Talkingmakesnosense - The Winter Drones

The Winter Drones is probably one of the most apt monikers these ears have ever encountered for how a record actually sounds. The opening track, Slow Grounding, is warm drifts of Windy and Carl-esque sound sprinkled with chiming guitar that's absorbing to the point of suffocation. This sets the stage for the rest of the album, a gorgeous mixture of Sharkcage era Papa M and Mogwai's quieter moments played through dense gauze. Plucked guitar is noticeable on a few tracks, as are percussive clicks but, for the most part, source sounds are cloaked in heavy treatment, and soft walls of noise swell and fade in a slow and disorientating haze. The impetuous listener might argue that this is one of those albums that 'all sounds the same,' but for the more patient and keen of ear, the subtle textures and evolution in sounds make for exceptionally rewarding repeat listens. [Matt Gollock]