Sunday, 14 October 2012

Listing Ships - The Hayling Island Sessions

(Idle Fret/American Steam Company Recordings, 2012)

All the best bands are nautically themed aren't they? Well, apart from Aqua. But think Shipping News, June of 44, Tortoise and Slint and you'll get the idea. Listing Ships have emerged as one of the best new bands in Oxford but their love of the sea has gone to the next level on this latest release with the band choosing to record three new songs in a converted Lifeboat station on the South Coast. Combining field recordings from the recording sessions and their own brand of kraut-leaning post-rock, Listing Ships continue to evoke oceanic textures on the the restless, tumultuous 'Baychimo' and the alternatingly rough and serene 'Alba Adriatica'. Combined with three of their previously released tracks, The Hayling Island Sessions marks the band's first foray onto that most highly-regarded of formats, the 12” vinyl, so it will serve as an excellent introduction to the band or a prized collectors item for existing fans. Either way, it comes highly recommended.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 20]

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