Killick: Bull****

This is a personal work by the artist using a custom-made 38 string harp guitar made partly of papier mache with a variety of wood inlays to create different resonances. Twelve tracks are presented, inspired by the work of pacifist writer Munro Leaf.

For the listener, the music, recorded more or less live in one take, is resonant but mostly within the same octave despite the 38 strings, giving it a rather repetitive and depressing tone, replete with background noises caused no doubt by the sheer size of the instrument itself.

Unfortunately I can't find anything to commend a repeat listen to this. It was rather like having to sit through a 40 minute bass solo. There are no hooks, interesting themes or melodies that I could find, simply an apparently improvised set of strummed or picked pieces which at times just sound like the player is tuning the instrument rather than playing it. I'm sorry, I just didn't understand it.

Track Listing
1 Snort Butt Leap Jump
2 You Would, Sting
3 Cork
4 The Flowers
5 Fight Day
6 Lovely Galería
7 Grew
8 Picadores/scared Fierce
9 Just Sat
10 Not (a)lonesome
11 Crying Mad
12 He Is Very Happy

Added: October 15th 2007
Reviewer: Richard Barnes
Score:
Related Link: Solponticello Records
Hits: 2322
Language: english

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