Music / ambient music
Review: Tiny Chapter, Wardrobe
While Waldo’s Gift guitarist Alun Elliot-Williams has done solo shows before they have largely been instrumental electronic explorations. It was his acclaimed contribution to the Ishmael Ensemble’s Vision of Light album that revealed the distinctive vocal talents that lie at the heart of For How Long Have We Been Asleep?, the debut recording of his Tiny Chapter project. The EPs three songs are poetic explorations of Alun’s grief following the death of his father, Tiny Chapter also being a nickname his dad bestowed on him.
Tiny Chapter aka Alun Elliott-Williams (Photo: Tony Benjamin)
This had begun as a studio production project complete with string arrangements that a live rendition could not easily replicate but the guitarist was well supported by drummer Rob Pemberton and bass player Chris Hyson both of whom also had additional keyboards while Rob and We Are Leif’s Louise Victoria Hunt also contributed vocal harmonies. And of course – for all that he claims to be a technophobe – there was the usual complex of FX pedals at Alun’s feet deftly deployed either to transform his instrumental voice or to cleverly evolving create soundscapes. These were important from the word go as he crouched down to assemble an ambient symphony opening Nothing Is Lost, the others patiently awaiting their cue till his high-range vocal began, underpinned by soft drums and unobtrusive bass.
Tiny Chapter and Dave Sanders (Photo: Tony Benjamin)
Neither this song nor the easy-rolling The Blueprint which followed it were actually from the EP and that unveiling had to wait, teasingly, while Alun was joined by Snazzback saxophonist Dave Sanders for an improvised duo rendition of John Hopkins’ Autumn Hill. This was classy stuff, a sparkling interaction that threw melodic ideas to and fro as each deployed their skills with both instrument and electronic effects to full advantage. Looping elements and soundwashes wrapped around Dave’s lyrical sax while cascading guitar emerged to catch his phrasing and turn it back before a pleasing unity was established to tie up any loose ends.
is needed now More than ever
Rob Pemberton (drums), Chris Hyson (bass), Louise Victoria (vox) (Photo: Tony Benjamin)
That instrumental interlude actually set the scene nicely for the EP itself, the wistfully voiced (and gently paced) A Moveable Home unexpectedly flowering into something more vigorous with broken beats drumming and surging guitar beneath waves of harmonised voices. Second track Liminal Space balanced a more operatic interplay of vocals with light touch guitar and pedal-generated ghost sounds and then If Only For A Time shed a little sunlight into the mix. If it was a little hard to catch the full value of the lyrics hearing them for the first time like this nonetheless the atmosphere of the music was clear enough, a thoughtful and reflective mapping of the emotional ebbs and flows between celebrating life and feeling the loss of a loved one.
Tiny Chapter (Photo: Tony Benjamin)
It was all very well received by a packed Wardrobe audience and, lacking a prepared encore, Alun took to more familiar territory and just made something up – an impeccable solo guitar improvisation combining looping washes of rich chords and dazzling melodic arpeggios that eventually engulfed themselves to finish. It served as a reminder that Bristol was already lucky to have Waldo’s Gift on our doorstep and now Tiny Chapter meant we had something more to celebrate.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
