I came across this curious album sometime in 2007 courtesy of Boomkat, and at first, I was intrigued by the blurb on the website which, most notably, described the music as acoustic drone and ambient doom. This immediately had me wondering just what this would possibly sound like. I was also intrigued by the abstract cover art; an incomprehensible black smear (somewhat resembling a dead animal of some sort) over a soft pink background, so without really knowing what I was getting myself into, I clicked the 'Buy' button and waited for the CD.
On hitting play, I was plunged into a dark, dank world carefully sculpted from scrapes, taps, creaks and crackles, sewn together by solemn cello drones, flecks of taut, abstracted guitar and the occasional, spectral wail. This was a beautifully bleak place. The track names described the music perfectly: titles like 'The Boat Was My Friend', 'Easy on the Bones' and 'Ocean Made of Wood' conjured a haunted, nautical unease, suggested by the music itself.
I especially love this album for two reasons: it shows that soul-crushing heaviness is not the preserve of metal (and can be achieved just as effectively without loud guitars), and the organic way in which it blends the acoustic with the electronic.
Strangely, despite its foreboding atmosphere, I find 'Knive' to be quite relaxing and often read with it playing in the background. I've even fallen asleep to it a few times. It's especially perfect on bleak, rainy or overcast days, the sorts of days where you have no place to be and can just happily sit around reading and chilling. I like days like that, and maybe this is why I like this album so much.
Above all, I consider this album is a work of art and a masterful piece of uneasy listening.
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