Music Banter - View Single Post - A Thread Dedicated to My Semi-Nonsensical Rantings About Music That I Enjoy (or Hate)

TockTockTock · 09-25-2011, 01:01 AM

Album Review # 3

Mister Salmon... in Yorkshirama (2010) by Mister Salmon

Primary Genres: Folk rock, folktronica
Secondary Genres: Art rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, field recordings
Moods: Atmospheric, dark, confrontational, jubilant, beauty, warm, distant, frigid, reassuring

Track Listing

1.) "Yorkshirama!" (5:07)
2.) "Stay Out" (3:59)
3.) "The Boy with the Big Dad" (3:37)
4.) "'Kes' of the Motorways" (2:45)
5.) "Wheel in the Tower" (4:49)
6.) "In the Black Fields" (4:23)
7.) "Sheffield Philharmonic" (3:51)
8.) "Gardeners' Questiontime" (4:33)
9.) "My Frozen Town" (3:53)
10.) "Clouds Rise, Open Skies" (3:54)

Andrew Stones (a.k.a. Mister Salmon) is a multi-instrumentalist from Sheffield, England who managed to put together a concept album comprised of tracks that were partially recorded as far back as the 80s and 90s. According to Stones, it took him about a decade to complete the album in its entirety (which was finished in 2009). All of the songs were written and recorded by him... vocals, instruments (some of which he made/adapted himself), and all. Musically… it’s very difficult to describe. Its composition draws from numerous influences… ranging anywhere from the roots of European folk to ambient music to experimental rock. These influences aren’t always apparent, though… they are usually cleverly and subtly crafted into the music. But... for the most part, the songs are composed through the means of compiling multiple simplistic instrumentals (both of melodic and textural nature) that build off of one another... Occasionally, he'll even include relatively slow build-ups in the inclusion of certain instruments, such as in “In the Black Fields” (my favorite song on the album) and in "'Kes' of the Motorways". By doing all of this, he manages to create layered and complex soundscapes (yes, I used the word "soundscapes") which constantly change and evolve as each song progresses. This is fairly uncommon in contemporary folk music, and not everyone can pull it of successfully...

His vocals are another interesting and unique aspect of the album... They, like the music itself, are a combination of "familiarity and strangeness," ranging anywhere from spoken word parts to energetic choruses. His singing (overall) retains a somewhat deadpan aesthetic, but... on the other hand, they can also be very emotive as well (he himself said he tries to keep a "balance of flatness and expressiveness").

Anyways... I don't want to go too in-depth in describing this album (there's a lot to cover and I could be here all day). I mainly just wanted to scratch the surface of it and give the reader a general idea of what it is about (I would much rather you listen to it and see what it is for yourself). For me, it's one of the best albums of 2010 as well as one of the best folk albums of the past decade. If you want to know more about the concept behind it (and actually listen to it) then click this link to his website.

09-25-2011, 01:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
TockTockTock They/Them Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,914	Mister Salmon in... Yorkshirama Review Album Review # 3 Mister Salmon... in Yorkshirama (2010) by Mister Salmon Primary Genres: Folk rock, folktronica Secondary Genres: Art rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, field recordings Moods: Atmospheric, dark, confrontational, jubilant, beauty, warm, distant, frigid, reassuring Track Listing 1.) "Yorkshirama!" (5:07) 2.) "Stay Out" (3:59) 3.) "The Boy with the Big Dad" (3:37) 4.) "'Kes' of the Motorways" (2:45) 5.) "Wheel in the Tower" (4:49) 6.) "In the Black Fields" (4:23) 7.) "Sheffield Philharmonic" (3:51) 8.) "Gardeners' Questiontime" (4:33) 9.) "My Frozen Town" (3:53) 10.) "Clouds Rise, Open Skies" (3:54) Andrew Stones (a.k.a. Mister Salmon) is a multi-instrumentalist from Sheffield, England who managed to put together a concept album comprised of tracks that were partially recorded as far back as the 80s and 90s. According to Stones, it took him about a decade to complete the album in its entirety (which was finished in 2009). All of the songs were written and recorded by him... vocals, instruments (some of which he made/adapted himself), and all. Musically… it’s very difficult to describe. Its composition draws from numerous influences… ranging anywhere from the roots of European folk to ambient music to experimental rock. These influences aren’t always apparent, though… they are usually cleverly and subtly crafted into the music. But... for the most part, the songs are composed through the means of compiling multiple simplistic instrumentals (both of melodic and textural nature) that build off of one another... Occasionally, he'll even include relatively slow build-ups in the inclusion of certain instruments, such as in “In the Black Fields” (my favorite song on the album) and in "'Kes' of the Motorways". By doing all of this, he manages to create layered and complex soundscapes (yes, I used the word "soundscapes") which constantly change and evolve as each song progresses. This is fairly uncommon in contemporary folk music, and not everyone can pull it of successfully... His vocals are another interesting and unique aspect of the album... They, like the music itself, are a combination of "familiarity and strangeness," ranging anywhere from spoken word parts to energetic choruses. His singing (overall) retains a somewhat deadpan aesthetic, but... on the other hand, they can also be very emotive as well (he himself said he tries to keep a "balance of flatness and expressiveness"). Anyways... I don't want to go too in-depth in describing this album (there's a lot to cover and I could be here all day). I mainly just wanted to scratch the surface of it and give the reader a general idea of what it is about (I would much rather you listen to it and see what it is for yourself). For me, it's one of the best albums of 2010 as well as one of the best folk albums of the past decade. If you want to know more about the concept behind it (and actually listen to it) then click this link to his website. Last edited by TockTockTock; 09-25-2011 at 12:51 PM.