Weird times, man. We live in bizarrely binary times, defined by what we are not, rather than what we are. Or so it feels a lot of the time. We’re either anti, or pro and on both sides of the Atlantic even more so, even if we only had a passing interest until fairly recently. We all know what everyone is talking about in the UK and we all know what everyone is talking about in the US. What did we talk abut about before this loss of humanity and basic decency?
A Box of Stars, presumably named after the Sparklehorse song, state that the theme of this gorgeous EP hinges on the sentiment that migration is the basic function of the universe, and that constant motion and evolution applies to all beings which is a sentiment and an idea that is wholly comforting and allied to these beautiful, spectral tracks is entirely convincing. All 7 tracks here are worth every second of their existence.
Shades of Sigur Ros, a dose of Sparklehorse and even, as on second track ‘Sunshivers,’ a touch of Pixies. These acts are mentioned just to give a flavour of what to expect. It’s folk, essentially. Spectral, shimmery, dream folk delivered at the band’s own pace. They’re in no rush either. The songs come at a pace that shows how confident they are with their quality.
‘Tongue Tied,’ perhaps the stand out track, with its sliding bass and imagery of migrants working is really something; main man Macauley Lerman and co-vocalist Claire Londagin putting you right there in the heat. ‘Migratory Birds’ and a track the mighty Codeine would have been proud of, ‘Virgins’ are similarly paced and just as beautiful, and form a kind of mid EP aural triptych and one hopes Londagin gets more solo vocal performances in the future, given how sublime her performance is on ‘The Leaving.’
Ultimately, this is a finely crafted record and one that, though enough in itself, augurs well for an actual LP in the (hopefully) not too distant future. I’m keeping an eye on A Box of Stars. There’s greatness here.
Summary
A box of beauty, warmth and brilliance
