Prolific craftsman of ambient acoustic
raga soundscapes, Seabuckthorn returns with another evocative
collection of songs, boosted by a subtle but tangibly bigger emphasis
on rhythm than last years fantastic In Nightfall. Relying this
time on his trusty 12-string acoustic, shruti box and whatever
percussive instruments he had lying around, Seabuckthorn (aka Andy
Cartwright) weaves together ten cohesive tracks that take you on a
metaphysical journey through the Serengeti, the Amazon rainforest,
Mayan ruins, with a few fleeting stopovers in the middle east and all
with an underlying Indian drone. And he does all this without ever
descending into the arena of Paul Simon's studied take on 'world
music' or staying loyal to any particular geographic region, tribe or
sect. Instead Cartwright has a natural propensity to folk music that
feels ancient and steeped in mysticism. Enjoy the album as a whole
and you'll soon forget the wettest British summer in a hundred years.
An exceptional treasure.
[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, November 2012]
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