The first solo album from erstwhile Phantom Band guitarist Duncan Marquiss treads a lovely line between the craggy, lonesome vistas of the highlands and the sweeping, metronomic pulse of middle Europe.
Spread over seven long tracks, Wires Turned Sideways In Time moves between spare fingerpicked acoustic melancholy and heartbeat-riven synthscapes, managing to tie the two together in a warm bed of panoramic mystery.
The phased circular groove of opener “Drivenhalle” pulses with a beat that is physical and comforting, rippling with ’70s synth sounds. It feels as though a gentle life force is coursing through and although it embraces that familiar motorik vibe, there is enough of a modern twist to set it apart with a hint of drama beneath the surface and that sense of a wandering spirit. It feels less regimented and changes slowly as the synth and acoustic swap places.
“Fixed Action Patterns” heralds a slight change with its countrified acoustic lending an American primitive feel, a touch of slide adding eerie texture. It is spare and remote, but always with a resonance in the background, something that keeps the listener involved; even in the starkness of the title track, there is still an ambience that is welcoming. The album ends with the warm acoustic “Minor History”, which really does sound as though it could soundtrack a slow film of a mountain stream running down the side of a craggy heather-strewn mountain with the synth wash mimicking the clouds.
Wires Turned Sideways In Time is a charming adventure tinged with russet shades and sweeping views, and a welcome addition to the minimal instrumental oeuvre. Well worth the cost of admission.-Mr Olivetti-
