Malpas – Rain River Sea
Malpas, aka songwriter Ali Forbes and producer Andy Savours, will release their début album ‘Rain River Sea’ on 27th July 2015 through Killing Moon Records. For Andy this is his first venture out from behind the mixing desk, having previously made records with artists including The Horrors, Sigur Ros and My Bloody Valentine. The album has been eagerly anticipated and we were lucky enough to get access to a preview. Brumlive’s Imran Khan gave us his first impressions:
“It takes a lot for an album to capture me these days. I think perhaps DJing for such a long time has taken it’s toll, however this is something fresh and different, and I think that there will be a few people who think the same as I do. I’ve had this record in my inbox for a little while and I kind of wish that I had hit the link a little sooner than I have. The album takes you on a journey of intricate electronic soundscapes, linked with falsetto vocals and an underlying folk edge. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t “folktronica” this is something entirely different, there is a hint of acoustic guitars and mandolins but you have to go beyond the complexity of the tracks to hear that.
There is something distinctly dark about the sound, yet the vocal tends to lift you on many of the tracks. There are tracks that really stand out to me; firstly there is the hypnotic drive paired with stunning vocals of Us Afloat, then there is the two minute “Thom Yorke”esque feel on Spiders; and then there is Under Her Sails:
If you are in the mood for a vibe that is similar to the folk of Bright Eyes (in particular their Digital Ash in a Digital Urn album) mixed in with the electronic feel of Thom Yorke, then this is worth a shot. Still not convinced? – then find them on Facebook and grab their free EP first.”
Malpas began with a few fragile folk songs recorded in an attic in Kings Heath, Birmingham featuring low-key vocals embedded in interlocking loops of acoustic instruments and found percussion. The hypnotic atmosphere of these raw sketches seemed to draw on electronic as well as traditional organic influences, so the duo were inspired to further experiment with fusing these seemingly incompatible reference points. The unique Malpas sound then evolved over email between Birmingham and London as the duo chopped and sampled each other’s ideas to create a collection of complex musical pieces that still retain the emotional directness of those initial basic demos.
Malpas are gearing up for a string of live shows and festival appearances this summer starting at the Great Escape with more dates to be announced in due course.
Review: Imran Khan