Lasgo 2025
Locating substance in hazy panoramas, Albionian seekers of beauty see the truth and move further away from spirit of Eden.
Hinterland
No matter what concept may lurk behind this ensemble’s aural landscapes, what it all eventually amounts to is a sonic sort of progressive mirages. The English collective’s nigh-on astounding 2022 debut was followed by live recordings and a mini-album, which gave the impression of their catalogue being considerably longer than a single studio longplay, so even though the almost seismic stylistic shifts and fresh dynamic expanse of the band’s sophomore effort should not come as a surprise, denying shock on the part of those familiar with the group’s oeuvre seems impossible. There’s no undermining of composer David Joseph’s original values or intent here, but the eight pieces of “Hinterland” not merely build on “Solace” and subsequent adventures in modern recording; new elements entering the realm of HELD BY TREES render the earlier TALK TALK references irrelevant now. Emerging thence are developments of an independent musical entity.
Unafraid to explore epic spaces, the players don’t try and expedite the arrival of melody in opener “Edge Of Town” that, infused with immersive effects, which were devised by legendary engineer Phill Brown, slowly peels off the strands of this amorphic mist to reveal the alluring cobwebs of Robbie McIntosh’s guitar lines, electric and acoustic, and Joseph’s subtle licks, so their gradual solidifying in sight of proper groove will feel not as sudden as the immediate protruding even of soft riffs could be. Still, the ensemble don’t really need a lot of room to shine, and while the penultimate number “The Pylon Line” rolls out an exquisitely far-reaching, yet bleak, instrumental panorama, “The Boundary” exposes the collective’s jazz leanings, caught between Charlie Hollis’ piano and Andy Panayi’s sax, in the not-too-polished span of less than two minutes, as does “The Snickett” with its raw romanticism: nothing else is required to highlight the band’s human nature. However, going into “Hinterland Soul” – where Rob Coombes’ roaring Hammond, Stephen Gilchrist’s solid beat and James Grant’s fluid bass propel the entire performance – and plumbing Stygian depths to add another dimension to the album, they draw on delicious heaviness, the tuneful assault not previously heard in David’s arrangements.
The same can’t be said about “The Path” that avoids pastoral pastel by turning its folk vibe into a jovial jaunt only to usher in “Between States” whose ruminative wonders are emotionally shattering, with viola and clarinet unsettling the multi-string strum and twang as much as the sounds of cawing crows do. But then, “Boughs And Branches” brings the album to a close by applying minimalistic touches to the ambient tapestry, which is getting embroidered with noises before introducing snippets of harmony to the mental imagery the listeners form along the way. Some of those images appear, together with a generous offering of extra tracks, on a DVD in the box set edition of the record – only eschewing them in favor of own fantasy will result in richer experience of this brilliant work.
*****
