Reviews
The Gentle Good Album: Between The Covers
Label: Bubblewrapcollective
Tracks: 13
Website: https://bubblewrapcollective.bandcamp.com/album/elan
As demonstrated by the washes of distorted guitar and electronics that open "Ten Thousand Acres", after the pared back GALARGAN, ELAN, the sixth album by The Gentle Good has a fuller band sound. The vocals when they come on "Ten Thousand Acres" are atmospheric rather than just descriptive. Gareth Bonello award winning songwriter who is the core of the band doubles on acoustic guitar and cello on "Crugyn Ci", a song for the Elan Valley that inspires and titles this set. With Andy Fung and Gareth playing guitars alongside Laura J Martin's Flute "Pan O'wn Y Gwanwyn ( Dychweliad Bychan)" has the feel of early Rick Wakeman Prog. "Desert Of Wales" takes off in a different direction with Rajasthani folk musicians SAZ adding their voices and instruments. The mix of Indian devotional style vocals alongside Bonello, flying together over guitar, percussion and the distinctive bowed Sindhi Sarangi is truly inspired. "To Be In Summer" and "Tachwedd" are lush Pop Folk, Syd Barrett meets The Beach Boys with strings by the Mavron Quartet. Gareth sings in stirring Welsh on the stirring acoustic "Cofiwch Gwn Elan" again the arrangement of voice, guitar and strings is inspired. Cinematic instrumental with a touch of ambient Eno, "Drygarn" has electronic swirls around an insistent piano part. That powerful piano punches through hymn like "Stunning Location". The building vocals in the song are also a delight. West Coast American Psychedelia pulses through the beautiful "Brwcsod". Between dreamy verses the punchy instrumental passages are alive with the guitar, bass drums and organ crunch of The Doors at The Whisky A-Go Go. Divine instrumental "Fleet" is all about guitar with Bonello and the talented Toby Hays trading acoustic guitar runs. Like "Ten Thousand Acres", "Dark Skies" repeats one verse as a hypnotic mantra over Frank Naughton's hypnotic pulse with enough backward sounds to satisfy The Beatles at their most dilated. The closing title track returns us to pastotal instrumental piano, strings and subtle electronics.
Written in an off grid cottage in the Cambrian Mountains, ELAN is thoughtful Psychedelia that explores the folklaw and legacy of The Elan Valley, flooded behind the Craig Goch dam in the late 19th Century to provide water for Birmingham. Presenting a mixture of reflective instrumentals and songs that celebrate beauty past and present and a sense of what is hidden.
I loved the directness of Folky GALARGAN, but ELAN has the lushness of RUINS / ADFEILION and the poetry of "Bound For Lampedusa" the starts of my loveu affair with the distinctive music of The Gentle Good and the voice of Gareth Bonello.
Marc Higgins
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10 000 Acres
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