4 ...according to our Clinton on 10 September 2009.
I have a feeling I'm going to get sacked when Phil returns. Anyway in a last minute attempt to save my job I have here an album on Benbecula. This is by Talvihorros and its called Some Ambulance. Its a series of meditative loops starring plucked strings, droning organs, analogue synths. The songs start off kind of quiet and build up to quite mesmerizing things of beauty with lovely bass melodies underpinning the music so it shifts shapes and texture. A special mention for the use of banjo which fits in beautifully on a couple of occasions. It reminds me quite a lot of the Gareth S Brown albums, but with a bit more of an organic feel and more variety of sound, in that its superb modern composition that manages to keep you hooked throughout. The press release mentions Steve Reich - i'll also throw in Philip Glass, Boards of Canada, David Sylvian, Phelan and Shepherd, The Boats and Mike Oldfield, alongside Mogwai's more reflective gentle moments. It all goes into the melting pot to create something thats quite unique, straddling post rock, and neo classical but not really using the cliches of either and coming up with something wholly original and moving. Recommended.
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Sound clips for Some Ambulance by Talvihorros: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Benbecula, £6.99.
'Talvihorros is the studio project of London based Ben Chatwin exploring the electronic manipulation of acoustic instruments. Primarily a guitarist with a background in live performance, his solo work now involves integrating acoustic, electric and prepared guitars with organ, piano, banjo and analogue synthesizer. Following debut album ‘Its Already on Fire’ self-released in beautiful, hand crafted and numbered packaging Chatwin follows it with ‘Some Ambulance’.
A much more focused and tense affair, many tracks are coated in a thick atmosphere of lost transmissions, radio-static and feedback setting the tone for Talvihorros most emotive guitar work to date. Different phasing techniques are used to hypnotic effect re-calling the minimalist work of Steve Reich. The early response to ‘Some Ambulance’ is very good with support from The Wire Magazine, Resonance FM and a feature at Textura.org who wrote this:
"The album boasts a handful of beautiful meditations...Though the tracks complement one another, each ultimately feels like a different chapter in Chatwin's wide-ranging and engrossing novel."
