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See The Looks On The Faces

by Sloth Racket

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  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Cassette comes housed in a double sized case. All tapes a pro dubbed on Metallic Blue Band shells, the 2 panel inlay has been printed on 300gsm recycled card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of See The Looks On The Faces via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 30  5 remaining

      £8 GBP or more 

     

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about

The concept behind Sloth Racket's first live album, 'See The Looks On The Faces' was a simple but extraordinarily effective one. Perhaps the most exciting and refreshing new British band operating in the Avant-Garde Jazz tradition, bandleader Cath Robert's compositions for the group have always remained open-ended with ample room for improvisation. Throughout the four long-form live recordings, the listener can audibly witness the gradual morphing and development of material from concert to concert. This is particularly true in the case of 'Edges', which appears twice on the album. The opening version recorded in Norwich bristles into life all stuttering baritone sax and clawed double bass. The extended duo between Seth Bennett and Robert's does at times coalesce into some earthy, bluesy chordal exchanges but for the most part the musical streams coming out of each instrument jar against each other fitfully. In comparison, this same duet on the Cambridge version sounds vastly more intertwined, far more in-sync with their melodic investigations. When the piece ramps up into more raucous territory, on this versionSam Andreae's Alto sax enters, sounding uncannily like an entire pizzicato string section. It's only in the closing minutes of each version that the main riff reveals itself, but the consecutive Cambridgeshire melody feels more tightly locked in. The percussion on both is minimal until the closing minutes, although Johnny Hunter does more in the few minutes he plays on each track than most drummers get to exhibit on an entire record. 'Crossed Swords' is the most unified cut on the album, erupting out the gate with a funk groove that would fit in Julius Hemphill's oeuvre. It's screamingly energetic and righteously infectious. On 'Endgame', guitarist Anton Hunter shines, filling out the consistent middle-eastern mode with a spacious, elegiac guitar sound that shimmers around mournful double bass. 'See the Look On The Faces' brilliance lies in its ability to show that Robert's compositions are living, breathing creations, changing according to the temperament of the band. These recordings are a window into the workings of a group of musicians so well recruited and so effective in their interplay that one can only imagine how astonishing the material they've generated that has never been recorded must be.....and what a loss that is.

credits

released November 27, 2017

Cath Roberts - baritone saxophone, compositions
Sam Andreae - alto saxophone
Anton Hunter - guitar
Seth Bennett - bass
Johnny Hunter - drums

Tracks 1 and 2 recorded live at The York Tavern, Norwich on 29th June 2017 (presented by Plink Plonk).
Tracks 3 and 4 recorded live at Unitarian Church, Cambridge on 30th June 2017 (presented by Listen!).
All tracks recorded by Anton Hunter.

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Tombed Visions Records Manchester, UK

Tombed Visions is a Manchester based cassette label specialising in improvisation, ambient music, experimental electronics and noir aesthetics and aims to showcase the fringes of contemporary independent music. All releases are limited edition and packaged with care, combining a love of graphic design, photography, typography with the wondrous sounds released. ... more

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