Owen Tromans - Between Stones

  by Keith How

published: 27 / 11 / 2019

Label: Sacred Geometry
Format: CD

intro

Fantastic eighth solo album from ex-San Lorenzo member Owen Tromans which finds him both ploughing his own field and stepping out of the shadows with a remarkable new set of songs

On this eighth album singer-songwriter Owen Tromans tastefully blurs the boundaries between Americana and folk rock with ease, ably assisted by collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Joe Bennett. Owen Tromans is based in Hampshire and recorded this new album at Truck Studios in Oxfordshire with Bennett. He also contributes to the ‘zine 'Weird Walk', a journal concerned with folk lore, rambling and music. I guess these interests fuel the themes that inform this album. The title track 'Between Stones' is an evocative folk ballad exploring ancient stones and places and featuring a lovely cello accompaniment. The album opens with some 'Bryter Layter' strings that bring in an easy-paced 'Danebury Rumination', which is inspired by an Iron Age hill fort close to Troman’s home. This opening tune set the scene for the rest of the album that find the singer exploring the death of a monarch '(Burying the Moon King'), exploring ancient landscapes ('Between Stones') and the epic nine-minute long 'Grimcross'. All these compositions highlight not only Tromans' eclectic storytelling ability but his fascination with history and literature. Point in case is the intriguing'Martin Pale’s Ghost', a song that references magic and superstition set to a slow building chord sequence that develops into a song full of lyrical intrigue and fuzzy guitar. I was reminded of the Blue Nile which is no bad thing. Flowing between acoustic fingerpicking melodies and riff-driven indie tunes you might be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled on a long lost Neil Young album as such is the flavour of the vocal delivery. The aforementioned 'Grimcross' certainly emphasises the point in case. This, however, is not detrimental to the album. In fact the production and instrumentation brings Troman’s poetic lyrics to the fore and gives the songs real breathing space. The rambling 'Grimcross' complete with some excellent guitar work segues into the haunting and experimental 'Electric Wessex' where the writer beautifully recounts times spent on a hilltop at night. It is a fine way to draw his album to a close. 'Between Stones' is a classic example of British songwriting at its best. Often an album like this can be completely overlooked by music lovers and yet on inspection there is much to enjoy and treasure.

Track Listing:-