Crescent - Little Waves
[FatCat]

From its humble beginnings as an independent Crawley-based record store back in 1990, to developing into one of the most eclectic record labels on the planet, FatCat boasts a remarkable recorded output. From Sigur Ros' grand, glacial designs through to the low-key stylings of Crescent, FatCat's vision is one of quality.

Crescent return after a four year absence and are found to be in particularly somnolent form on "Little Waves". Hardly renowned for being a prolific band, Crescent's releases are usually low profile affairs and this album continues those traditions.

A largely acoustic based effort, with some brass arrangements dotted throughout, Crescent move slowly on "Little Waves", developing an interesting crepuscular atmosphere. Environmental factors and imperfections play an important part of this recording too. The brooding "Our River", for example, was recorded under a busy, motorway flyover. The distant rumble of cars swooshing through the night time air augments the atmosphere, tempering the tentative acoustic guitar picking and Matt Jones', Tom Waits-style vocals.

The band chose to record other tracks in all sorts of unusual locations. The atmospheres of dilapidated cinemas, abandoned railways and sounds of nature can be heard throughout "Little Waves", giving this album a rough-edged but humanistic feel.

"Cup" is a particular triumph, Jones' vocals here pay homage to the soft tones of the late Nick Drake, while the instrumentation points to Crescent's Psych/Folk influences. With an alluring melody, "Cup" moves at snails pace, but builds beautifully slowly collecting instrumentation into a mantra-like passage.

At odds with the current quick-fix climate of the world, "Little Waves" is by no means an instant album. This is an album that requires patience, it takes a good few spins before something starts to sink in. However, subtle instrumental parts will slowly register, while you absorb the distant atmospheres and onomatopoeic rhythms. Ultimately, "Little Waves" is not an obvious album, but it will unravel its twilight secrets with repeated (and un-interrupted) listens. Crescent will never set the world alight, but "Little Waves" is a seductive album nonetheless.

Little Waves Track Listing:

01. Little Waves
02. Cup
03. Nearly Ready
04. Geese
05. Hey, September
06. Come Into The Shade
07. Drift
08. Birds Came Out Of The Trumpet
09. Before
10. Our River