When it comes to new releases by Vanishing Twin, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. The experimental trio’s new LP Archives, their fifth in ten years, is no exception. The playful multi-instrumentalists continue to mine a rich seam of minimalism, kosmiche, post-punk, and dream-laden psychedelia. However, each new Vanishing Twin lp can stand alone, distinct, from one another but always recognisable as the band’s own.
The album’s title alludes to Vanishing Twin’s distinctive approach of listening to, piecing together, and reworking daily recording sessions. Describing the process, founding member Cathy Lucas (guitar/vocals) said it involved: “gathering material together, riffing with it, turning it around on itself, trying to put the pieces together and create a story with it”.
The authorship concept vanishes
With Lucas now relocated to rural France, and Valentina Magaletti (drums/percission) and Susumu Mukai (bass) in London, the three connected by swapping songs and fragments of instrumentals in a virtual studio space. The geographic distance separating the trio is bridged by their hivemind creativity, with multi-instrumentalist input from each member.
It marks a shift away from the concept of a band per se as musicians can occupy the virtual space and collaborate increasingly through cyberspace, then regrouping for live shows, etc. It’s Oblique Strategies for the post-internet age, used in a way that Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt could never have imagined back in the mid-1970s.
The first two tracks set the scene for the whole album. An electronic buzzy found sound document with Lucas intoning in macabre fashion the track’s title, ‘Life By The Hand’, opens the LP. Lead single ‘Sugar Stone’ follows, which could hardly be any more different. It’s upbeat, groovy, and unavoidably danceable. An insistent synth line hooks the listener in while Magaletti’s excellent stick work shuffles relentlessly. That said, given the band’s penchant for instrument swapping, the drums could have been played by one of all three!
It is clear the three players are having a whale of a time. In terms of instruments used to contribute to the overall sound, nothing is off the table. Indeed, Lucas’s vocals form the bedrock of many of the songs with the instrumentation flitting and flourish around her voice.
It’s an LP that could comfortably sit with acts of the calibre of Laurie Anderson, Björk, or Talking Heads.
Final thoughts
Vanishing Twin continue to produce post-modern music of supreme quality that is at once hugely playful, challenging, and reflective. The trio’s prowess means that the music can be equally enjoyed while having a contemplative cup of tea or while shimmying on the dancefloor.
Archives represents another entry into the criminally overlooked Vanishing Twin’s peerless back catalogue. It’s an LP that could comfortably sit with acts of the calibre of Laurie Anderson, Björk, or Talking Heads. It’s time for you to unearth their archive for yourself.
Archives is out now on Fire Records.
Vanishing Twin headline this year’s Samhain Ritual at Earth in Hackney on 29 October.
