Matthew Herbert & London Contemporary Orchestra
The Horse
Boomkat Product Review:
Matthew Herbert's latest finds him using a full-sized horse skeleton to create a rattling selection of bizarre electro-acoustic, technoid hybrids with the London Contemporary Orchestra. It's the most startling non-soundtrack gear we've heard from him in ages - a yay, not a neigh.
Herbert's already shown us that he can use practically anything to make music: burps and farts, household sounds, even the life cycle of a pig. On 'The Horse' he uses not only the physical horse to inspire his compositions, but the animal's historical cultural footprint. Horse hair and horse bones have long been used to make bows and flutes, and Herbert commissioned a team of instrument makers to approach parts of the horse skeleton in unexpected ways, crafting mechanical drums, bone whistles, skin drums and a shaker from cement and horse jizz (really). The composer also used the internet to grab thousands of horse sounds, took reverb impulses in front of Northern Spain's ancient cave paintings of horses, and captured environmental recordings at the Epsom racecourse, where suffragette Emily Davison was trampled by King George V's racehorse.
On top of instrumentation from the London Contemporary Orchestra, there are also contributions from a slew of starry soloists: Sons of Kemet's Shabaka Hutchings and Theon Cross, Evan Parker, Danilo Pérez, Polar Bear's Seb Rochford and Kokoroko's Edward Wakili-Hick. Plus, sound artists Rana Eid and Ella Kay add additional design elements. You'd think this ensemble might be a little too much, but it's far from the case - Herbert's skill as a bandleader is his ability to reduce each element to its essence, never layering it on too thickly. His last few years writing acclaimed movie soundtracks like 'A Fantastic Woman', 'Disobediance' and 'The Wonder' have set him up perfectly, and while his narrative is more abstract here it's still starkly propulsive. From the opening seconds of 'The Horse's Bones Are In A Cave' it's clear where Herbert is willing to take us, as he counters rattling bone sounds with magically dissonant flute wails.
The composer wants us to see the album as a journey across the body of the horse as a physical object and as cultural phenomenon, playing on its tangible remains while he hints at its wider impact. So while the booming drums and scraped strings on 'The Horse's Hair And Skin Are Stretch' point to the flesh and hair of the animal, and the brilliant 'The Horse's Pelvis Is A Lyre' make its bones into an ancient string instrument, tracks like 'The Horse Is Quiet' and 'The Truck That Follows The Horses' are harder to unpack. Herbert wants us to consider the animal's place in world history, and follows its hooves with music that's similarly over-arching, blending medieval folk sounds and orchestral traces with electro-acoustic elements he's been tuning up since the Doctor Rockit era.
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Available To Order (Estimated Shipping between 7-14 Working Days)
This item is to the best of our knowledge available to us from the supplier and should ship to you within the time-frame indicated. If there are any unforeseen issues with availability we will notify you immediately
Boomkat Product Review:
Matthew Herbert's latest finds him using a full-sized horse skeleton to create a rattling selection of bizarre electro-acoustic, technoid hybrids with the London Contemporary Orchestra. It's the most startling non-soundtrack gear we've heard from him in ages - a yay, not a neigh.
Herbert's already shown us that he can use practically anything to make music: burps and farts, household sounds, even the life cycle of a pig. On 'The Horse' he uses not only the physical horse to inspire his compositions, but the animal's historical cultural footprint. Horse hair and horse bones have long been used to make bows and flutes, and Herbert commissioned a team of instrument makers to approach parts of the horse skeleton in unexpected ways, crafting mechanical drums, bone whistles, skin drums and a shaker from cement and horse jizz (really). The composer also used the internet to grab thousands of horse sounds, took reverb impulses in front of Northern Spain's ancient cave paintings of horses, and captured environmental recordings at the Epsom racecourse, where suffragette Emily Davison was trampled by King George V's racehorse.
