Bears are in the news at the moment: in Siberia last month, a bear ate twelve peasants, whereas two weeks ago another Bear ate a third of Georgia. So perhaps the omens are good for the re-release of ‘EP1′, a collection of soothing anti-folk tunes by multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander, operating under the nom-de-plume Message to Bears.
The world conjured up by these wordless songs is cloisterish and peculiarly Oxonian, at least to my ears. Think Boar’s Hill at sunrise or New College chapel at dusk. The key qualities are understatement and simplicity, with Alexander’s gorgeously plangent guitar work laying the foundations. Like fellow instrumentalists The Workhouse, he doesn’t play anything remotely outlandish, but the tone of the instrument draws the attention. You come away from the record marvelling at how imperishable the sound of a well-made and expertly-recorded acoustic guitar can be: listen to the hushed guitar duet ‘Good Morning’ to hear what I mean (the following track, ‘Swim’ is just as good).
That said, Alexander has a well-developed liking for sonic devices, and a number of tracks on EP1 benefit from tastefully-applied electronica. With regards to melody, ‘To make a portrait’ is on the dull side, but the track is enlivened by what sounds like reversed, distorted piano, while ‘Found You And You’re Safe’ even has a nervous, scratchy rim-shot beat going under most of it. I find the latter song pretty but a bit mechanical. The addition of that old post-rock staple, indecipherable recorded speech, doesn’t help it either.
But I’ve left the best to last: the wonderful, impressionistic ‘Plane Over Evening Sky’. Again, we get a rapt, concentrated opening statement from the acoustic guitar which then widens almost cinematically with the inclusion of layers of lush guitars. Bells, string washes and even hand claps are subsequently incorporated into the texture to create an almost religious experience.
EP1 is a big success, as there is variety operating within a rigorous artistic vision. The songs all sound like part of a well-defined whole, but most of them work equally well on their own. For those that wish to hear contemplative, other-worldly music played on traditional instruments, this record comes highly recommended.