ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Three Cane Whale
THREE CANE WHALE IDYLLIC RECORDS 12.1.12 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
You get a bumper twenty tracks on this Three Cane Whale eponymously titled debut album - although admittedly some are only 30 second long interludes rather than full songs. This is a minimalist folk band playing acoustic miniature instruments – mandolin, glockenspiel and harmonium and the like – there are no vocals at all, just the delicate purity of the rustic instrumentation. The whole album was recorded entirely live in one eleven hour session and much of it sounds like the quirky backdrop music to some of the more Avant garde children’s TV programmes of the late seventies (anyone else remember Ludwig?) The sepia toned cardboard cover fits the overall feel absolutely perfectly – with the band depicted playing their instruments in what looks like some sort of allotment/junkyard. Many of the shorter tracks skip by before you’ve even had time to appreciate them but the full tracks convey a combination of beautifully resonant acoustics, jittery rhythms and intimate arrangements. You can almost hear the history behind the old instruments seeping through the speakers in the atmospheric tones that they generate. Admirers already include the likes of Cerys Matthews who has played them on her 6 Music show, but I would say this is definitely an acquired taste. It’s difficult to maintain your full attention throughout the whole album due to the fairly downbeat mood – despite creating an absorbing atmosphere without the added ingredient of vocals some of it can be a bit of a tough slog. I would have probably loved it had there been some vocals to provide that extra stimulation. www.myspace.com/threecanewhale |
