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Review
of 'Stray Dog Army' from The Milk Factory website:
First
release on the Mole Harness record label, Stray Dog Army follows
the superb first album All Your Memories Return At Once, published
last year on Bristol-based Float Records. The project of James Brewster,
Mole Harness combines beautiful instrumental electronic soundscapes
and guitars to create subtle melancholic compositions.
Stray Dog Army collects five tracks recorded over the last couple
of years. Four of these tracks were originally released as a limited
edition 3 inch CD single on Japanese label Universal Frequencies
as part of their Electric Folklore series. This new version also
features the previously unreleased nine-minute epic Roman Roads.
While the title track was part of a live soundtrack to Kenneth Anger’s
film Inauguration Of The Pleasuredome, Ending Too Soon was recorded
for a stillborn project aiming at collecting one minute compositions
on a 7 inch single, and Ripples On Underground Lakes was recorded
shortly after All Your Memories Return At Once. The comparatively
long two remaining tracks, clocking at seven-and-a-half and nine-and-a-half
minutes respectively, are more recent recordings and denote a slightly
more minimal approach to musical structures and streamlined arrangements.
These two tracks reveal the electronic treatment applied in a much
clearer way than before, as beautiful sonic landscapes emerge from
clouds of looped processed guitars to develop in a variety of shapes.
Stray Dog Army gives an interesting insight into the development
of Mole Harness in the last couple of years while hinting at things
to come. This superb release, found somewhere at the crossroad of
Isan and Greg Davis, is a deep reflection on the many connections
found between atmospheric electronica and guitar-based music.
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