Imagine this. You’re in the Lake District perhaps, or by a boathouse. Take a moment to lie down in the still of the night. Can you hear it? There’s a bàbbling stream. Birds twitter. There’s no Twitter, no social media, no hassles here. Modern Nature have created an album that is sheer bliss, as if Nick Drake had the scientific skills and preoccupations of David Attenborough.
Perversely, the album was primarily influenced by Shakespeare’s chaotic, verbose play The Tempest, but this need to reconnect to nature taps into something primordial that’s antithetical to city life, and all of its attendant stressors and chaos.
Jack Cooper’s voice is a soothing purr, with minimal instrumentation from Jeff Tobias and Jim Wallace. Dunes takes its cue from Talk Talk at their most esoteric. Performance is the epitome of subdued minimalism with a whisper of bass and a little trumpet Rock and roll this ain’t, but it’s so beautiful to sink into.
It’s all barely there, with guest additions, featuring piano from Alexander Hawkins, sax from legendary musician Evan Parker and Alison Cotton on violin.
The spirit of improvisation gives the tracks room to breathe. It’s an Autumnal album, unquestionably. Play next to Pink Moon drinking something that tastes of cinnamon for maximum relaxation. It’s better than ASMR.
Out via Bella Union on November 19th
Hit The North 