Harvestman

Trinity

Neurot Recordings 2010

Calm, ambient stillness with vast areas of space for introspection is what you can expect from the second album from Steve Von Till's Harvestman project.  Like the sun rising on a chilled spring morning is what I am faced with on the opener, Harestmesse.  It brings to mind a stripped down, drumless Earth, with its saddened, barren guitar and its stream of flowing synth.  The title track is slightly darker entity with its ominous keys and acoustic guitar, painting a picture for me of a red, cloudy sunset.  The acoustic strum against astral synth invokes the deep coldness of space on Pure Space.   More western tinged guitar, that is dry and dusty, creates the layered textures of Amongst the Heather.  It too is somewhat reminiscent of Earth, though somewhat more stark in its isolation.  Slight shimmering elements and eerie piano plant themselves like a splinter in your mind on Don't Play With Water, creating a psychedelic ripple effect.  The harshest moments of the album come as pulses of reverberating darkness harness a sinister wave on Reflections.  Heavenly female vocals soar and echoes against walls of washed out noise on The Sheep-Crook and Black Dog before relenting to a folkish guitar that in some strange way reminds me of the theme music to Phantasm.  With Trinity Harvestman have created another album of beauty and calm.  Slowly rolling landscapes with room to explore both aurally and in your mind's eye.  All 16 tracks here, though differing in mood and approach manage to create the perfect accompaniment for inward reflection.  And though almost all the textures on this album are created through artificial means, the album possess a genuine connection with nature.