It's review central this week and a week wouldn't be complete without a 3" CD from Rusted Rail to coo over. Directorsound is Nick Palmer, his 7 tracks here, housed prettily in one of those dinky greetings cards, are of a very gentle nature. A bass string thrums, a harp style affair is caressed, ambient drift forms the backdrop. That's the essence of the beautiful 'Do Geese see God' which is quite Rothko-ish in it's blissed majesty. Also reminds me a little of a track from that Kontinnent CD. 'Tuberose' sounds like it fell from the incidental music to Dead Man's Shoes, field recordings of cowbells before an acoustic guitar and accordian come out to play with possibly a toy trumpet or something (enlighten me Nick!) 'Weasil Chime/Ropes' has a wonderful Parisian cafe folk structure. His field recordings give each song a beautiful organic touch, leaving the instrumentation to be as brittle or sparse as it wants to be, these sketches breathe the outdoors, they sound like they're recorded in a small farmyard in the golden sun of a hazy afternoon whilst animals doze & the lightest breeze makes you sigh with contentment. 'Leaving The Moors' is as sweet as you like.
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What their label says...
Rusted Rail are proud to welcome Directorsound to our little world. A pioneer, (along with Rusted Rail labelmates Plinth) of the fabled “Dorset Sound”, multi-instrumentalist Nick Palmer has delivered a gem of an EP called "Leaving the Moors", a secret world conjured from old musical instruments: dusty, creaking and full of history, these songs are by turns melancholic, mesmerizing, and moody - the sound of the circus leaving town. This 3inch EP is housed in a handmade sleeve featuring a beautiful archaic photograph of unknown origin…
Directorsound “Leaving The Moors” 1.Do Geese see God 2.Tuberose 3.The Ballad of Jerome Fandor 4.Weasil Chime/Ropes 5.The Gin Trap 6.Amber Ember 7.Leaving the Moors
Written and recorded by Nick Palmer in Bournemouth, Parkstone and West Moors, Dorset, April-June 07. Mike Tanner (Plinth) plays Banjo on Ropes.
