"Moss, Trees, Lichen, twigs, dead leaves, soil, insects, birds, the wind, the rain and sunshine. Bracken basks in the shade and reaches upwards and outwards. My vision of the horizon broken by forest, the silence broken by birdsong, space, peace and quiet but never complete silence. For now this is my home."
Matthew Shaw (Tex La Homa, Fougou, The Blue Tree) offers us a meditation on place; a quiet valediction to his beloved South West England.
'Metherell' is music born of a perfect moment, the repetitious swell and pitch of piano, our witness to the simple pleasures found in ancient woodland, seen through the half-light.
The reference to geographical place puts one in mind of earlier environmental music; the style and easy posture of the composition owes a quiet word of gratitude to Eno and Basinski. This is all for the good.
"This is a really nice piece. 45 minutes of contemplative piano drones which have been recorded in such a way as to render them beautifully ambient. This manipulation removes the occasionally twee & annoying plink of the ivories and instead leaves us with just the sustained drifting waves of the notes in a gorgeous Brian Eno-esque fashion. With just intermittent chirrups of an evening bird chorus to enhance the mood, this is a true minimalist gem. It's a wonderfully emotive & ponderous music we've got here that will almost definitely enrich the lives of fans in awe of Celer's more cerebral works & latter-day Stars of the Lid. Very affecting indeed." Norman Records
Metherell was originally released by Sonic Oyster records.
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