Stereocilia Murmurations

8/10 Phil McMullen Customer review, 2nd December 2013

The sole work of London-based guitarist and composer John Scott, 'Murmurations' comprises a number of live guitar improvisations that have been woven together like billowing clouds forming a thunderhead, a storm which gathers but never quite breaks across the three fully formed compositions.

One is reminded from the outset, an echoing piece entitled ‘FWD>>,’ of the ambient guitar drone of the late Jason DiEmilio’s Azusa Plane, which is of course no bad thing – cascades of guitar notes, plucked, strummed and eased from the guitar with seemingly effortless ease, the sure sign of a master craftsman. ‘Dilute’ eases us further towards the Kraut-drone school of thought, whilst ‘Bright Light’ is not so far removed from early pieces by Windy and Carl.