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***Keiron Phelan and David Sheppard's wide-ranging musical journeys have intertwined since the two were teens. Harps Old Master is the pinnacle of their work together: lush, expansive, and emotional, it envelops the listener in melancholy beauty. The album was recorded with help from Willard Grant Conspiracy's Josh Hillman (strings) and Laika's Guy Fixsen (trumpet) at Fixsen's East London studio between October 2005 and February 2006. The musicians gravitated toward warm, vibrant instruments like recorders, double bass and the Fender Rhodes; the result is a kaleidoscopic, cinematic work, rich in melody and charm. Such intuitive collaboration takes years to articulate and Phelan and Sheppard have been working together for over a decade. The two played together in a high school band (half-mod, half-Bowie, according to Sheppard), and regrouped in '96 when Sheppard departed major label contenders Balloon and returned his focus to the music that inspired him as a teenager: Can, Cluster and Eno. Alongside their work as Phelan Sheppard, the pair have released three critically acclaimed, cultishly adored albums under the name State River Widening. Sheppard also works alongside Pete Astor in Ellis Island Sound and The Wisdom Of Harry. Phelan is currently working on a project with Duesseldorf's Susan Bauzsat and is a member of Lear, a band featuring Spanish singer Ines Naranjo, who supplies spoken word vocals on several tracks here. 30-second MP3 excerpts: Hazel Wand
Broken In The Wrong Places
Weaving Song
Tjarno
Collapsing Cat
The Plantagenet Whore
Oriental Star
Parachute Seeds
Anuncios Perfumados
Water Clock
Lady Never City
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