Bluestone by Empty House
Reviews
Monolith Cocktail -
The Incredible String Band makes merry with Julian Cope; Steve Hillage joins Ash Ra Tempel; and Affenstunde period Popol Vuh invokes ghostly parallel histories with Xqui and Quimper on a tour of Ley lines. Atmospheres and scenes from a long history of settlement, of the spiritual, envelope the listener on a most subtle but rich field recording trip.
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3rd Eye Psych -
As always, Fred of Empty House has made a fascinating record with Bluestone, which is good for fans of Popol Vuh and other weird, experimental instrumental music. Whether you’re couch-surfing or taking a walk outside, Bluestone is a perfect companion for mind-expanding journeys. Enjoy!
See the crap video 'Old Ways' at the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6d9A6gT1ps
Bluestone was written and recorded after a 3 day trip around the Pembroke-shire coastline in November 2023. It is the lunar sister to the brighter sounding ‘The Golden Hour’ that was recorded during spring summer of 2023 but only released in February 2024.
The bluestone of the title refers to the stones that come from the Preseli Hills and in particular, the burial chamber Pentre Ifan , a magnificent Cromlech that inspired the recording of the album. A place of enlightenment for me, when, on a beautiful sunny winter morning in November, I finally had chance to touch the stones and feel their formidable energy
Bluestone was recorded very quickly during December 2023 using the Irish Bouzouki as the main instrument. Added to this were huge swathes of feedback, organ, piano and e-bow. Nick Raybould added djmebe to the track Fires At Midnight.
The sound has a rustic feel to it and there are lots of glitches, cut outs, buzz noises that are intentional. To me they add further mystery of the album.
Written and recorded by Fred Laird
Tracklist
| 1. | Cromlech | 5:22 |
| 2. | Bluestone | 12:41 |
| 3. | Fires At Midnight | 6:26 |
| 4. | Old Ways | 6:59 |
| 5. | Written In The Earth | 6:09 |
| 6. | Initiation | 9:24 |
Credits
Fred Laird - Irish bouzouki, voices, samples, drums and percussion, bass, e-bow guitar, lead guitar, organ, piano, Behringer Wasp, feedback and photography.
Nick Raybould - djembe on Fires At Midnight.
License
All rights reserved.Tags
empty house is the solo work of Blackpool based musician Fred Laird. Formed in March 2021, empty house is an ambient project that fuses electronics and found sounds with Asian instruments. The concept of the music is to create a dreamlike or meditative atmosphere for meditation, yoga, martial arts or just sat on the sofa staring at the drifting clouds from your living room window.