ORCHARD

Following a four-year hiatus, Minotaur Shock -- aka Bristol-based musician David Edwards -- is set to return with Orchard, arguably his strongest album of his 10-year, four-album career. After two albums with 4AD, Orchard marks a return to the label where it all started -- Manchester's Melodic. After quickly recording most of the basic tracks for the album on a laptop at home, Minotaur Shock took advantage of a proper studio for the first time to fill in the gaps. Live drum tracking, piano, xylophone, and a bit of bass guitar were added, giving the finished recordings a propulsive quality. Flutes and clarinets were played by longtime collaborator Emily Edwards (no relation) and recorded in a Devon summerhouse, while James Underwood's violins were recorded remotely and emailed back and forth. The resulting album is a sonic journey through shifting moods and landscapes, a proper instrumental journey. It finds Edwards embracing?influences from a range of music: I was listening to a fair bit of British stuff and became fascinated by that particular eccentricity that runs through a lot of folk, library, prog, and dance music. Things like Mike Oldfield, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, The Orb, Art Of Noise, Kevin Ayers, Virginia Astley, Andrew Poppy, Richard Skelton, Autechre. The unashamed use of acoustic (or?acoustic-sounding) instruments is perhaps a response to the much maligned folktronica tag. A mutual admirer, the brilliant Gold Panda, has remixed album track Saundersfoot, one of a number of remixes and bonus tracks which will be released as an exclusive free six-track EP for initial purchasers of the album. The album Orchard affirms Minotaur Shock's position as pioneer and master of folktinged electronica. It's a masterful work.?TRACKLISTING?01. Janet?02. Ocean Swell?03. Through the Pupils of Goats?04. Too Big to Quit?05. Westonbirt?06. Lending Library?07. Quint?08. Saundersfoot?09. Adventure Orchard