Music Reviews

Grasscut

Everyone Was A Bird

Grasscut-EWAB

Lo Recordings

Formats available: CD

I have to start by saying that Grasscut’s 2012 album Unearth is truly a thing of joy and wonder and Everyone was a Bird only increases their standing IMHO. This band has the ability to transport the listener into the English landscape and with this new selection of eight tracks we are cast into a more wintery realm of town and countryside, by contrast Unearth was a light dappled nostalgic summery affair.

This time the pairing of Andrew Phillips and Marcus O’Dair is joined by collaborators, musicians who bring additional vocals and instrumentation to their intimate sound. In truth I think it is the addition of live strings that gives the overall sound its cool dark, winter aspect. Where Unearth is full of catchy, poppy songs whispering of English magic in the hidden ponds and stone lions of deserted old estates and verges of a hot summers twilight. Everyone Was A Bird glides over a cold, ploughed landscape, reflecting perhaps the maturing of their own lives in and of the moment.

The album is more of a grower than its more immediate sounding predecessor with different layers and aspects becoming apparent with each listen. The live instrumentation gives the album a very rich and full sound, and a good quality sound system reveals beautiful depth and quality in the recording. Something I liked about the previous recordings was the selection of old radio and movie samples that enhanced the overall sense of floating through a musical story. This continues here but to a lesser degree, perhaps because this is harder to reproduce successfully when playing live. But with Everyone Was A Bird Grasscut continue to create beautiful, immersive soundscapes for the listener to fly through.

Patrick Kennedy

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