I wonder why Rameses III named themselves after him and not the Rameses
before, since he was the greatest Pharoah and everything. Maybe it's
because he'll have probably been been a bit reflective and melancholy
at having to follow an act like that.. Perfect moods for ambient
listening. And maybe I'm just trying to use up a few column inches by
vomiting out a load of speculative shite. What I can say for sure is
that I Could Not Love You More is a beautiful piece of work that
compares very favourably with the best ambient stuff I can remember us
getting in in the last year or so, taking things seriously pastoral
with floaty drones breathing in and out while pianos, folky guitars and
mellotrons either spell out or merely suggest melody over the top.
Lovely and soothing, this Type LP isn't going to be around long -
especially on the limited orange vinyl we've got in.
Love this record? Hate it? Tell us.
Sound clips for I Could Not Love You More by Rameses III: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Type, TYPE052CD, £10.29.
For the last few years, Croydon three-piece Rameses III have been
proving to the wider world that there's more to their homeland than
dubstep with their deep and original take on ambient music. In that
time Daniel Freeman, Spencer Grady and Stephen Lewis have notched up a
number of releases for Important Records, Digitalis and of course Type
Records, but it is with this latest opus that they truly leave their
mark on the faded musical landscape.
'I Could Not Love You More'
is a record that reframes their sound, taking their drifting ambience
and pastoral folk and sharpening it at every opportunity. You can hear
echoes of Takoma in Lewis's delicate acoustic guitar playing, shadows
of early 4AD in the shimmering drones and all this is wrapped up in an
Eno-esque sense of restraint. It sounds almost as if the pieces were
written for the mid 20th century, with sounds coming from electric
pianos, Mellotrons and guitars rather than heavy electronic processes.
We end up with a warming blur of sound, something far removed from the
chatter of zeroes and ones we have become accustomed to.
As the
album drifts from beginning to end there is a delicate yet defined
narrative, enhanced by the inclusion of subtle field recordings and
just the right amount of silence. The tracks lull us forward and send
us into a state of nostalgic reminiscence, which is in essence the
theme which balances the album. 'I Could Not Love You More' is simply a
gorgeous reflection – exactly what it reflects upon is left up to the
listeners themselves. Who would have thought the mean streets of South
London could produce such beautiful music?