Hamilton Yarns are a seven-strong collective
who formed in the winter of 2002 with a desire to tell tales.
‘The Search For The Underwater Town’, their seventh
release is an ambitious concept album spread across two discs.
Sounding like an acoustic version of cut’n’paste visionary
‘Fog’, they lay out their scene-by-scene musical collage
with themes that range from the apocalyptic to the mundane. Trawling
a vast range of leftfield themes, most of which are rooted in
alternative folk, the collective carve out what seems like an
eccentric piece of ‘traditionally English’ sonic theatre
featuring sounds as the main actors and human voices only as passing
guests.
Aesthetically,
the collectives sound is reminiscent to that of Canadian sorcerers
‘A Silver Mt Zion’. Like Mt Zion, they utilise a mischievous
collage of random sounds, micro rhythmic motifs and unharmonised
vocals to create a sound which has been freed from the shackles
of traditional music theory. Unlike Mt Zion, these elements are
not tied into expansive post-rock structures which makes ‘The
Search For The Underwater Town’ a more difficult listen.
Albums that are difficult to listen too occasionally reveal an
underlying majesty after sustained listening but this is mainly
true of music which is so complex and layered that initial listens
do little to unlock their treasure. In the case of ‘The
Search For The Underwater Town’, the opposite is true. It
is an album developed with such a minimalist fervor that continued
listening is required to make the elements gel.
The
album shifts slowly yet captivatingly through a mishmashed collage
of rudimentary childlike melodies, fleeting drones, broken toy
sound snippets and submerged instrumental wandering. Those tracks
with enough layers to be labeled as songs are interspersed by
very abstract exercises in audio equipment tuning or random subtle
clangage. From the muted, underwater carnival-esque melodies of
‘Wade Across The Paddock’ to the drone-laden instrumentation
and unusually structured multi-vocalist chants of ‘In The
Park II’, the collective create a curious sonic playground
of stripped down musical melodies which are trapped in unconventional
soundscapes. On ‘Newhaven To Dieppe’ they embark on
a rickety, acoustic take on cut’n’paste electronica
which contrasts light and airy tones with those of a more sinister
nature, a tactic which results in a wonderful effect. ‘Walking
Out’ is a simple yet unique piece which pitches hypnotic
drone with soft vocals and fleeting trumpets whilst ‘Industrial
Revolt’ is a delectable piece of slow-motion children’s
space orchestra .
Although
it is recommended that the album is indigested as a whole, an
approach that allows the listener to appreciate the contrast between
the menacing and playful as well as the general theme behind the
album, there are a few tracks that really stand out on their own.
One such track is the ritualistic alt-folk of ‘The Birds
Bob’ which is a darkly spun tapestry of hand claps, eerie
strings and deliciously plodding keys. Coming through with a song
that wouldn’t be out of place in ‘A Hawk and a Hacksaw’
album, ‘Bronze Age Rapier’ is a hypnotic slice of
shimmering instrumentation which has a very tangible Balkan pomp
and ceremony about it.
Two disc ‘concept’ albums can
be hit and miss affairs that test the listeners patience but thankfully,
Hamilton Yarn’s playful aesthetic, English charm and endearing
melodies coupled with the fact that each disc is less than 40minutes
long, make ‘The Search For The Underwater Town’ a
slice of unique sonic theater that’s more than worth the
price of admission. (RM)
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