Dead Light – Dead Light

On this inaugural collection of introspective, painterly instrumentals from English duo Anna Rose Carter and Ed Hamilton, incidental noise is just as important as the premeditated sounds. The looping piano figures, sentimental violin swells and rare ghostly vocals are undoubtedly lovely, but it’s the echoes, rattles and unidentifiable vibrations in between that give this record its organic, otherworldly atmosphere.

Carter and Hamilton geared their recording process to engender as much spontaneity as possible, employing battered old technologies and exposing their tape reels to the elements so as to allow nature to distort and colour their diaphanous arrangements. The piano which carries the majority of the record is miked so closely that you can hear the felt drum against the strings with every key press, followed by a discordant quiver of nearby tones that makes each note land with the weight of a fat raindrop on tarmac. It all evokes strong feelings of decay and loneliness, the record a melancholy ode to the passage of time.

It's a familiar mood that's been probed extensively (and more rewardingly) by the likes of Sigur Ros and Nils Frahm – the latter’s recent soundtrack for the film Victoria an obvious touchstone for the sonic pallette utilised here. At its best though, Dead Light conjours a sad majesty all its own.

Listen to: Slow Slowly, The Ballad of a Small Player