Jane Weaver / Demdike Stare / The Focus Group - The Watchbird Alluminate

Samples sound promising

  Quote

Demdike Stare, The Focus Group, Anworth Kirk, Susan Christie and Samandtheplants, among others, rework songs from Jane Weaver's 'Fallen By The Watch Bird' LP, pressed up on this beautiful vinyl edition for the Finders Keepers affiliated Bird imprint. Taking influences from Eastern European children's cinema, Germanic kunstmärchen, 70s television music and early murmurs of 80s synth-pop, the album is described by the label as a "new conceptual pop project featuring cosmic aquatic folklore" - and the source material is here handed over to a suitably cosmic cast of characters. Demdike Stare open proceedings with their first ever remix - an extended and engrossing revision of 'Europium Alluminate', shapeshifting Jane's vocals into a sustained breath of glooming haar rolling down over pulsing bass and submerged, mechanical rhythms sounding like the echos of overworked mill machinery. Working in the background of Susan Christie's recital of poetry by Michael Hill, Focus Group give 'A Circle And A Star Part 1' a droning backdrop, while Anworth Kirk unfurl a tenderly psyched collage of folksy detritus, fuzzed guitar and languorous drums for 'Noctilumina'. With Emma Tricca, Wendy FLower, Magpahi and Susan Christie all making further contributions, the album runs like a slightly smudged fairytale, replicating the sense of wonder portrayed on that suitably ethereal cover image.

Sounds very interesting... someone got it?

It's a bit late for this release but anyway- the record is really good. The rework by Demdike is first ace and use fragments of Weaver's voice forming sculptured grey voice drones with a excellent electroacoustic sparkling on top. There are some tracks by Weaver with guests which are in the same direction as the solo LP from her. The additions by The Focus Group are minimal and full of spoken word samples with some nice reversed flutes and little sounds interspersed.

Give it a try digitally as the vinyl is sold out. Maybe you can get it for not too much on discogs.