Carousell (Richard Skelton) - Black Swallow & Other Songs

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Press release

4...according to our Ant on Thu 31 Mar, 2011.

This is the first time this work has been presented on vinyl, having originally been issued on CD via Richard's own Sustain Release label in an edition of just 100 copies in 2009. Beginning with this DIY approach around 2005, he's recently gained critical acclaim which has been cemented by a cover feature in the current issue of Wire magazine. Opener 'Artery' is a tugger at ye olde heartstrings as stretched violin notes blur with gently plucked guitar. There's no doubt that we're in the hands of a talented musician here, articulately translating his emotions through every string. I like the way the tracks kind of run into one another making it difficult to be clear where each begins and ends in terms of where to put the needle on the record. This is probably a good thing as this really isn't a record to dip into but should be experienced as a whole. If you seek warmth and melancholy in droves and a fine balance of dark and light moods, then look no further.

In the last decade or so, Richard Skelton has cemented his
place as one of experimental music's most favored sons.
Through a multitude of projects (under his own name and
otherwise) and his own Sustain Release label there has been an
absolute treasure trove of music to sink your teeth into. The first
project of Skelton's that I heard back in 2005 was Carousell
(and the lovely A Dead Bridges Into Dust album) so it felt poetic
that the first thing we worked on through Digitalis was a reissue
of the latest Carousell album, Black Swallow & Other Songs.
Originally issued on Sustain Release in the criminally low run of
100 CDs, Black Swallow & Other Songs is a soft and sparse
exercise in understated melodies. This is music rich in texture
and heavy on the emotional impact it makes. The nine minute
“Artery” opens the album and slowly coalesces from a fractured
whisper to leave its marks on your skin. Blurry violin notes
stretch to the breaking point while Skelton loosely strums and
plucks his guitar into a warm, aural embrace. The title track
continues with this theme, but adds a heavy dose of nostalgic
melancholy to proceedings. It's like you have to look back,
accept things and head down the winding path to a new future.
On the closing suite, “Owl Lanterns” and “The Clearing,” we get
a full dose of hopefulness. A child's laughter flickers by while
the bowed strings add an unfaltering lightness. Skelton's guitar
plucks are floating on clouds, passing by with a buoyant spirit.
As Autumn Grieve's wordless vocals bring everything to a close
there is nowhere else to go but up. Her voice is the exclamation
mark, powerful and restrained as it leads the minimal bowed &
plucked strings to rest.
Black Swallow & Other Songs is a potent mix of darkness and
light, expertly crafted by one of the UK's premier composers.