Following a series of appearances on labels such as
Melodic or Static Caravan, Dublin-based artist Thomas
Haugh, who officiates under the Hulk banner, is now
releasing Silver Thread Of Ghosts, his debut
album, on new Irish imprint Osaka Recordings. The result
of over a year’s work, this album follows a growing
trend in electronic music that sees musicians assimilating
complex electronic structures with classical-inspired
soundscapes. Here, Haugh combines found sounds and treated
field recordings with live instrumentation, including
acoustic guitar and cello, to create a rather haunting
series of compositions.
All along the forty minutes and eleven tracks that make
out this record, there is an impression of inherent
activity to the music crafted by Haugh, highlighted
by the various layers of external noises and sounds
applied. Haugh is said to have spent the last ten years
travelling across Eastern Europe. Silver Threads
Of Ghosts is indeed inhabited with ghosts of bohemian
folklore, and the rampant melancholy that is found here
could certainly be traced down to the hills of Romania.
Yet, Haugh manages to contain the atmospheric nature
of this record to avoid uneasy pathos. Instead, he crafts
a series of short evocative vignettes from which he
builds the cinematic aspect of his work. With the occasional
help of Kevin Murphy (cello, bass) and Rohan Hennessy
(acoustic guitar), Haugh articulates his compositions
wisely, keeping the orchestration to the minimal. On
tracks such as We Swam, Photographs
or Quixote, this translates into delicate melodic
formations waxing and waning at will over waves of strings,
while elsewhere, as on 8.52am Goodbye, found
sounds appear to take over for a moment. Even when the
mood becomes threatening, as on the gloomy The Moon
Versus The Sea or Mytikas, Haugh balances
it with airy bells and chimes.
This first full-length effort from Hulk’s Thomas
Haugh is a truly breath-taking piece of work. If parallels
can be drawn between Haugh’s work and recordings
by the like of Murcof,
Colleen or Deaf
Center, it doesn’t in any way give this album
justice. Silver Thread Of Ghosts is haunting,
captivating and doesn’t bear much resemblance
to anything else.
4.7/5 |
