You may remember these
folks from their earlier incarnation - as, simply, Big Eyes -
from the earlier part of this decade. As Rusted Rail's website
explains, the intent back then was to create classical music without
actually possessing the knowhow seemingly required to play it. This
back story is, however, completely irrelevant to the current
release, as Donkeysongs is instead a stunning work of
atmospheric and somewhat unconventional folk.
The reason you'll
come to love this album is that it is so much more than your average
experimental folk endeavour. Employing a combination of acoustic
guitar led instrumentals and abstract atmospheric pieces, The Big
Eyes Family Players conjure up images of vivid rural landscapes
under red night skies - perhaps as seen through a donkey's eyes. The
record is melodic but not overtly so, with an attention to
compositional detail rarely seen on CDR releases. Take the stunning
mystique of "The Orange Miller," which sounds like the lament of a
remote ghost town. Or mournful "Donkeys Disturbed By a Meteor
Shower," whose brilliant guitar/banjo melody is accentuated by its
eerie bed of percussion.
Of course, the
guitar-heavy compositions consume a lot of my attention because
their relative straightforwardness makes them more overtly
memorable, but in truth Donkeysongs also offers several
abstract pieces. "Clunk Orm," for example, is a brilliantly
shimmering piano piece that employs reverse sampling to mysterious
effect, and chilling "An Improvised Drowning" closes the record on a
startlingly downtrodden note. These tracks add depth to an album
that is uncannily mysterious and atmospheric. Taken together,
Donkeysongs is a marvellously idiosyncratic journey that's worth
taking.
[Comes in a
beautifully lino-printed sleeve with paper insert.]
