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PRICE:
$23.00
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1-2 Weeks
ARTIST
TITLE
Shimmering Basset
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
UTR 136LP UTR 136LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
12/18/2020

The Green Child is the once long-distance, now based in the same house recording project of Raven Mahon (furniture maker and former member of Grass Widow) and Mikey Young (recording engineer and band member of Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring). The duo draws its spectral pop sound from an illusory past as much as they stalk into pastures new. Broadly retro-futuristic in scope, verdant acres of lushly evocative synthesizers and vintage drum machines underpin most of The Green Child's upbeat yet decidedly uncanny songs. More assured and auspicious, the songs collected on Shimmering Basset are concerned with life after relocation and deal with distance and staying connected. Shimmering Basset also concerns itself with the subjects of transport, escape, the centering of home, humanity in the performative news arena and the idea of time being a beast, animate and hungry. "Fashion Light" conjures up a brilliance from the first few sparks of the album, spinning dizzy dots of synth melody into a classy slice of avant-pop, with live drums courtesy of Shaun Gionis. "Low Desk: High Shelf" follows in likewise sprightly mode. Glancing synths criss-cross, worthy of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, echoing off the straight-up beat, allowing Raven's collected vocal to stitch its haunted path. A floating kick drum sets off the shivery flurries of sound on "Witness", featuring bristling electronic percussion from James Vinciguerra. Blossoming basslines and saxophone blushes sweep through the relaxed atmosphere of "The Installation". "Tony Bandana" makes a break for it as a rock song with Arron Mawson lending his bass skills to the foray. The Green Child acknowledge an interesting array of musical cues from New Musik via Sade to Hot Chocolate, the latter most keenly felt on the slinky groove behind "Dreamcom". Clockwork sequencing, drawbar organ amid bouncing guitar spirals and a lightness of vocal touch make for a potent potion. The duo covers "Resurrection" by Canadian '60s popsmith Andy Kim later on the record, turning his orchestral "hymn of searching" into a grandiose tower of overlapping drones, languid vocal reverb, and strummed chords. Meanwhile, "Health Farm" is awash with questing keyboard melodies, its notes speeding into each other like Boards Of Canada with the legato ramped up. "Double Lines" draws this fascinating album to an end, seeping into the room like an apparition. Shimmering Basset is a robust album of compelling melody, expanded vision, and melancholic grandeur. 180 gram vinyl.