THE ONE ENSEMBLE - Wayward The Fourth

Fans of Volcano The Bear will certainly be aware of the not-insignificant side project set up by Daniel Padden, namely The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden, already responsible for a series of releases, including the remarkable "The Owl Of Fives" (2003). What's it all about? Simply put, file under free jazz, Third Ear Band, Comus, Holy Modal Rounders, Robert Wyatt, Moondog and assorted oddballs. Avant/weird folk, in a nutshell. On closer inspection, the ingredients are more or less the same ones used for Volcano The Bear, here mixed in different quantities and proportions, resulting in music that's more linear, or if you like, more pop - pop in the manner of the Residents, mind you, and indeed it seems that "Not Available" is one of our man's desert island discs...

Be that as it may, "Wayward The Fourth" boasts quite a few novelties compared to the previous "The Owl Of Fives". First of all, a less claustrophobic atmosphere, that is, an underlying airiness well conveyed by imaginative arrangements leaning towards the dreamy. Secondly, a pronounced transglobal quality jumps out at the ear, detectable in none-too-hidden references to European folkloric traditions, while the overall imprint remains strongly Anglo-American.

What's surprising, finally, is this further step forward in terms of overall accessibility, almost a reaction against Volcano The Bear's virtuosic obscurities. Nor can we fail to mention the methodical use of violin, which provides intelligible, pleasant melodic lines while also guiding the listener's attention, easily disoriented as it might be by that often shapeless broth of acoustic sounds. So the pronounced melodicism of "Horsehead Waltz", "Fog And Tumble" and "Another Cup To Drown" seems almost to evoke a new paradise, a Theatre of Eternal Music, where joy springs from addition, from floweriness, from an excess of fragrances, rather than from the transcendent stillness of esoteric minimalism.

In its immediacy, "Wayward The Fourth" could serve as the ideal starting point for anyone wanting to approach weird free folk. In short, it's not out of the question that it might also appeal to those Beirut and A Hawk And A Hacksaw fans who've decided to go a bit mad.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

08/03/2007