Various Artists - Crows of The World vol 1 [Last Visible Dog Records - 2007]Crows of the world is a varied and often very effective double disk compilation of all manner of improvised, jammed out sound craft & drone matte. Going from droning banks of electronics, folky banjo pickings and twangs, shimmering organ throbs, discordant jazz unwinds with deep bassy leanings & chugging guitar hypnotics. Clocking in at a whopping 2 hour & 20 minutes there’s lots to investigate and enjoy here with every track managing to being both inventive, hypnotic and quite often around the 20 minute mark. The standard of all the tracks are very high both instrumental and sonic detail wise making it quite difficult to choose favourite moments but a few of mine would be from Disk one : The North Sea’s- Albino Deer Transmission that mixes backwoods marching drums and viral but darkly hued banjo clutter and strum that builds lots of satisfying noise peaks and more mystical ragged woodland strolls with violin wails dancing with the banjo. Paper Wings- Horse Latitudes with it's grey ominous western skies joint electric guitar clouds of atmosphere and clutter that unfolds like as dusty road for near on 25 minutes. From Disk two: Sunken – Twin Beaks with it’s smouldering and gothic reed organ drone and note weaving, that later drifts into a strange ritual air of mumbled and layered vocal chants. Oaxacan’s – Tulum offers a strange mix of eerier and alien female vocalising and operatics, Melodica harmonic & ghostly hover, cymbal atmosphere, and oily guitar edges, the track later wonders in to Africa drum meet discordant guitar/electronic freak-out. All in all a very rewarding quality bound compilation that will certainly have to hunting down the participants other work as it handy give you web address ect for each in the linear notes. Roger Batty
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