G-Folk/Fence Collective
Things In Herds : Nothing Is Lost (UK,2007)***°
Things In Herds’ music you can only experience fully, with more depth than as a slumbering background, when being really able to really sit back and relax, in an achieved circumstance which is sometimes hard to achieve because often we are left with hanging ambitions, activities or self-consuming conflicting energies that still hang in your mind, in your energy, even in our body. But once we’re into this bedroom quietness we should be able to listen closer to this artist’s vision, which sounds gentle and in fact not worried, because he knows the strength of a consolatory feeling, a worshipping gentle power which is able to maintain the truth in a relationship despite any circumstances. This sort of worshipping maintainer and keeper of comfort is able to work and balance all things out, if we give this a chance. There is nothing more needed that to do just our best, without needing to be perfect for each other or in any circumstance.
Thematically the songs start from a comparable starting point to the previous album, being slightly sad about things that pass and end, but experienced on a different level and with a different approach. Through personal maturatity in the end we succeed better to make something of any situation that we could barely handle before. We must realize that most people carry small early traumas, so that for instance breaking up, or failure or even neglect of attention and so many other examples can feel much worse than the new situations really are. Life is so that situations have to repeat themselves and persons that grow up usually mature and are cured after a while when they are fed with a comforting idea that even when there is loss, failure and neglect, the situation is still is ok, because there exist others that do really care. Even to some degree we are left alone, with this care in mind at the same time it is also never so.
All songs are led by Pete Lush on gentle voice, acoustic guitars, with additional warm and lush dual vocals by Miss Ping, and some drums. I also hear small touches of piano, harmonica and organ. All songs hang together well like a book. Just the 5th track has a bit more up tempo drums. Different is “Before you go” which has a very nice keyboard arrangement, with a sound which is slightly provoking the mood of a singing saw, a baroque minor key musical theme (which I think originates from some Baroque composer ?). This additional instrumental moody part makes this track one of the most exceptional tracks where the music itself outside the song contexts is worked out best. Another nice album.
