Move into the Luminous by Makushin - Blackford Hill [BH017] FLAC download included with physical items

Move into the Luminous

Makushin

A 10 track new folk album (35m 54s) — released October 27th 2023 on Blackford Hill

#folk #new-folk

Move into the Luminous is the debut album from Makushin, a group whose work explores the intersection between folk, jazz and ambient music.

Double bassist Jon Thorne, guitarist Peter Philipson and singer Nancy Elizabeth lead an inspiring collective on this richly layered and immersive collaboration. The whole album has a natural, unforced aesthetic and features some notable instrumentalists who bring saxophone, piano, drums, violin and synths to the sound palette.

The lyrical themes deal with subjects such as the illumination of the moon, the observation of nature and attempting to slow the course of time. The varied musical influences range from the early 1970s recordings of John Martyn with Danny Thompson, the ambient albums made by David Sylvian and Holger Czukay, records by Joni Mitchell, Beth Gibbons, and the musical aesthetic of ECM Records.

More Easily is a standout track, featuring bright, jangling guitar and a warmth that calls to mind David Crosby's solo album If Only I Could Remember My Name, and this features Andrew Wasylyk's gentle vibraphone and Rhodes piano to complement Nancy's pure voice. The shimmering guitar work on the track Something Something evokes the Cocteau Twins while Look Up Now and Everything New soar with Nancy's keening vocals and the honey-sweet richness of the growling double bass.

By contrast, the percussive storm on the instrumental track Landscape takes an ambient jazz approach and features some inspirational saxophone work by Martin Slattery and free improv drumming by Andrew Cheetham. Another friend of the trio, David A Jaycock, makes an appearance playing additional electric guitar on two of the tracks.

The band name refers to Mount Makushin, an active volcano in Alaska, and this was inspired by the book The Cruise of the Corwin, written by Scottish-born American naturalist John Muir, where he vividly described Makushin as the "most noble volcano" he saw on an Alaskan expedition in 1881.

A beautiful, immersive soak in the ethereal; a meditative moonlit walk through a world of cosmic connectivity. - Chris Queen SNACK

There’s a complexity to this record that rewards further listening; a layered density. - Chris Queen SNACK

Blackford Hill keep the quality sky-high with 'Move into the Luminous', the debut album from folk/jazz/fusion trio Makushin. - Neil Mason Moonbuilding

A beautifully textured, atmospheric collection... Like being cosseted by the most idyllic dream; like being wrapped in the wings of an angel. - Gordon Rutherford Louder Than War

This spacious folk/jazz/ambient record is really quite something. - Gareth James CLASH

Really beautiful, healing sounds. - Zakia Sewell NTS

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