Matt Bartram - Arundel

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 26 / 7 / 2008

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Review

Matt Bartram’s first solo album is a dream from start to finish and sounds completely unlike his work with his regular band, Brighton-based post rock group Air Formation. Matt played all the instruments and recorded it to 8 track back in the spring of 2007. ‘D)’ opens the album, which is a short instrumental piano based piece and has loop-like backing to it. North Face Window’ is much bigger in sound, recalling a noisy Slowdive or the Cure at their noisiest and darkest. ‘Leave by Nine’ is both hypnotic and trippy, and, with an achingly lonely vocal, sounds like a post rock version of Pink Floyd at their most experimental. ‘View of the Downs’ is loud and full on. Matt’s vocals recall Jim Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain and as it moves on it sounds increasingly like My Bloody Valentine. ‘Above’ is a trippy, chill out number with very gentle guitar, while ‘All I'll Never Find’ has more of a Slowdive feel to it, Matt’s vocals sounding on it like an additional instrument. ‘Twenty Three’ is lush with layers of floating grooves and is totally gorgeous. ‘Farewell’ is soft and haunting and is backed by swirling guitar and a very lonesome tambourine. ‘Marchwood Hall’ is the final track. It is a relaxed and calm chill-out track, and brings this near perfect album to a fine close.

Track Listing:-

2 North Facing Window
3 Leave By Nine
4 View Of The Downs
5 Above
6 All I'll Never Find
7 Twenty Three
8 Farewell
9 Marwood Hall

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/MBSounds
https://www.facebook.com/Matt-Bartram-

Label Links:-

http://www.driftingfalling.com/
https://twitter.com/driftingfalling
https://en-gb.facebook.com/driftingfal