S Bourke

If you cannot go witness a performance with Erland and the Scottish Ensemble of Folded Landscapes then fear not, the album delivers. It is both a beautiful and dramatically impacting audio experience. If you are streaming do remember to turn off shuffle as its series of movements flow one into the other. The string arrangements evoke an emotional response to each landscape, its beauty, geology and alarming temperature, the occasional use of soprano;- spine tingling chilling. The use of low-fi sampling only serves to enhance the beauty and drama. l love to hear the click of clunky buttons as each sound is introduced and the strings working frantically to keep time with the big reels when they are pressed to rewind. The poetry has a message but it's lyricism and tempo takes precedence and so feels incorporated. However if your preference is for the chamber ensemble straight up the album repeats each piece as pure instrumental. Stephen Bourke.