Monday, July 9, 2012

April in the Orange - In the Mirror Under the Moon (Cae-Sur-A 015)





bring the medicine man along for the journey .  Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


After the psych-folk revery of When a River Meets the Sea, April in the Orange (AITO) - Andrew Barrett and Samantha Linn - return with In the Mirror Under the Moon, on Cae-Sur-A.  While this is their latest release, ironically it contains the first AITO tracks from 2007-08. In the Mirror Under the Moon is a collection of wonderfully sequenced folk songs with psych flavor that provide a glimpse of AITO's embryonic period.

Compared to the Sloow tape, Barrett assumes lead vocals for all but one track.  As duo's are concerned, the vocals of both Barrett and Linn are one of many pillars on which this music rests.  When Barrett assumes lead vocals, Linn's gentle voice fuses majestically.  Barrett's voice has such great range.  Throughout the tape, they exhibit a proclivity for layering electric and acoustic instruments.  As a result, the sonics are rich, and the duo are able to create dreamlike soundscapes to accompany their mellifluous voices.  There is not one average track on this tape.  And the standouts are luminous.  'Xerxes Folding Roses'' fragile beauty weaves a path through the twilight as intimate finger picking is joined by electric guitar in the background and Barrett's breathy vocals.  Linn's vocals feature on the penultimate track, 'To a Lost Family', a beautiful psych- folk track that reminds me of the early days of Songs of the Green Pheasant.

Barrett and Linn create august paeans that radiate peace.  Also, they have prepared a new lp that is awaiting release titled, The Song of Green That Echoes Through the Ice.  There is a surfeit of great releases in the new batch of Cae-sur-a.  One can purchase In the Mirror Under the Moon - pro printed, hand-numbered edition of 100 - directly from Cae-Sur-A, or through my brotha, Jackson, at Flipped Out.

peace to you, friends :)