Alex Smalley - CASK
Label: Tranquility Tapes
Format: Digital Album
Country: New York
Genre: Ambient, Electronic
Year: March 14, 2014
Artwork: Ståle Laastad
︎︎︎ https://tranquilitytapes.bandcamp.com/album/cask
Label: Tranquility Tapes
Format: Digital Album
Country: New York
Genre: Ambient, Electronic
Year: March 14, 2014
Artwork: Ståle Laastad
︎︎︎ https://tranquilitytapes.bandcamp.com/album/cask
CASK is a UK drone super group of sorts, featuring the likes of Chris Gowers (Karina ESP), Alex Smalley (Pausal, Olan Mill), Simon Bainton (Pausal), and Katie English (Isnaj Dui) joining forces to help you drift away to the maximum. With a running time that exceeds an hour and a half, their self-titled debut is well suited for lengthy relaxation sessions or even sleep accompaniment. Combining guitar, flute, synthesizer, and vinyl samples, it's clear upon first listen that this is a group of friends and collaborators with history that runs deep and they're extremely comfortable playing with one another. Individual elements of the sound seem to mesh smoothly into one, but a closer listen reveals great detail and tight interplay between each musician. Excellent for both passive and active listening, this is a release that truly earns the "epic" tag, and it's one you'll want to return to continually and experience in brand new ways.