Michael Cashmore, Sleep England
- Twilight Empire
- I Killed Dusk
- Dream England
- Broken Seas
- If We Knew Silence
- Way They’re Found
- Passed to Snow
- Eight White Stars
- Sleep England
- Vernon Road
- Keepsake
- Flowers Under Snow
I recently picked up a copy of Sleep England by Michael Cashmore. To be honest, I haven’t had much exposure to his work before this. I have one Nature and Organization track (To You) but beyond that I’ve only heard his contributions to various Current 93 recordings. For this reason, I expected this album to be in a style similar to his C93/Nature and Organization material.
Upon first listening to it though, I realized this album is very much unlike the stuff I was previously familiar with and in a way it was a little disappointing. You know how when you’re in the mood to listen to something in particular, something unexpectedly different is unsatisfying? That was my initial experience with Sleep England.
This is not to say it’s bad though. On the contrary, it’s actually quite good, but it took a couple more listens to realize this (and again, this is entirely my own fault for having these preconceived expectations). This album is very quiet, melodic, and completely instrumental. Folksy, in a way, but not what you would normally think of a “folk music”. There are thirteen tracks but together they seem to constitute one long 45 minute piece rather than a dozen separate ones.
Overall it’s worth buying if this is your thing. I honestly don’t know if I would have bought it if I had heard it first, but I’m not sorry I did.
Comments
My thoughts on this album is that it is great, i would have expected things like the music from current 93, but was overwhelmed by the melancholy and… what can you say, longing(?) in the music. It’s a fantastic album if you ask me, and the 45 minutes seem like eternity in a positive way for me. It is not one of these normal albums you just get random happiness from, it is what i call filled music with real emotion. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L (if you ask me still ;) )
You know, this album has actually grown on my quite a bit in the months since my writing this. I find myself putting it on more often than I expected to. Perhaps it’s one of those recordings that can sometime take a while to fully appreciate.
Haunting yet beautiful
Something to say?
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