Description

Following the success of their first two singles Take My Picture and Two Strong Legs, Wyndow (Laura J Martin and Lavinia Blackwall) return with their eponymous debut album. The project was ignited by a love of Robert Wyatt and an off-hand idea of collaborating on a version of his song Free Will and Testament. In a time of weird interludes the self-examination of the song?s lyrics opened the pathway to themes examined throughout the record, that of being and wanting and the battle between knowledge and knowing. Who am I and do I see myself the way others see me?

What follows is an exploration of the uncertain and the impermanent. According to Martin, they are ?tunes for whacked out worriers lifting weights in the worry gym,? where ?feeling uneasy never felt so easy?. Reflections flit between two pendulums as each wrote and recorded remotely and exchanged these dog eared musical postcards to see each others? response. Eschewing the ?band in a room? aesthetic out of geographical necessity they focussed on maximising the sonic palette of each song, doing exactly what each piece demanded without thinking about who had to play each instrument.

The songs on Wyndow exist in the space between waking and sleeping, hazy tales that unfurl and engulf the listener in a slightly uncanny sense of familiarity. Album standout All Cameras Gone is a paean to the dust and crackles of the analogue age and the shadows of a lonely projectionist leaving the booth and memories for the final time. Pulling On A String is based on the feeling of walking familiar routes and wishing they took you elsewhere, the duality of holding on to the familiar yet pulling yourself nearer to the beyond and the unknown.

Taking inspiration from the atmospheres and repetition of ecstatic minimalism and the joyful experimentation of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, songs were built from small fragments and loops, recorded spontaneously and sent to each other across the wires. Recorded and produced in Liverpool with Iwan Morgan (Euros Childs, Gruff Rhys, Cate le Bon) and in Clydebank with multi-instrumentalist Marco Rea (Euros Childs, Alex Rex) new textures with copious analogue synthesis and treated acoustic instruments were mined, even fretless bass was not off limits. Recalling the tender pulse of Cluster on Take My Picture and the late night hues of La Dusseldorf on album closer Tidal Range, Wyndow strikes a new path for both artists. On Pulling on A String the close foregrounding of both voices call to mind The Roches, another key touchstone for the sound of the record.

The result is a melting pot of influences with both artists at the top of their game, reflecting on the smallest human experiences set against a galactic sonic canvas. Wyndow is due to be released on 1 October on vinyl, CD and digital via Summer Critics.

Description

Located on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Gullivers is an iconic, lively and bustling bar with a long history dating all the way back to 1865.
Gullivers has had many different guises over the years. It was originally a Wilson’s house called The Albert Hotel, then The Grenadier before J.W. Lees brewery bought the pub in the 1970s. They renamed it Gullivers and it has existed in its current form to this day.
But there’s much more to Gullivers than just the busy bar; it also houses two distinct yet complementary live music and performance spaces; the upstairs Ballroom – a 100 capacity gig venue with a raised stage and the downstairs Lounge – an intimate, 40 capacity space ideal for acoustic or low-key performances.
As well as working with established and longstanding promoters from Manchester and beyond, Gullivers prides itself on being a welcoming, supportive space and a creative hub for the city’s grassroots artistic communities; with many now successful bands, artists, performers and promoters cutting their teeth within its walls.
This rare combination of space, location and ethos allows Gullivers to boast a busy calendar of live music, spoken word, comedy, theatre, film screenings, exhibitions and much more on almost every night of the week.

109 Oldham Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

England,

M4 1LW.

0161 839 4064