see your reflection ripple in the water as you drink from it. Then, just as abruptly, you see in the water fairies darting around. You look up, it's getting dark and fairies and fireflies fill the sky. There is something to this album that puts you in mind of alien geographies and landscapes, almost like a Hayao Miyazaki film (director of 'Spirited Away'). But there is nothing cartoon like about this sound - the earthy acoustic instruments, bring a very physical element to this album. Yes, I do understand that this all comes across very cheesy, and possibly the album even sounds cheesy at times, but the sophistication of the compositions overcome this more than adequately.
But as well as the sprawling soundscapes brought on by a multitude of stringed instruments, this album also has an occasional down town New York jazz feel - the beginning of the second track in particular sounds quite like a Tom Waits song with no vocals, not just because there's a double bass, but because of the earthy, almost percussive way in which it's used.
Often on this album you find yourself at points without a clue how you got there, perhaps because 'Harps Old Master' has so much of a unique sound that it merely dances in and out of other associations. It's reminiscent of so many styles that it ends up being (like all the best albums in the do) something completely of its own. But if there's one thing that sadly doesn't dance in and out nicely it's the guitar technique, a very definite style which regrettably gets a tad tedious at times.
This slightly repetitive six string sound would not be nearly so apparent if it weren't for the incredible arrangements and instrumentation on the rest of the album. It not only weaves through an array of acoustic instruments but also utilises an impressive range of synthesized sounds. It hints that, along with the complex arrangements, a large number of other techniques and approaches have been employed to write and record this music. There's something to how you can't imagine how this music was conceived that allows you to embrace the melodies and expression of the music so freely, without any preconceived image or identity getting in the way.
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