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Review by Paul Lloyd
21 year old John Twells comes from a classically trained background and draws from influences as diverse as hip-hop, indie and experimental electronic music. The result of these varied influences is a mellow yet beat infused style drawing from a whole range of musical genres.
The aura of For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights is reflected in its tranquil artwork bathed in pastels and swaths of calming shades of blue. Often beautifully ambient and serene Twells’ work also portrays another side; one of precise beats and glitchy percussion that gives his work an experimental edge. He takes the calmest, most relaxing ambient synth washes that sweep you away but simultaneously holds your interest with snappy bouncing beats and percussion, even introducing a discrete hip-hop influence on “Under the Glow of Streetlights”. This same use of subtle vocal manipulation appears on other tracks too – namely “Japanese Whispers” and “Bobble Hats In Summer” – that utilise voices as instruments in themselves. Elsewhere, tracks such as “Impulsive Behaviour” and “The Long Walk Home at Midnight” fizz and crackle atmospherically over echoing synth washes and warm melodies, Twells’ classical background becoming increasingly evident throughout. At other times, deep bass or high-pitched tones are used to contrast the textural backdrop, such as with “An Abandoned Robot” or “Inbetween Two Rooms”.
Sometimes fragile, sometimes rhythmic, but always beautiful and absorbing, For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights effortlessly combines elements from several musical styles to form a new sound. That sound is calm and precise, constructed to be soothing and gentle whilst containing several interacting component parts. Look out for a new album on later this year on City Centre Offices under the name Yasume (collaboration with Gabe Morley aka Logreybeam).
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Review by James Knapman
“…The music enhances the right atmosphere, and the right atmosphere enhances the music…”
Neo Ouija makes a sharp turn and follows up it’s last two, rather eccentric releases (the charmingly uplifting Smiling Little Cow by Kettel, and the almost impenetrably bizarre Partially Function Stub by Sica) with this sparkling debut album from Xela (a.k.a. John Twells).
Music that is so evocative that it can key in to the subconscious is few and far between. For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights is such a work. And whilst it is a stunning album in its own right, the startling fact is that its impact and effectiveness are enhanced still further when listening to it on the frosty mornings and summer nights referred to by the title. The music enhances the right atmosphere, and the right atmosphere enhances the music. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. I believe it is a testament to how evocative this stunning release is that it elicits a sort of reverse-nostalgia in the listener. Not only do various tracks on For Frosty Mornings… remind me of frosty mornings and deep yellow sunsets on summer nights, but it now actually reminds me of this album. While it has an immediacy that hooks you from the outset, it reveals new depth and beauty within its intricately woven layers.
The delicate melodies featured on this debut swirl leisurely through lush, intricate textures that combine to create some of the most heady and atmospheric tracks imaginable. “Impulsive Behaviour” wreaths through a haze of vinyl clicks and aural fog, revealing it’s layers slowly and delicately and evoking memories of cold, misty mornings.
“Afraid of Monsters” is the ideal accompaniment to a walk in the dark during the height of summer, and “Last Breath” is a wonderfully relaxing late night wind-down with it’s gentle synths and guitar work. “Inbetween Two Rooms” has such delicately crafted depth and texture that it does indeed appear to emanate from an ambiguous and almost indefinable source. Others tracks such as “An Abandoned Robot” or “Under The Glow of Streetlights” create an all pervading atmosphere of focused, Zen-like tranquillity. This is full-on armchair listening, as the sound re-defines your living space.
Neo Ouija continues to surpass itself with the quality of its releases and this is no exception. Irrepressibly enchanting, For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights wills you to sit down, relax and day-dream until it reaches its conclusion. Look out for Xela and Logreybeam’s next full length project, the fruits of which will be appearing later this year on City Centre Offices under the collaborative guise Yasume that promises, much like this, to be one of the finest releases of the year.
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