Having
missed their 2012 debut EP, and knowing only that one of them used to
be in the Super Furry Animals, of whom I’ve never been the biggest
fan, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this release by Gulp.
Whilst I’m sure the SFA connection will draw in some listeners, for
me it was almost enough to put me off. Almost. Thankfully I rarely
listen to myself; otherwise I would have missed on the most
intriguing releases of the year so far...
Guto
Pryce is joined on vocals by Lindsey Levin; with the addition of
guitarist Gid Goundrey and drummer Gwion Llewelyn, they have recorded
an album to flesh out their utopian dream of a simpler existence;
less technological reliance more getting back to nature. To
soundtrack their dream, the album was written on journeys through the
dramatic naturescapes of the Scottish Highlands and the Californian
desert and recorded in basements and community centres on strictly
analogue kit.
The
result is a quite lovely, sweeping maze of electronica fused with
dreamy folky guitar. Easing us into it, the psychedelia tinged Game
Love is an astonishing introduction to Leven’s soaring voice
that begins sparsely but creeps up on the listener, opening up into a
beautiful multi-layered, multi-instrumental arrangement. The
delicate, airy vocal delivery has a counterpoint in the darker, more
solid sounding vintage organ that, together, invoke a soundtrack to
quest and mystery which continues as we delve further.
Grey
Area has a fairy-tale sound to it, with a meandering guitar and
Leven’s falsetto perfectly matched by a mere pattering of drums,
that tips us faultlessly into the well placed prog-synth latter third
of the track. There’s a distinct air of the British Isles, of long
grass and secret gardens that reminds me of early Patrick Wolf in its
joyousness. Hot Water is delicious, beginning with a
smattering of birdsong and a rich guitar melody that winds itself
around layers of synth until it ends, all too soon half way through
its third minute.
The nods
to the past and the more forward looking folktronica bleeps and beeps
combine best on last track I Want To Dance, a simple synth pop
ode to the giddy first rush of love that results in a track heavy in
stylized 1960s futurology. There are a few rare occasions where the
blend of old and new works less well; Everything descends in
places to more of a straight up nu-disco affair reminiscent of We
Have Band. Vast Space reverberates with treacly thick Memphis
guitar, which, as it happens, is a perfect pairing for Levin’s
ethereal gasps; in isolation it’s by far my favourite track, but
feels out of place on album that is, elsewhere, dizzy with
Britishness.
Overall,
there’s a synesthetic quality to it; the piercing yellow of the sun
on Hot Water, the lush green of Let’s Grow, a rainbow of colour
positively gushes out of it. Seasoned Sun is a nicely pitched attempt
at putting a modern veneer on the better elements of truly British
folk, In that sense, it has a lot in common with the Super Furries;
cherry picking the best of a variety of elements and chucking them in
a blender, but for me, Gulp do it better. It doesn’t quite meet the
self-set goal of being a record for people to dance to, but it will
make you want to sway, in a field in the moonlight, with a flower in
your hair and the distant hum of an electronic bass line carried on
the breeze.
Words - Angi Strafford