Spiro - Lightbox

Spiro - Innovative, mesmerizing music from U.K. instrumental quartet utilizes traditional British folk instruments - guitar, accordion, mandolin and violin - to weave a flurry of intricate melodies together into a layered sound tapestry...signed to the Real World label by fan Peter Gabriel and finally receiving a belated U.S. release // Release: Lightbox (July 19) // Sounds like: it's almost impossible for the listener to discern individual melodies or themes as the four interplaying instruments begin to sound like a blur of whirling notes - almost an acoustic recreation of the minimalist neo-classical styles of composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass and a technique that the band simply refers to as "the mesh" // Quote: "I've always loved playing live, making things happen in a room, transforming all that nerdy work into an airborne experience. You can do this so much more by playing live instruments rather than pressing a button on a computer." - Spiro's Jon Hunt // What we like: the way original compositions sit beside radical, brilliant reworkings of traditional Northern English folk melodies for an album that can be listened to intently, trying to follow the complex, "looped" lines, or more casually, capturing only the overall effect with the intertwining yielding a more fluid, discernable melody...we're in the deep end here but no worries -- just dive in...

Spiro - "The Darkling Plains" (from the album Lightbox)

Spiro - "The Radio Sky" (from the album Lightbox)

Photos: York Tilyer