(2019) Bamboo - Daughters of the Sky


Review:
In a cascade of shimmering synths, energetic pulses and percussive stabs, ‘Diamond Springs’ heralds Bamboo’s third album with a rush. Yet this flourishing, propulsive opening belies the slow-burn of the album’s creation. Across the course of two years, Rachel Horwood and Nick Carlisle pieced together the concepts and arrangements for Daughters of the Sky slowly; the result is a record that sees the pair further exploring and expanding their own sonic world. The maximalist tendencies of ‘Diamond Springs’ continues on the likes of ‘Weeping Idols’, as arpeggiated synths swirl around Horwood’s soaring yet vaguely mournful vocals. Penultimate track ‘A World Is Born’ is similarly bold, bursting forth with blasts of saxophone and expansive drums. Although the pair embrace a cacophony of sounds across the course of the record , the pace slows in-between the breakneck opening and close. East of the Sun / West of the Moon is indicative of this, harnessing ambient soundscapes that gradually branch out and morph across its 11 minutes – including giving Carlisle an opportunity in the vocal spotlight – allowing each element room to grow. While still evoking a sense of auditory adventure on tracks such as The Deku Tree or instrumental interlude Off World Colony, this more sedate middle section can feel slightly too mid-tempo. Despite this, the duo’s sonic voyages make it worthwhile to sink into Bamboo’s realm.





Tracklist:
01 - Diamond Springs
02 - Weeping Idols
03 - Daughters of the Sky
04 - Memories All at Once
05 - Off-World Colony
06 - East of the Sun ; West of the Moon
07 - The Deku Tree
08 - Under Larches
09 - A World Is Born
10 - Tenebrae


Summary:
Country: UK
Genre: art pop, indie-pop


Media Report:
Source: CD
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Bit rate: ~ 690-994 Kbps
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits