The Triple Tree — Ghosts
The album features a fair cast of sonic collaborators, around the creative centre of Wakeford & King- we have: M, Autumn Grieve, Kris Force (Amber Asylum), Guy Harries (Orchestra Noir and solo), Renee Rosen, John Murphy (Death In June, SPK,ect) and lastly but hardly least field recording elements from the English Heretic. The dense tracks are built around a mixture of organic elements such as : Acoustic & electric guitars, Bass & double bass,Harmonium, Violin, flute, Vibraphone, Marimba, Male & female vocals, and eerier field recordings. And Electronic elements such as elctro-texturing, beats,Melodica and synth’s. I guess the closet thing you could compare this too is a more approachable take on some of Coil’s Moon’s milk ep’s- with the heady mix of traditional English tone and dark psychedelic electronics, but with a more folk vein running through out.
A few of my favourite moments come in the form of :The Stalls with it’s droning Harmonium tone, earthy drum march tone, lispy chanted male folk vocals- which are sometime ghosted by ghostly female vocalising. Finshed off With subtle spinkles atmospheric field recording & electronic texturing. The Black Crusade which builds a wonderful feeling of late English Victorian dread; with a well spoken very English sounding male text over the top of a swirling yet harmonic and building mix of loose bass line, choir loops, string drones and programming. Mrs Mothersole with it’s mixes of sinster bass tones, heavy rain samples, enthral and dammed female vocalising and subtle electronic elements that hint at a more grim skeletal trip-hop vibe. Or the wonderful exit track The Ghost of England; which brings together warbling English male vocals, lined with lush female counterpart over a slow climbing harmonic organ drone and later bird errier samples. It feels so wonderful English, sinister, yet at the same time having a rather wonderful almost grim pop feel too.
A special mention must go to the albums packaging and presentation which really heightens the concept of the whole project, with a thick inlay booklet that looks like an creepy Victorian photograph album with all the tracks texts & the album cast dressed in sinister late 1900’s attire. A superb & highly atmospheric debut that captures wonderful the feeling of very English dread and foreboding. Let’s hope there’s more to come from this project.