cheju & shoosh

Split

After something of a hiatus, Awkward Silence returns, and it's with another one of those famed split releases. This one combines the forces of Wil Bolton's Cheju and new artists Shoosh, a trio comprised of Ed Drury, Craig Murphy and Neil Carlill. As you'd expect from this label, the first thing that greets your ears is a flurry of crunchy IDM beats and some breezy, miniature melodies stemming from Bolton's laptop and manipulated guitar lines. The second track is a little less heavily treated and relies upon warm synth strings and a kind of bitcrushed harpsichord sound. Shoosh present a far folksier prospect, first with the digitised folk of 'Elastic Soil' - which avoids all that Tunng-style folktronica business thanks to its strained and unhinged vocal - and the rather lovely 'Come In From The Cold', another swirl of guitars, screeching synthesis and that strangely compelling, warped voice. Limited to 300 copies.