Posted on: May 26, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The duo Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie have led a long and distinguished career as flag bearers for Glasgow’s Soma Quality Recordings since 1998. Writing in between Craig’s studio in a small village in the south of France and Graeme’s Glasgow studio.

The album opens with ‘Koko’s Song’, a deep and hypnotic tribute to a recently deceased fan from the Bulgarian coastal city of Varna. Characterized by a lamenting guitar loop and probing keys, the track meanders between self-reflection and self-expression in an energetic drive to climax.

‘Dust Ballad II’ plunges southward, generating a pressure cooker of deep-pulsed tones and steamy pads. Alleviating tension with arrhythmic melodic tones, there is little chance that dust will settle during this after hours cut. ‘Language of the Soul’, a reworking of the AA side from the duo’s first release on their Darkroom Dubs label, is just as deep. Introducing vocal elements to tangibly live bass licks and soothing melodica, it concocts a sparse and immersive experience.

‘Call of the Dub’ builds effervescent percussive elements around a penetrating kick, laying foundations for revolving arpeggiated synth, sci-fi pads and ritualistic drumming that paints a transcendental and elemental pilgrimage from humble origins. ‘David Vincent’s Blues’ sets a wonky disco mood, with guitar lines stumbling over tight percussion and organ chords, while ‘Hurt People Hurt People’ probes darker territories in a spaced out safari stomp, ushered by bowel adjusting bass and subtle melodic tones.

First single ‘The Pulse’ opens with delicately floated chords, rapidly approaching bass swells and reverberant percussion. Dense and persuasive, a spoken word vocal guides us through a turbulent terrain of deep grooves, ascendant pads and cascading synth. ‘Midnite Man’ is an intoxicating trip, fret with overpowering bass hits, descending percussive falls and a wholly unsettling discordant violin maelstrom. Seductive and potent, this cut is laced with more than a hint of threat and charged by more than a modicum of sweat. ‘Seasons of Weird’ evokes epic pink-skied post apocalyptic imagery with its soaring pads and hot wind chimed percussion, with funked bass strut and wistful guitar adding depth to the landscape.

Silicone Soul end the album on an eerie tip with ‘Dogs of Les Ilhes’, dedicated to Craig’s deathly quiet village home. At night you can hear the hunting dogs howl, which provided a perfect basis for the construction of a new track in tandem with the village’s church bells reverberating and profound piano accompaniments.

– – – – TRACKLIST – – – –

01. Koko’s Song
02. Dust Ballad II
03. Language of the Soul
04. Call of the Dub
05. David Vincent’s Blues
06. Hurt People Hurt People
07. The Pulse
08. Midnite Man
09. Seasons of Weird
10. Dogs of Les Ihes

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