1 Inch/½ Mile by Grasscut
LABEL: Ninja Tune
Grasscut’s debut album, 1 Inch/½ Mile, starts with the simple striking of piano keys and a sampled voice saying, “These forms exist. They simply have fallen into disrepair.” This is, at once, poignant, surreal and totally captivating. By the time the song intensifies with it’s hooky synth and and revved-up nasty beats, followed by a gorgeously composed string arrangement, something in my soul shifted. It became clear to me that I was being moved by something miraculous.
Grasscut is Andrew Phillips, who plays a variety instruments, writes the songs, provides vocals, and produced the album, accompanied by Marcus O’Dair who plays double bass, keys, and manages the group. Phillips is an award-winning film and television composer, with over one hundred screen credits. O’Dair is a classically trained double bassist and keys player. The duo made their concert debut at Loop Festival 2008 in Brighton, UK and has been continually playing throughout Europe since then.
The stunning achievement of 1 Inch/ ½ Mile lies in how smoothly the group takes its electronica base, blending classical composition and rock/pop song elements to create something both eclectic and approachable. Every digital effect and synthesized element is played with the musicality of a traditional music note, so that there is never the feeling that you are listening to ‘noise.’
Sampled voices taken from mobile phones and gramophones make continued appearances throughout the album. “In Her Pride” samples a Victorian singing poet, “The Tin Man” samples a tenor voice from 1920, and in “1946” you hear a woman recounting her experiences with post-war rationing. The result is something timeless and haunting, like these voices of the past are being brought back to life with the technological sounds of today. Grasscut seems to invariably brings these people and their stories back from their respective graves to make music with them.
REVIEWED BY LYNN SHER
LYNN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “The Tin Man” • “1946” • “In Her Pride”
Lynn is also a musician and songwriter. Check out her latest project, The SaVAgE KiNGs
