Whenever you hear about an album that nearly wasn’t due to technical issues the unveiling is always, for me at least, one of apprehension and excitement, a bit like finding buried treasure. Whilst this one hasn’t been preserved over many years it was recorded in 2010 by an artist I first came across via Woodland Recordings: Animal Magic Tricks. Frances Donnelly has been experimenting and creating quietly under this guise since she discovered her exquisite singing voice which she perfected whilst working in an old people’s home where she kept the residents happy with Billie Holliday and Vera Lynn covers. It’s not just her voice that sets her apart…she creates the most incredible sonic montages using field recordings, samples and her mouth…
Back to the song in hand: this is Heavenly Bodies and features on a very special new release from Song, by Toad Records. The album Sex Acts is to be released as part of a vinyl Box Set of five albums (only 50 copies) to celebrate the labels fifth anniversary…more on this in a separate post later today, but for now feast your ears on this:
It was recorded back in something like 2010, but a major technical fault threatened to destroy this album forever. A couple of breakdowns in communications and general bouts of despair later, however, and it has been meticulously pieced back together from the fragments and can finally be released into the world. Strange and beautiful.
Buy the Anniversary Boxset here