October Gold
Album: October Gold
Label: MAPL
Tracks: 5
Website: http://www.octobergold.com

This EP sees the instrumental and vocal talents of Kit Soden and Aliza Thibodeau augmented with bass, cello, French horn and percussion. The ensemble blends perfectly with the violin and guitar that form the core of the Montreal based duo's sound. Among the musicians are some who appeared on the duo's 2013 album 'Bridge of the Sun', a work that boasted multiple cellos, horns, trumpets, fiddles and a hoard of percussionists. Paring the accompaniment down for this project seems to have paid off and the end result lifts the vocals which is key when the lyrical content showcases the works of Thomas Moore and Archibald Lampman, often referred to as Ireland's answer to Robert Burns and Canada's own Keats respectively.

Soden's warm and gentle voice is a fine medium for these often beautiful lyrics. Thibodeau matches this sweet quality and her breathy violin playing sometimes suggests another delicate and very human voice. This is perhaps most evident on the opening track of the album where the violin sings out over a rich low cello line as the guitar keeps a steady pulse with a glittering fingerstyle accompaniment.

Violet Fire, the second track on the album steps up the complexity of the arrangement, moving from the dreamy singing melodies of the opening piece to full string arrangements and the golden tone of the French horn. The strings outline beautiful chords in great swells of sound, at first punctuating the track and then building to a wonderfully layered instrumental in which the different voices dance around each other pushed forward by the rhythmic guitar.

The strings and horn have been captured with amazing clarity and convey the original performances of the musicians remarkably well. In 'Soft Like Gold' these instruments combine to feel almost as expansive as a full orchestra, with soaring horn and the wiry melancholy lament of the cello filling a huge sound space.

The closing track highlights the wonderful fingerstyle guitar playing although it soon gives way and returns to supporting the violin and vocals. With such great technique it would be a treat to hear more of the guitar and let it outshine the string writing and break through the texture more often.

Lee Cuff