The latest missive from Andrew Plummer‘s World Sanguine Report sees him fleshing out the line-up to include bassist Ruth Goller, harmonium player Matthew Bourne and drummer Will Glaser; all names familiar to Freq readers and well respected players in their own rights.
It still feels like Andrew’s baby, but his trust in and familiarity with the players comes across well in the live aspects of the recording process. It is that voice which you are buying into though; a stentorian baritone that also has warmth and vulnerability. Allied to the often reserved but flexible backing and with the addition of Ruth’s sweet vocal counterpoint, Songs From The Harbour sheds new light and shows a new way forward.
The warm blues-y drone of opener “Lay Down With Me” sets the scene somewhat and offers a starting point from which the quartet can only expand. The guitar needles and the twisting rhythm of “She Is All” hint at an unexpected swing, but the sense of love and obsession is captured in the darker hues offered by the vocal tone and the profundity of delivery. The space allowed by the group for the words to flower is what really hits you, a careful spare backing allowing maximum impact, particularly on the slow and honeyed “Blue Skin” with its whispered drums and shimmering reverb. The line “We sat on the beach, drank wine and you kissed me” puts a romantic moment into focus, but these things usually don’t last on Songs From The Harbour and even Ruth’s sweet vocal accompaniment can’t prevent the water from stirring, becoming ruffled and unsettled. This habit of the songs taking a darker turn at times continues throughout the album, even on the pastoral folk of Ruth’s “Into The Light” with her counterpointing breathy and thoughtful voice being pushed aside as a sudden blistering barrage of rock changes the mood.Andrew’s voice is so low at times that you feel it would be vibrating your clothes if you were in the studio with them, but the interplay between Andrew and Ruth, particularly on John Lurie‘s heartbreaking “No kids”, saves things from descending too deep. Again the tone lifts with Ruth’s “On Death”, its sparse bed highlighting the duet; but then Will leads a surge in power that gives a brief but coruscating finale. I guess the thing that sets Andrew’s voice apart from say Nick Cave or Tom Waits is the constant sense of vulnerability and on the up tempo rumble of “Litany Of Losses”, that vulnerability shows through even when the song is chewing up the scenery and spewing guitar sparks across the primal beat.
The album ends with the distorted vocal of “The Catching Of The Bull”, with Ruth’s voice hovering like a feline angel over Andrew’s shoulder. These personal words are shrouded, as if the meaning is too much to release; but even when the harmonium and drums appear, they seem to magnify the personal nature before the bombastic conclusion takes effect.As a furthering of Andrew’s mission, Songs From The Harbour is a work of personal yet inclusive strength that binds the players together. Let’s hope there is more to hear from them.
-Mr Olivetti-
