Hawthonn by Hawthonn
Unlimited edition.
"Hawthonn’s success as a conceptual album can be seen in its eerie evocation of Coil’s underlying themes – ghostly sketches of possibility emerge from these sonic landscapes, a peculiar and specific spirit hovers over the work. Using what can in some sense be described as musical necromancy the Legards have created a series of sound evocations that allow the listener to embark on a mythopoetic voyage beyond the waking world." - David Metcalfe, Modern Mythology
"Hawthonn is a unique and visionary piece of music that is clearly a labour of love and is utterly heartfelt. It speaks of Balance himself and of his loss. It also evokes a rural unease and a true sense of nature at its most wild and unknowable. You need this album; this is an incredible and special work that needs to be heard and experienced. Sit beneath the Hawthonn and let the moon play you her music." - Grey Malkin, Active Listener
"Hawthonn was stunning to begin with. With the extras, it’s fucking essential, and one of the best experimental albums of the year." - Jason Simpson, Forestpunk
"Recorded between June and November last year, the results of their highly creative and focused methods smoothly usher our mindsets beyond our living spaces into more phantasmagorical realms. Hawthonn's hypnotic success is down to the way it blends recognisably rural sounds (wind, sea and bird song) and musical passages (accordion, harmonium and folk song) with the arc and flow of electronics, the distinguishing attributes of each coming in and out of focus, obscuring where one ends and the other begins." - Russell Cuzner, The Quietus
NB: This album is intended for gapless playback. ITunes 11/12 users should set crossfade to 1 second in Preferences > Playback.
Credits
Written and performed by Phil & Layla Legard (electronics, accordion, fox-skull, harmonium, field recordings, spiricom, vocals).
Also featuring Simon Bradley (cello, Aura) and Lovernios Legard (vocalisations, Thanatopsis). Mastered by Benny Reibel. Photography by Layla Legard. Moving images courtesy of Ætheric Anomalies.
Our most profound thanks to Ian Johnstone for his thoughtful and touching memorial to Jhonn Balance,which provided the impetus for this project. Thanks also to those that we have met as a consequence of this project that knew or corresponded with Coil. Their memories of the duo’s generosity in particular will stay with us.
The music above represents the work of the first Hawthonn project, which ran between Summer Solstice and 13th November 2014.
The first 72 digital copies of this album included 80 minutes of bonus material and a journal of the workings that developed the album. The limited edition is now sold out.
For Jhonn.
License
All rights reserved.
A digital archive for the music of Phil Legard, Layla Legard and related projects: Hawthonn, Xenis Emputae Travelling Band, The Pneumatic Consort, etc.