On top of instrumentation from the London Contemporary Orchestra, there are also contributions from a slew of starry soloists: Sons of Kemet's Shabaka Hutchings and Theon Cross, Evan Parker, Danilo Pérez, Polar Bear's Seb Rochford and Kokoroko's Edward Wakili-Hick. Plus, sound artists Rana Eid and Ella Kay add additional design elements. You'd think this ensemble might be a little too much, but it's far from the case - Herbert's skill as a bandleader is his ability to reduce each element to its essence, never layering it on too thickly. His last few years writing acclaimed movie soundtracks like 'A Fantastic Woman', 'Disobediance' and 'The Wonder' have set him up perfectly, and while his narrative is more abstract here it's still starkly propulsive. From the opening seconds of 'The Horse's Bones Are In A Cave' it's clear where Herbert is willing to take us, as he counters rattling bone sounds with magically dissonant flute wails.
The composer wants us to see the album as a journey across the body of the horse as a physical object and as cultural phenomenon, playing on its tangible remains while he hints at its wider impact. So while the booming drums and scraped strings on 'The Horse's Hair And Skin Are Stretch' point to the flesh and hair of the animal, and the brilliant 'The Horse's Pelvis Is A Lyre' make its bones into an ancient string instrument, tracks like 'The Horse Is Quiet' and 'The Truck That Follows The Horses' are harder to unpack. Herbert wants us to consider the animal's place in world history, and follows its hooves with music that's similarly over-arching, blending medieval folk sounds and orchestral traces with electro-acoustic elements he's been tuning up since the Doctor Rockit era.
Available To Order (Estimated Shipping between 7-14 Working Days)
This item is to the best of our knowledge available to us from the supplier and should ship to you within the time-frame indicated. If there are any unforeseen issues with availability we will notify you immediately
Boomkat Product Review:
Matthew Herbert's latest finds him using a full-sized horse skeleton to create a rattling selection of bizarre electro-acoustic, technoid hybrids with the London Contemporary Orchestra. It's the most startling non-soundtrack gear we've heard from him in ages - a yay, not a neigh.
Herbert's already shown us that he can use practically anything to make music: burps and farts, household sounds, even the life cycle of a pig. On 'The Horse' he uses not only the physical horse to inspire his compositions, but the animal's historical cultural footprint. Horse hair and horse bones have long been used to make bows and flutes, and Herbert commissioned a team of instrument makers to approach parts of the horse skeleton in unexpected ways, crafting mechanical drums, bone whistles, skin drums and a shaker from cement and horse jizz (really). The composer also used the internet to grab thousands of horse sounds, took reverb impulses in front of Northern Spain's ancient cave paintings of horses, and captured environmental recordings at the Epsom racecourse, where suffragette Emily Davison was trampled by King George V's racehorse.
On top of instrumentation from the London Contemporary Orchestra, there are also contributions from a slew of starry soloists: Sons of Kemet's Shabaka Hutchings and Theon Cross, Evan Parker, Danilo Pérez, Polar Bear's Seb Rochford and Kokoroko's Edward Wakili-Hick. Plus, sound artists Rana Eid and Ella Kay add additional design elements. You'd think this ensemble might be a little too much, but it's far from the case - Herbert's skill as a bandleader is his ability to reduce each element to its essence, never layering it on too thickly. His last few years writing acclaimed movie soundtracks like 'A Fantastic Woman', 'Disobediance' and 'The Wonder' have set him up perfectly, and while his narrative is more abstract here it's still starkly propulsive. From the opening seconds of 'The Horse's Bones Are In A Cave' it's clear where Herbert is willing to take us, as he counters rattling bone sounds with magically dissonant flute wails.
The composer wants us to see the album as a journey across the body of the horse as a physical object and as cultural phenomenon, playing on its tangible remains while he hints at its wider impact. So while the booming drums and scraped strings on 'The Horse's Hair And Skin Are Stretch' point to the flesh and hair of the animal, and the brilliant 'The Horse's Pelvis Is A Lyre' make its bones into an ancient string instrument, tracks like 'The Horse Is Quiet' and 'The Truck That Follows The Horses' are harder to unpack. Herbert wants us to consider the animal's place in world history, and follows its hooves with music that's similarly over-arching, blending medieval folk sounds and orchestral traces with electro-acoustic elements he's been tuning up since the Doctor Rockit era.
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