The Lost Cavalry - Waves Freeze To Rolling Hills (EP Review)
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Written by Adam Simpson
London based folk group, The Lost Cavalry, are set to release their debut EP, Waves Freeze To Rolling Hills on the 2nd August.
The group who formed in 2009 by Vocalist Mark West, formerly the guitarist for Fanfarlo are currently doing the rounds in London with 3 dates already completed and 4 more to go, including the EP launch party on a boat, Tamesis Dock on the 4th August.
The group use an unusual array of instruments to create their sound with Mark West taking the vocal lead as well as playing ukulele and concertina, Nick Goold playing guitar, Toby Atkins playing the glock and melodica, Oliver Whitehead playing bass and Dave Roberts on drums.
The five piece create a sound which is melodic and idyllic, creating a happy and airy backdrop for the imagination and fantasy created by the stories the lyrics tell. A four track audio book of fairy tales this happy EP takes you back to life as a child, when life was much simpler and fantasies were almost as real as reality itself.
Oh Sally is a beautiful fanfare of melodic, gentle instruments, brilliant, strong vocals and lyrics which tease the inner child from your memory. Experimental and truly unique, the music creates a very atmospheric ambience whilst the backing vocals create a depth of magic and mystery, which allows Mark’s vocals to tell the tale of fantasy his lyrics intend.
Secret Steps is a strong track musically and vocally. The drums and plucking of guitar strings create a generous backing of sound and a lovely tempo which is altered throughout the track brilliantly by Dave Roberts’ drums. Both the lead and backing vocals are very strong and again narrate a tale of fantasy and mystery.
The Elephant Of Castlebar Hill is the strongest track on the EP. The instruments, particularly guitar from Nick Goold and drums from Dave Roberts are very much alive and vibrant and the chorus from Mark West lovely and catchy. The other instruments intensify the fantasy of the tracks story and indeed its sound, which creates a lovely atmosphere and a lively medley of musical melody.
Only Forward is a track based on the very simple and repetitive melody created by the guitar and drums, until late in the track when the instruments grow in volume and the guitar is transformed into a set of metallic melodies. Mark’s vocals are once again very strong and the lyrics, still follow the fantasy theme are for this track, quite dark, a nightmare instead of the dreams we have become accustomed so far. The change in depth and direction adds a little more depth to the groups sound and it is a fabulous way to end this very imaginative and creative EP.
This EP is a record which will probably not suit everybody’s taste; however it is a very good collection of experimentation and imagination which teases childhood memories of joy and compassion for the simplest of things, from the far reaches of the brain. The instruments are not particularly strong, nor are they played with any great complexity. But that is the great appeal of this EP, it is simplicity personified yet very creatively put together to create a collection of dreamy, happy tracks.
The Lost Cavalry are set to play at the following London venues.
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