Raw Silk Uncut Wood by Laurel Halo; Bandcamp Link: Raw Silk Uncut Wood
Number 33 in the Wire Magazine (@thewiremagazine) Top 50 Releases of 2018.
Raw Silk Uncut Wood starts with what sounds like Church Organ, but with some odd whistling floating above, and, eventually, the lower organ tones step down the ladder beyond what is possible for organs to play and into the range of electronic dance music.
The middle tunes, especially “Mercury” and “The Sick Mind”, are interesting and varied in their use of acoustic instruments and electronic treatments.
While I admire the arc of the album, starting in church-ey peace, losing it for a bit, and ending in major chord progressions, the last tune, is maybe a tad too Vangelis-ey and anthemic, as in Chariots of Fire, and leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Still overall, an enjoyable journey.
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