BOTW Review: Snow Ghosts – A Small Murmuration
Snow Ghosts have a lot of hype to live up to at the moment. The love child of London-based Throwing Snow and folky vocalist Augustus Ghost, this collaboration – released on Fabric offshoot Houndstooth – promises to be an electronic ocean of sound, a vortex of Hannah Cartwright’s vocals and Ross Tones’ musical production. And, from the off, A Small Murmuration shows its mettle. ‘The Hunted’ is a ballsy choice of opening track, giving the listener a brief intro as to what this debut album will delight them with.
The album in its entirety builds slowly and each track replicates that feel. ‘Murder Cries’ begins moderately, but the hard drop, reminiscent of the darkest of dubstep, is totally unexpected giving an intriguing but unsettling experience. In contrast, ‘Secret Garden’ is a chilling waltz, really showcasing Cartwright’s voice. Already three tracks in and it seems that this album is as diverse as the two artists creating it.
‘Covenant’ features Blue Daisy and it’s a dark and swirling amalgamation of distorted sound and echoes. A tad grandiose, A Small Murmuration does tend to sway towards OTT status at times, verging on the theatrical. It would also seem that Snow Ghosts have a slight obsession with the macabre, examples of which can be seen in titles such as ‘Gallows Strung’, ‘Ropery’ and ‘Untangle Me’. It appears that there’s definitely have something on Cartwright and Tones’ collective minds, and I don’t think it has anything to do with getting a Girl Guide badge in tying knots.
Just when everything is getting rather hot under the collar and more dramatic than a Liberace opening night in Vegas, ‘Time Listens’ comes in, to throw a bit of water on the fire. But a damp splash it is not; it’s a welcomed respite and a wonderful contrast to the rest of the album.
Signalling the final phase of the record is ‘And The World Was Gone’, another rather still number keeping with the theme of the second half of the album: providing a driving end that isn’t too abrasive, but is still almost anthemic in its nature. The journey is finally brought to an end with ‘In The Deep’, a discordant display of drones and scrapes, with a memory of a lyric floating over the top, making sure than when the record stops spinning the listener is feeling suitably disturbed. Snow Ghosts may not be the most groundbreaking of collaborations, and sure, there’s a chance the buzz is going to usurp them, but Casper, they most certainly are not.
– Liz Ward
A Small Murmuration is available now on Houndstooth. You can order it here.
