Catch
Release – Asleep Is A Friend Of Mine (Independent)
I’m sure Melbourne five-piece Catch Release will find
themselves pigeon-holed as a folk group of sorts, though listening to their new
six-track EP, there seems too many ideas and musical approaches for easy genre
definition. Boasting an instrumental line-up that includes violin and French
horn, complimenting the usual guitar, bass and percussion, there’s no shortage
of interesting things happening, though they remain focused and steady
throughout, and in singer (songwriter and guitarist) Tom Lee-Richards, they’ve
a frontman who brings to mind both Antony Hegarty and a Buckley or two.
The combination of brass, strings and voice provides
a fascinating core to Catch Release, though they’re very much song based. These
songs, recorded live, though with remarkable clarity, paint plenty of
enthralling pictures. They start with “Motion Sickness”, which almost arrives
in parts, though the interplay between Lee-Richards’ voice and Tim Hannah’s French horn is a constant. It’s a perfect start, and
better still is “Out Of Sight”, where Navin Gulavita’s violin becomes central,
and the group as a whole display a remarkable lightness of touch; with drummer
Bill Bates building a rhythm that’s simultaneously playful and dark. I think my
favourite is “Christmas In The Jungle”. It’s almost filmic, the combination of
lyrical flights, involving lions and the forest floor, sweeping atmospherics
and splashing percussion is intensely satisfying.
Phil S.
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