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The Big Eyes Family Players "Donkeysongs"
Sheffield's finest purveyors of avant-folk chamber music return with their second album under their current moniker (the sixth since they first started trading their wares as Big Eyes). Whilst their last release was collaboration-tastic, roping in alt-folk luminaries like Jeremy Barnes (A Hawk and A Hacksaw) and James Yorkston, this CD is the work of the stripped down trio of (Big Eyes founder) James Green, David A Jaycock and Chris Boyd.
In spite of the compact make up of the group, however, the swirling interplay and overlay of many tracks makes for a dense, psychedelic listening experience. And I'm damned if I can pin the bastard down. Tracks like 'Yellow Bird March' which on one listen I'll dismiss as hopelessly funereal, will suddenly, once revisited develop a powerful and charming internal logic. (Closing track, 'An Improvised Drowning', however, stubbornly
remains about as uncomfortable a listening experience as the title suggests.) It's an album built on shifting sands, where musical themes take hold then drift into the distance,
and a single sound can transform the feel of an entire song. It all kicks off in great style with 'Snowflake Runt', which sounds like Tortoise let loose in a primary school's music room and has an ending so abrupt I leapt up to check the CD hadn't broken. This is quickly followed by the chilling beauty of 'Lavinia' and the breathtaking, intricate rural idyll of virtual title track 'Donkeys Disturbed by a Meteor Shower'. This outstanding opening isn't quite sustained, though. 'Clunk Orm' makes for a highly diverting but mildly disturbing centrepiece, creating a mournful feeling that the second half can't quite
shake, in spite of further moments of loveliness scattered throughout. Nonetheless, there is a strange musical magic running through these thirty minutes, which deserves your attention. Open your ears.
The Big Eyes Family Players, to put it bluntly, manage to make bluegrass fresh by using loops and a liberal dose of atmosphere on
"Donkey Songs." They do it well, too. The opening number, "Snowflake runt" is a summer day meltdown nearly obliterating the idea of a
time signature with its shuffling layers; a perfect opener for a semi-morose tangle of strings, keys and other instrumentation. Throughout
the recording, BEFP repeatedly tinker with rhythm, often underpinning their beautifully melancholic ballads with meandering percussive elements
which lend themselves to something more akin to the avant garde than anything associated with traditional folk. However, they do their
experimentation with one eye focused there while the other is fixated on melodic and more traditional concerns. Makes what I call
'finely cockeyed' music where walls melt away and time dissociates. Wonderful, really. 8/10
Big Eyes Family Players were formerly known as Big Eyes and previously released four albums, this new collection comes on the
Irish-based Rusted Rail label in a screen printed sleeve featuring a lino cut from the bands James Green. Their sound is very
much based in the more improv side of things now with references to the meandering sounds of the Rachels meets the slightly more
avant-folk sounds of bands like the No Neck Blues Band: elements of eastern folk meets avant-garde neo-classical with lots of odd
acoustic sounds swirling around in the mix.
Another gorgeous collection of intimate chamber-folk instrumentals from Big Eyes Family Players (formerly Big Eyes), this time comprising
of James Green, David A. Jaycock and Chris Boyd. Instruments used include harp, violin, guitar, harmonium, percussion, banjo, piano, organ,
harmonica, drums and occasional loops. Packaged in a handmade sleeve with lino cut by James Green.
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