detailed info: discogs.com

It was a mere matter of time before the rising star of Sieben‘s oeuvre would be crowned by a new full-length album. Last year’s As They Should Sound saw Matt Howden looking to his back [...]]]> artist: Sieben
release: Star Wood Brick Firmament
format: CD
year of release: 2010
label: Redroom
duration: 49:42

detailed info: discogs.com

It was a mere matter of time before the rising star of Sieben‘s oeuvre would be crowned by a new full-length album. Last year’s As They Should Sound saw Matt Howden looking to his back catalogue and restyling a selection of songs in a more current mode. Basically, Star Wood Brick Firmament works in that same mode: Howden unaccompanied and without frills, but with a series of brand new tracks.

Opener “Minack Theatre” and the beautiful “Build You a Song” show Howden at his most subtle: soft, flowing violin soundscapes with minimal looped percussion (also violin), and his still extremely pleasant and natural voice. But there is an excellent balance on this album as well, with tracks like “Long Live the Post Romantic Empire” and “We Wait for Them” emphasising once more how adept Howden is at constructing catchy up-tempo rhythms and song lines.

In this respect, Star Wood Brick Firmament is an excellent album, the Sieben sound more refined than ever. It is a sight better than the merely decent Desire Rites. Nevertheless, the strictly solo approach of the last two releases starts to rub against its borders here and there, and I can’t help but want to hear some guest artist or other in some spots, as on albums like Ogham Inside the Night and High Broad Field and some recent live appearances. The two remixes tacked on to this album, courtesy of Dark-hearted, are nice, but do little to alleviate this, and it wouldn’t have been a disaster either to’ve just ended the album with the incredibly catchy “Can’t Stop This”, maybe the closest Howden has ever got to a club hit.

Notwithstanding small gripes, this is yet another solid album by Sieben, arguably the best since High Broad Field. As such, it’s an essential buy for any fan of Howden’s work, and well worth checking out for everyone else as well, especially if you’ve got a soft spot for experimental folk with catchy songwriting.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Minack Theatre (3:58)
2. Sweet Enough? (4:03)
3. Build You A Song (4:43)
4. Long Live The Post Romantic Empire (5:13)
5. We Wait For Them (3:43)
6. Donald (4:08)
7. Crowhurst (4:26)
8. Floating (3:52)
9. Jack In The Pulpit (3:25)
10. Can’t Stop This (4:07)
11. There (Dark-hearted) (3:53)
12. We Wait (Dark-hearted) (4:11)

detailed info: discogs.com.

As They Should Sound is, first of all, not the new Sieben album. Rather, it is a cross between an album of re-recordings, and a retrospective compilation, released in [...]]]> artist: Sieben
release: As They Should Sound
format: CD
year of release: 2009
label: Redroom
duration: 41:38

detailed info: discogs.com.

As They Should Sound is, first of all, not the new Sieben album. Rather, it is a cross between an album of re-recordings, and a retrospective compilation, released in a fine digipak with full lyrics and nice photography. As the title suggests, it appears Matt went through his œuvre to pick songs he would like to record anew, as they should sound. In practice, this mostly means a stripped-down sound, no guest artists, no other instruments, just “one violin, one loop pedal, one voice“, as Matt calls it himself. Incidentally, this brings many of the tracks quite close to what they would sound like played live, so there’s a bit of that aspect thrown in as well.

The release contains tracks selected from all albums but the very first (Forbid the Sun’s Escape) and the very latest (Desire Rites), but that still leaves loads of material to work with. Only the first and title track has not appeared on any previous release. Perhaps not very surprisingly, the oldest tracks (“Peterson’s Seat”, “Northern Lights” and “Sacrifice Content”) have changed the most, and offer an interesting new take on these compositions. For the other tracks, it’s a bit touch and go to see whether the new sound is an improvement. In general I find that the tracks that I thought were the strongest tracks on their original release also stand out on this release. “Virgin in the Green” and “Love’s Promise” were both favourites of mine on the Sex & Wildflowers album, and though these new versions are quite different (though just as sensual) they’re still two highlights on this album, showcasing Matt’s undeniable talent as a songwriter, but also as a rhythmic genius. The tracks from Ogham Inside the Night and High Broad Field, however, don’t seem to sparkle completely. Perhaps it’s because those albums both felt like strong conceptual wholes to me, and therefore the tracks sound slightly out of context here.

All of the Sieben albums have a certain level of quality, and As They Should Sound is no exception. However, like Desire Rites before it, it’s not as brilliant as High Broad Field or Ogham Inside the Night either. I believe these songs in general need a firm conceptual anchoring to truly make them shine. In that respect, this release can’t escape the limitations that many compilations suffer from. Its main value is therefore as a nice collection of alternative versions for the true Sieben collector, or as a catchy introduction for those new to the project. Others would do better to look to the aforementioned older albums, or better yet, check out Matt’s excellent collaboration with his father Keith on The Matter of Britain.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. As They Should Sound (4:04)
2. The Sun (3:15)
3. Crimson Clover (3:26)
4. Virgin in the Green (3:55)
5. The Spirit (3:13)
6. Love’s Promise (3:55)
7. Love Must Wax Cold (3:23)
8. Northern Lights (2:24)
9. Lucifer (3:10)
10. Peterson’s Seat (2:55)
11. The Blade (3:28)
12. Sacrifice Content (4:30)