Musician/producer Russell Wickwars has gained quite a reputation for his live shows, with help from his brother Lewis, showcasing their laptop/guitar/ukulele sets alongside artists such as King Creosote, David Thomas Broughton, This Is The Kit, The Owl Service, Nancy Wallace and Essie Jain at festivals throughout Europe, including the Fence Collective’ Homegame Festival in Fife. Radio has been kind to the Norwich based musicians also, BBC Norfolk being big fans, as well as Australia’ own Sideways Through Sound Radio show.
The sound encompasses diverse musical influences, the obvious being folk and traditional celtic ancestry, creating a whimsical pop folk landscape. All their sounds come from home-made recordings of acoustic instruments, including beaten guitars, melodica, ukulele, glockenspiel, kalimba and a vast array of percussion, all processed, sequenced and built into beats and soundscapes, accompanying finger picked guitar melodies drawing comparisons to Rick Tomlinson (Voice Of The Seven Woods), Tunng and Zak Riles.
There is a folk-art, DIY, cottage industry ethic in everything about this release, from the multitude of acoustic instruments played well, and sometimes not so well, to lo-fi made at home approach to the production, and carried through to the cute diorama that’s used for the cover art work.
A beautifully relaxing record of soothing soundscapes and melodies, it makes you feel a contentment with life.
Wayne Stronell
