On Unknown Soil

Karl Burke and Giles Peckham have been concentrating on their studio work to date, which explains why they haven’t been hob-nobbing with the electronica kids at DEAF or Wonky. Such dedication and diligence shows, as the production standards of their debut are superb. As Kittser recently pointed out in these pages, there are drawbacks in making it too easy to release a record, clogging up the world with good ideas neutered by bargain basement production. Therefore, it is assuring to hear something as confident and impeccably self-crafted as this sterling debut.

Prior to The Array, Giles Peckham turned his hand to film and theatre production scores, and its shows on the rich, spookily cinematic layers of On Unknown Soil. This is highly atmospheric stuff, charged with unexpected noises; the rattle and hum of traffic, deranged beatboxes kicking off and settling back into an eerie calm, gentle shuffles and strange clanging.

But these days it’s nearly predictable and passe to be diverse. Eclectic has become a dirty word, the refuge of the charlatan and the jack of all trades and the master of none. Hence, it’s refreshing to hear Arabian and eastern sounds and influences informing the music without sounding in the slightest contrived or forced. On Unknown Soil blends beautifully, but it is still a bare-knuckle ride through sound. The closing ‘Greenland’ is a fifteen-minute plus epic, leaving us on suitably mysterious note. These are fertile lands.