And Also the Trees - Born Into The Waves (2016)

For the uninitiated and that includes this 'umble scribe, And Also The Trees (henceforth to be known as AATT: the curse of all such band names) has been in existence since '79 and this is their thirteenth studio album. Formed in the Worcestershire village of Inkberrow and originally comprising two sets of brothers names of Jones and Havas, their collective bucolic upbringing has always informed their work, continues to do so and sets AATT apart from their more urban/industrial leaning contemporaries.
It took less than half a min of listening for this Johannie-cum-lately to hang his head in shame and commit to exploring the vast and doubtless rich back catalogue of this seeming endlessly interesting out t. Those less ignorant than I will surely know of the early days supporting The Cure and indeed, Robert Smith, an enduring admirer, co-producer and re-mixer of theirs, recently re-engaged AATT to join The Cure as special guests on their three Hammersmith Apollo dates.
There is a deep, abiding theme of a liebestraum travelogue to this sumptuous work, born out of guitarist Justin Jones' compositional quartet and brother/singer Simon Huw Jones' lovelorn, wanderlust lyricism, as the band's recent performances in previously unvisited terrain form the inspirational basis for both music and lyrics.
Hence threaded throughout are subtle melodic flavours and song structures from Ukraine, Romania, Lithuania and Japan, which add more layers to this densely delightful album. It is a carefully crafted piece of work; indeed on the track 'Naito-Shinjuku' drummer Paul Hill even fashioned percussion constructed from pressured cylinders which proved murderously difficult to tune. Such is the depth of the intent of passion inherent in this band and contained within 'Born Into The Waves'.
It is not a cop-out to say I find it difficult to pick out single tracks because the work was conceived as a whole and plays as such. It is also the kind of collection where faves change from listen to listen. This is a moving album in the mould of Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express: nakedly romantic Mittel- Europeania in the grand tradition.
Unsurprisingly then AATT have a fervent following in Europe and beyond and their upcoming March and April dates take in Hamburg, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Bochum and Leipzig, but not before more importantly they appear in our own Great Second City, Birmingham on Sunday 27th March at the
Flapper where I most definitely hope to report to you from. I strongly suggest you join me though as this musical manifestation is sure to prove one of the
year's highlights.
In an effort to place AATT in the musical scheme, names are bandied about such as Scott Walker, Tindersticks and Nick Cave, all of whom are helpful to a point, but be in no doubt that AATT inhabit their own unique sonic niche.
Now in their 35th year AATT continue to evolve and break new creative ground, including working with such diverse artists as Marc Almond, German multimedia artist John Bock and French composer Olivier Mellano.
In summary, 'Born Into The Waves' is boldly beautiful, haunting, melancholic for sure but always hopeful with daylight peering into the gloom from a metaphoric chink in the curtains or gap under the door. An album then born out of true inspiration, helping one feel that maybe after all, this life of ours is worthwhile.
Words by J. des Esseintes