Three Cane Whale – 303
Independent – Out Now
Three Cane Whale, the Bristol multi-instrumental trio of Pete Judge, Alex Vann and Paul Bradley (along with ‘fourth Whale’ Rob Harbron recording, mixing and mastering) have created a scaled-down version of their multi-locational Holts and Hovers album (also recorded by Rob) in 303, a project starting as an EP and growing into what the Whale would consider a mini-album, at just twelve tracks and thirty-two minutes. Like all of their work, the music is flawlessly composed and performed but, like Holts, this one was also mainly recorded outside, only this time the band restricted the location to the slopes of Cadbury Castle in South Somerset along with a tea room and the Thomas à Becket Church. The resulting set benefits vastly from being played loud, to fully capture the environment of the recording and the various sounds making it on there alongside the instruments, like the hum of traffic from the A303 or the cuckoo calling acting as a bridge between songs.
Footsteps and a gate squeaking open and closed announce the beginning of the album, leading into Alex’s very pretty mandolin-banjo miniature ‘Shadow’s Shadow’. His next piece ‘Island of Apples’ is classic Whale, with undulating trumpet, gently strummed acoustic guitar and mandolin. The sound of a tractor takes us into ‘Frond’, the first of two one-syllable titles from Pete. The bowed psaltery takes ownership of this little beauty, before ‘Cruc’, a five-minute number that is quietly epic in comparison. Here Pete plays slightly further back from Alex’s tremolo-picked mandolin before the tune then slows to give us a beautifully spacious section with subtle guitar and Pete’s dulcitone (I think) backing the mandolin, in a piece as delightful as ‘Sprig’, my favourite from their Palimpsest record.
Paul’s first composition for the band, ‘Deadman’s Hill’, is a wonderfully melancholy little mood piece that sits so nicely between Pete’s trumpet led ‘Blackthorn Spring’ and ‘Crooked Bank’. Acoustic guitar harmonics and minor key notes introduce the piece and the tune is uneasy and darker than what we are used to from this band, which gives the set another dimension and another texture. That said, Alex’s ‘Crooked Bank’, along with ‘SS 91089 04944’ following it, maintain the moodier timbres that help achieve the fascinating core to this record. The former utilises Pete’s chimes to create a slow beat that Alex plays fragments of mandolin over, resulting in music that is almost hypnotic in its ethereal quality, helped along by subtle natural reverb, suggesting this was one of the tracks recorded inside. Also undoubtedly an indoor piece is ‘SS 91089 04944’, a mandolin-banjo led tune named after the grid reference of its conception. Here the resonance of the banjo drum brings more body to the tune and the chamber quality of the sound brings a sense of age to the music that is a relevant nod to the historical location.
It is not surprising that this is intelligent, finely nuanced music full of fresh ideas along with signature Three Cane Whale sounds, but it really does invite and reward repeated listens. There is subtlety aplenty here and little shades and dashes of sound throughout, either from the instruments or the field recordings, that really inject the whole album with a sense of life and nature. By the time Pete’s lovely little ‘Lost Traveller’s Dream Under the Hill’ road traffic backed trumpet piece has played out, the chances are you will want to head back to the slopes of Cadbury Castle and open your ears again to the sounds of this highly skilled and valued trio and their surroundings.
Upcoming Dates:
The Old Refreshment Room, Wrington, Somerset
25th January 2020, 20:00
The Old Refreshment Room, Silver Street, Wrington BS40 5QE
“Almanac Live”: St George’s Bristol
18th April 2020, 19:30
St George’s Bristol
More here: https://www.threecanewhale.com/gigs/