Ranger3 – Old Simplicity (Bigo & Twigetti)

Named after one of the US space race’s ‘lost’s space probes, London electronic folk-pop duo Ranger3, aka composer / producer Jim Perkins and multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Ronan Burke apparently first formed in 2005, with this debut album ‘Old Simplicity’ on new UK indie label Bigo & Twigetti representing their first recorded output. It’s also a distinctly petite effort, running in at just under 35 minutes, though in this case, it’s something that lends itself to Ranger3’s downbeat folk-infused arrangements. While distinctly forlorn offerings such as ‘If We Were Ready’ certainly come loaded with the requisite strummed acoustic guitars and autoharp however, there’s a distinctly circular rhythm to many of the ten tracks here, with the lurking presence of Krautrock felt as filtered through the more contemporary likes of Radiohead and Stereolab. While there’s certainly a more digital presence felt amidst the slightly glitchy rhythms of ‘Pendulum’ and the title track though, for the most part the electronics are kept to a subtle minimum, with the interplay of lush instrumental textures and Burke’s intimately-miked, vulnerable-sounding vocals providing the real focus here. Perhaps ‘space-folk/pop’ is the most apt description for what Ranger3 are pursuing, and I must confess that for some curious reason I was also reminded of XTC at several points throughout ‘Old Simplicity.’ An impressive, yet oddly low-key debut that certainly repays repeated listens.