With his last couple of releases, Bradford-based guitarist and composer Dean McPhee has really zeroed in on his desired expression. 2024’s Astral Gold, his first release on his own Bass Ritual label, saw him take his signature electric guitar excursions and steer them towards a lower and more substantial sound akin to dub in places, with steady bass and kick drum at its core. Northern Earth delves deeper, with three extended tracks recorded live with no overdubs (hurrah!) occupying two sides and given time to expand and explore.
The title track occupies the whole of side B and begins with a strange hollow drum hit (presumably the wooden snare drum pedal mentioned), coupled with a throbbing four-note bass refrain that frames a spikier guitar excursion. As the piece develops, the guitar probes further into silence, with the temporary absence of accompaniment and a shifting bass piece throwing some unease into the sound. By four minutes, the first guitar part is looped and a more celestial, swooping line plays over it, sending beams of light across the sparse soundscape.
The sudden return to sparsity and an overdriven guitar hit steers the music into more psychedelic territory, with high harmonics layered alongside tangly repetition, bringing to mind old Explosions in the Sky music. Soon enough, though, things get stranger, with the wah-wah-heavy guitar always effective at bringing an echoey, cavernous feel to the music. More surprising is the final three minutes, where a new guitar line blows in like electronic pipes, bringing a hint of mountain folk to the song. The whole thing is a real journey piece, and its live process adds kudos to its creation.
Way shorter is Indica Fields, which plays out at a measly five minutes twenty… It’s super-cool though, with the wooden snare again bringing a snap to the sound and waves of high guitar like sheets of aluminium working with a cool bass line to achieve balance. The broad sections of space, with just the drum, bass, and a slow guitar refrain, add intrigue to the music, with the song title evoked through slowed-down rhythms and more kaleidoscopic punches of guitar.
Appleby Fair is the album’s folk song. Seemingly inspired by Europe’s largest gathering of gypsies and travellers, the overlaid guitars here are almost playing the parts of traditional instruments, with echoes of Balkan and far eastern stylings in places and hints of bagpipes in others, all supported by the bodhran-like kick drum.
Northern Earth feels like a real distillation of Dean McPhee’s sound; the music shows meticulous attention to detail, and recording it live with no overdubs makes it all the more impressive. A real sense of life and energy flows through each mercurial, exploratory piece, and each fresh listen reveals new details, making the experience more organic and engaging. It is complex, painstakingly crafted music, but balanced with plenty of soul and creativity. Northern Earth is a focused and assured set that comes highly recommended.
Northern Earth (September 11th, 2026) Bass Ritual (distributed via Cargo Records)
Live Dates
Fri. 25th September – NCI Sports & Social Club, Cambridge w/ Powtes – tickets
Sat. 26th September – Foyles Auditorium, London – tickets