Edinburgh based label, Song, by Toad have released a record, which features the likes of Supermoon, folkster Viking Moses, Virgin of the Birds and digital analogue.
Vol.4 of the Song, by Toad Split 12″ series was out earlier this month; The Split 12″s are a series of records which label founder, Matthew Young, records himself, picking four bands, inviting them round, and then compiling the resulting songs into a whole album.
A truly reflective, gorgeous blend of minimal acoustic music and slow, rumbling drones, this volume is a wonderfully compiled record. It also seems to really accentuates the amazing reverb in the recording room, and all bands complement each other nicely, albeit obvious that this is not one band’s record. It features Edinburgh-based Supermoon (the new project by Neil from Meursault), former Creation Records snarl-folkster Viking Moses, and Song, by Toad Records’ Virgin of the Birds and digitalanalogue (also Edinburgh).
This format of record is something we see time and time again in Scotland with the likes of Fence and Lost Map Records issuing records that would encompass musicians within that collective or even those that admired their work. Done well, it’s a format that works, and it would appear that Song, by Toad are equally able to put out fantastic compilations.
The piano on digitalanalogue’s I’m Taking The Long Way Home, sits hauntingly like a Guy Garvey inspiration. This track delectably builds with noise, creating a stunning soundscape, leading into Supermoon’s Ode to Gremlin, a vocally delicate folk ballad, outlining Neil Pennycook’s ability to write.
Virgin of the Birds’ The Triumph of our Tired Eyes resonates throughout the record, contemplative, lyrical, whereas Supermoon’s Simple Is Good (prior) considers the complexities of life, all thought-provoking work. Sporting some fantastic talent from this city, the urge to listen is there. Go on. It was released on 12th July.
Stream it here.
