Ellis Island Sound started life as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Mr Peter Astor and Mr David Sheppard, gentlemen adventurers in sound since 1997. Someone once said they sound like Nick Drake recorded by Conny Plank. Which is something. EIS have cut tracks, singles, remixes and eps for innumerable labels ranging from All City Chicago, faux-lux and Static Caravan to Warp, Island and EMI. They released an eponymously titled compilation on Heavenly in 2002. Messrs Astor and Sheppard have also recorded and toured together with Matador recording artists the Wisdom Of Harry. Mr Astor is the erstwhile leader of the Weather Prophets and the Loft (the band that helped established Creation Records), while Mr Sheppard makes records with State River Widening and in partnership with SRW's Keiron Phelan (for the Leaf Label) and for Anglo-Spanish group, Continental Film Night (Tinhorn/Dock). After the stripped down sound of 2003's Home Service mini-LP, EIS regrouped to record their "long-awaited" (hey!) 'agrarian' album, The Good Seed, which is now slated for release on February 19th '07 on Peacefrog of London (home of Jose Gonzalez, Findlay Brown, Nouvelle Vague, Klima etc).
Lately, Messrs Astor and Sheppard have gathered around them a throng of gifted musical stylists (with whom they have already played a handful of spectacular London shows) in whose company they will venture far afield in '07, spreading The Good Seed all over the land. Time, then, to introduce some new Ellis Islanders: On harmonium and melodica we have Mr Nick Buxton; on guitar and melodica Mr Iain Lowery; on violins are Mr Dan Mayfield and Ms Helen McGrath; on Moog, stylophone and assorted electrical goods Mr Darren Hayman; on bass Mr Luke Hannam; on drums/percussion etc Messrs Tom Colman and Geordie Hawdon, on saxophone is Mr Aki Paivarinne while the redoubtable Mr John Hart and new additon Matt play trombones. Mr Astor handles the ukulele and ceremonials while Mr Sheppard directs musical traffic while playing guitar. Everybody sings.
More about The Good Seed
Recorded in a tiny, deconsecrated chapel in the sleepy Waveney Valley on the Suffolk/Norfolk border (check the background photos here), the album features twenty brand new songs. Using acoustic instruments that range from parlour guitars and ukuleles to pump harmoniums, dulcimers, goat skin drums and washboards, and recorded on an antediluvian 8-track tape recorder, it's EIS stripped down to their analogue fundaments. That said, Pete and David also deploy a stylophone, a Casio mini-sampler, a Bentley Rhythm Ace drum machine and miscellaneous noise making devices. Their friend Josh Hillman (from the Willard Grant Conspiracy) helps out, lending violin, viola and pedal steel. Some of the new tracks will be available here very soon.
AVAILABLE NOW - THE TINHORN HOME COMPANION LIBRARY, SIX TRACK MINI-ALBUM FEATURING DAVID SHEPPARD'S ANGLO-SPANISH COMBO CONTINENTAL FILM NIGHT (TRACKS SPLIT WITH TELLERMAN). fIND OUT MORE HERE: WWW.BORDERDREAMS.COM
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Nice film of Angel's Way by Peter Russell
