Cwymp y Dŵr ar Ganol Dydd
With
harpist Rhodri Davies. 6 tracks, each lovingly named after the rivers
and waterfalls of the beautiful valleys around
Pontneddfechan.
Available from
Confront
or from me directly.
Reviews:
« The outcome of this project, the six tracks presented here, are
uniformly lovely, not a bad apple in the bunch. As might be expected given
the initial source and the general demeanor of Davies' music, the pieces
tend toward the roughly consonant with ringing overtones abetted by percussive
jangles that might have ultimately derived from interaction with the harp's
frame. But it's the layers of tonal washes, their interference patterns
and the resultant throbbing colors that make the music here. Gentle pulses
emerge within beds of tiny bristles, a kind of ambient sound, often very
misty, often offset by brief, harsher intrusions, always gorgeous. Sometimes
the fluttering gets rather rapid, as on "Sgwd yr Eira" (the
Scrabble hound in me wishing that Welsh words other than "cwm"
were acceptable in that game) but the general tone of the pieces is one
of mildly agitated repose and contemplation. There is something of a similar
nature in the tracks, not a bad thing as each is very fine on its own,
though if I had to pick a winner, it'd be "Y Pannwr", a sombre
piece with muffled "bell tolls" and ambient percussive chatter
that eventually dives into deep, deep dronage. » Brian Olewnick,
Bagatellen
« Well thought-out... elegant... rich in detail [...] Explores
the austere clanging resonance of Davies' harp frame to great effect.
Serious stuff, but eminently listenable. In fact, the only difficult thing
about this album is pronouncing its title. » Dan Warburton,
Paris
Transatlantic
« The trio's main ground is a prolonged shimmering drone; over and
through that emerge other strata or isolated events, hums and white noise
wash, clunks, resonant thuds and juddering. It's music that creates its
own environment and envelops you as you listen... » Julian Cowley,
The Wire 
