The 2kDozen 500: #314 - Land Observations, "Roman Roads IV-XI"

Pastoral Anglo quirk-rock. Tracing worn old thumbs out over antiquarian maps and listening out for legionnaires in the mist. A bit unexpected for the Mute label as well.

There's a lovely patience that underpins "From Nero's Palace". It puts me in mind of music from children's TV from a decade like the Seventies. Music to drink soup from a Thermos by. "Appian Way" pizzicatos the pace up a wee bit, spirals and fractals spilling off either side of the ordered Roman advance. "Portway" really stretches it out though, kicks in another gear: a gear with indie guitar-plucking and creepy progressions. In contrast, "Battle of Watling Street" starts out like some fuzzy felt folk piece, hiss in the foreground and a repetitive structure of mournful strings. It sounds very old - like campfires and rheumatism.

Very similar lines are sketched out as on the Drokk! album a few months ago. It's kosmische, it's a bit magical. But it's a bit flat too - like too many fields of grain on the horizon.

Rating: Patient Travel out of Pastoral Mists