This little gem is being issued jointly by Abandon Building and Pattern Based. Both of which are U.S. labels based in Ohio, Columbus and Akron respectively. The awkwardly titled, We are all Counting on you, William – the instrumental three piece’s second album, was a welcome surprise in my latest pile of promos. It’s a lovely, unassuming tour of their influences – acknowledged among others are Bonobo, Four Tet, DJ Shadow, Mogwai, and Godspeed! You Black Emperor.
Though that might make it sound derivative, that’s not my intention. It’s not wildly original, but it doesn’ really matter in this case. It’s well produced, emotionally targeted stuff, with rich analogue drums, guitars both live and sampled, piano, chimes, cellos, and all manner of little extras. The album hangs together well, with “New Amsterdam 1672′ hinting at a beat driven sound. But things quickly dissolve into rich textures, and the slightly twee instrumentation that dominates most of the album, save for the DJ Krush/ Shadow influenced “O Zark! How you make me roll’. If I had to pick a highlight it would probably be “How to make a Paper Hat’, which swirls around for four of it’s five minutes in a manner not unlike the recent Saddleback album. It meanders off on tangents, only to reign itself back in, with a subtle interplay between what sound like programmed elements, and the gently circulating live instrumentation, before casually coalescing into a beautiful, understated groove.
This is a strong release, that despite sitting within the boundaries set by other similar records, deserves a dedicated listen. Rewarding stuff.
Tom Smith
