Pumajaw - Curiosity Box

On their fifth album recorded as a duo, and their second under the Pumajaw moniker, producer and former Loop drummer John Wills and singer-songwriter Pinkie Maclure have once again seen their extraordinary musical chemistry wave open the door to an idiosyncratic universe of their own creation. Maclure's siren song, at times a beguiling coo, at others a terrifyingly primal chant, is wrapped in complex ambient sampling and folk instrumentation which still retains a powerful minimalism. The band’s kinship with the Scottish Fence Collective allows them to enlist such talents as Glasgow’s Alasdair Roberts and James Yorkston. These appearances, as well as the influence of traditional balladry (The Burning of Auchindoun) give the duo’s sound a tentative sense of place, bringing natural, primitive Scotland to mind. Over this full-length their sound gains intensity until it is almost overpowering; a triumphant example of music's ability to move the listener. [Gillian Watson]