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LP
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ARABLE 007LP
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LP version. "Dollboy is the pseudonym of British musician Oliver Cherer and on the frivolously titled Casual Nudism he has drawn together a merry band of collaborators to help him on his quest for the sublime. Playfully and wilfully disregarding trends and fashionable stylistic movements, Cherer has constructed an album of childish innocence while nudging it's way into the instrumental folk sphere. Through the twinkle of glockenspiel, kalimba and xylophone we can hear something possibly with more connection to Benjamin Britten's 'Peter and the Wolf' than to Pentangle; this is an album with huge scope and a genuine narrative feel. Dollboy's Casual Nudism is refined and mature, yet you won't find a more whimsical collection of lullabies this year."
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CD
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ARABLE 007CD
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"Dollboy is the pseudonym of British musician Oliver Cherer and on the frivolously titled Casual Nudism he has drawn together a merry band of collaborators to help him on his quest for the sublime. Playfully and wilfully disregarding trends and fashionable stylistic movements, Cherer has constructed an album of childish innocence while nudging it's way into the instrumental folk sphere. Perhaps it's no surprise that Cherer has been associated with Birmingham's nu-folk superstars Tunng, but it would be wrong to so quickly catagorise Casual Nudism. Through the twinkle of glockenspiel, kalimba and xylophone we can hear something possibly with more connection to Benjamin Britten's 'Peter and the Wolf' than to Pentangle; this is an album with huge scope and a genuine narrative feel. Throughout the duration you feel that you could almost be walking through a dense forest, discovering life with every carefully measured movement; the best example of this being 'Odd Man Out' which takes an almost Steve Reich-sounding repeating clarinet as it's backbone and builds up a sense of mystery and awe around it. Casual Nudism is an album brimming with a sparkle for life, a sense of amazement and a deep understanding of the reasons why we get excited about music in the first place, and should be handled delicately as a result. Fittingly it is the latest release for Arable records, who have developed quite a catalogue of naïve yet strangely mysterious organic music. Dollboy's Casual Nudism is refined and mature, yet you won't find a more whimsical collection of lullabies this year."
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CD
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ARABLE 006CD
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"Matinee Orchestra is sound artist Andrew Hodson's first commercially available album and has been recorded in Spain, Twain, Scotland and England. No stranger to the music scene, Hodson has released two critically acclaimed albums with his ex-band 'Jumbo' and recorded two more arts based projects of his own. Coming across like a Mid-Western American barn dance with Olivia Tremor Control playing in the grain silo, Matinee Orchestra is a rich and sparkling listening experience with all the rewarding qualities of a classic novel. This is the sort of album which reveals itself over time after repeated listens and becomes impossible to forget. With layers of beautiful instrumentation punctuated with haunting vocals this is a dense record, employing the wall-of-sound pop production we so lovingly reminisce about. Matinee Orchestra is described by Hodson as a laptop album, but this is without a doubt no 'folk-tronica' cash-in. To group this album in with others in the genre would not be doing it the justice it clearly deserves. An epic journey, more in line with the soundtracks to lonely American films such as The Straight Story or The Hired Hand, Hodson has created a beautiful introspective but warming journey. Finally we are presented with a record which can sound childlike and innocent without ever becoming twee, and for that we should be thankful. The album features guest appearances from Peter and David Brewis of Field Music, members of the Kathryn Williams band, singer Caroline Thorp and Paul Smith of Maximo Park who for this project distanced himself from his mainstream agit-art-pop."
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CD
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ARABLE 005CD
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"Gavouna is the alias of Athens-born, London based Athanasios Argianas, who studied under a pupil of Xenakis and Berio. A fine artist and musician released his debut EP, Warm Industry on Manchester's Melodic label in 2003, the original homebase to Nine Black Alps, Pedro, Lucky Pierre and Minotaur shock. 12 tracks of scuzzed up noise, pianos and strings -- it was the sound of your favourite musical tastes thrown together, into one gorgeous mess. For Stings?, there's a far greater sense of organisation, less amateurish composition and an emphasis on song-based forms. In fact, some of the elements and riffs from the EP have been remade, revitalised and actually subjected to total metamorphosis. There's a cinematic swagger to this music for sure and ample evidence of Gavouna's progression as composer. Argianas has developed significantly on this debut LP -- combining traditional instrumentation, built-up rhythms, heavy percussion and sparing, contemporary electronic influences. There's some parallels in the heart wrenching orchestral settings and blends of live and analog instruments to the works of the aforementioned Earlies, yet this album is completely instrumental and really takes flight on its beautifully measured yet profoundly emotional compositions."
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