BowsCountry of origin:England (though Luke Sutherland grew up in the Orkney Islands of Scotland) Type of music generally:Ectronica Status:Most recent release, Cassidy (2001) See also:Bows' MySpace page Comparisons:Like a looser Massive Attack, Lamb, Portishead, Air Covers/own material:Own General comments:Bows is Luke Sutherland (novelist and formerly of Long Fin Killie)'s electronica project. Here he teams up with wonderful singers and produces soundscapes from fascinating pieces of sound. These are loose, experimental soundscapes to get lost in. (Neile) Recommended first album:I personally prefer Cassidy. (Neile) Recordings:BlushRelease info:1999—Too Pure—Pure 90CD Availability:Wide in U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of open electronica Group members:Luke Sutherland—guitars, violins, saxophones, vocals Guest artists:Ruth Emond—vocals on 3 tracks, backing vocals on 2 tracks Comments:Luke Sutherland's new project, Bows, is completely different from Long Fin Killie on the surface. The first track begins with pretty washes of ambient sound, light trip-hop beats, and lazy, spacey female vocals (in a sort of post-Bjork tone). The rest of Blush follows this pattern, with Sutherland singing soto voce on 2 tracks. Lush, orchestral electronica is what you'd file this under, upon first listen. Subsequent listens bring out the more subversive elements. The female singers function as Sutherland's muses, their pretty, detached vocals describing the paradigms and complexities of desire with the precision and abstraction of French post-structuralists, like Barthes and Baudrillard. Sutherland's own pieces serve as a kind of dialogue with these muses/demons. His weird, hyper-literate imagery is still there--you just have to work at it more, since he doesn't provide a lyric sheet. Underneath the electronic gimmickry, real violins and saxophones creep out. In short, Bows successfully grafts the ambition of Long Fin Killie to a more accessible format. (ethereal_lad@livejournal.com) CassidyRelease info:2001—Too Pure—Pure 104CD Availability:Wide in U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of open electronica Group members:Luke Sutherland—guitar, violin, machines, gizmo, bass, piano, 808, vocals Guest artists:Colin Greig—bass on 3 tracks Comments:Dreamy atmospheric instruments and vocals. I love how Signe Høirup Wille-jørgensen and Luke Sutherland's vocals work like instruments here—this is particularly well illustrated on such tracks as "Ali 4 Onassis". These aren't exactly songs, but are more sound sculptures with catchy moments. I find this one an intriguing listen. (Neile) |
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