littlebow – Pi Magpie (Second Language)
This is an intoxicating album of playful, (mostly) instrumental tunes from Kieron Phelan and Katie English (their second as littlebow , both for Second Language ), combining avant garde foundations with a great accessibility – a fair reflection of both of their previous work across a broad range of musical contexts. As mentioned in other reviews, there is more than a shade of children’s tv themes about a lot of this album which should give a wide entry point for many people – it certainly floats my boat. I particularly love the beautiful jazz drone with shimmering keys, with the embedded-in-the-mix flute melody of ‘Part time blind’. Fans of Gamelan music might recognise some if its beautiful, compelling structures and textures in ‘The pin point night’ (Katie English, I’ve learned, is a member of at least one London-based Gamelan ensemble, among her many other activities). But I find I keep coming back to the same three tracks again and again. The title track opener w...