Fat-Cat Rec.
Crescent : Little Waves (UK,2007)***°
What never happened before recently but which is a relatively new discovery for the new generation is that some musicians are able to start from a very bad starting point in in an expression, and still succeed to uplift this to something beautiful. Crescent’s songs are often slow, and the singing almost always starts from a low and slow energy. “Little waves” uses a musical box kind of guitar playing, combined with a whispering baritone voice, but to me it is hardly noticeable what the song is about. “Cup” has the kind of tired energy in the expressions, like last breath singing, but is still able to climb to a brighter focus, while its snail-rhythms are kept under the speed of a usually already considered slow key. “Nearly ready” starts as if with a condition of a mind full of smoked pot, that stilled the mind and senses, but still comes to a feeling of something special thanks to the creative arrangements. It becomes moody with this small moody brass arrangement and some relaxed guitar pickings. “Hey, September” awakes more freshly a seemingly more positive and bright song. “Come into” again has a “keep me under a blanket” feeling, while all surrounding news and headlines sound as if a funeral is happening outside. Also here, not ideal conditions are uplifted well with gentle arrangements. Songs and whispers are dressed up like tiny miniatures and beauties. Sadness is not the final control over them, but creative care is. “Drift” is as if dealing with the nature of someone considered as a bore, and who’s surrounded by sadness. Also this track becomes energetic, with nice additional arrangements of electronica, glockenspiel and percussion. On “Birds came out of the trumpet” we hear a brass arrangement slowly coming to life. Even with the kind of condition like “there’s no energy to go out of the house”, the same place can imagined as if it inhabits the most perfect conditions. Highly original I think is “Our River”. Here, very spontaneously, a second voice appears in the singer’s throat while singing. A beautiful trumpet finishes the mood, as well as strange sounds and a speaking horn voice.
