Greg Fenton reviews Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins – In A Fugue State – None More Records
Talking of contrasts and reflections, this new album from Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins pulses with wonder. A seemingly endless crisscross of loops and motifs glides effortlessly past, serving as a celebration, while an undercurrent of darker notes provides the foil. Try the sublime slide guitar on the intro to recall, containing its moments of beautiful renaissance, then witness their fragmentation as grains slip through the grip.
There’s a fascinating, emotional interplay throughout, feeling contradictory at times, yet it creates a holy grail in its wake. The sounds of guitar and drones may sound familiar, but here they are sonically treated to something akin to a newer language, which is always welcome. Feel, introduces piano and accompanying pads alongside a warmer flicker of chords progressing, although inevitably the path twists, transforming the landscape into something else.
Likewise, forget, again proposes a structure to drape itself around, but cracks soon appear, dismantling the security. All the pieces of music here share a common theme. The picking apart of things, and in the way loops form proposed melodies or by gracing the music with warmth – try the evolving coral beauty of wave. In many ways, much like Autumn breaks down what’s gone before, preparing the ground for something changeable, In A Fugue State reimagines time, space and place. Either way, it’s an enticing listen, full of highs and lows as life drifts endlessly by.
Release: October 17
Download/Steam on Bandcamp
Joe Harvey-Whyte
Paul Cousins
None More Records
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