Exposé Online

What's old

Exposé print issues (1993-2011)

• 1 (October 1993)
• 2 (February 1994)
• 3 (May 1994)
• 4 (August 1994)
• 5 (October 1994)
• 6 (March 1995)
• 7 (July 1995)
• 8 (November 1995)
• 9 (March 1996)
• 10 (August 1996)
• 11 (February 1997)
• 12 (May 1997)
• 13 (October 1997)
• 14 (February 1998)
• 15 (July 1998)
• 16 (January 1999)
• 17 (April 1999)
• 18 (November 1999)
• 19 (May 2000)
• 20 (October 2000)
• 21 (March 2001)
• 22 (July 2001)
• 23 (December 2001)
• 24 (April 2002)
• 25 (September 2002)
• 26 (February 2003)
• 27 (August 2003)
• 28 (December 2003)
• 29 (April 2004)
• 30 (September 2004)
• 31 (March 2005)
• 32 (September 2005)
• 33 (May 2006)
• 34 (March 2007)
• 35 (January 2008)
• 36 (October 2008)
• 37 (July 2009)
• 38 (July 2010)
• 39 (Summer 2011)

Fernwood — Almeria
(Bandcamp no#, 2008, CD / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2008-12-31

Fernwood is the new all-acoustic instrumental creation from Gayle Ellett of Djam Karet and Todd Montgomery who play all of their music by hand on instruments constructed from wood. On Almeria, their debut release, Todd plays Irish bouzouki, sitar, mandolin, and guitar while Gayle plays Greek bouzouki, ruan, harmonium, oud, guitar, bulbul tarang, gobijen, dotara, organ, Rhodes piano, electric 5-string bass, and upright bass. I’ve never heard of some of these instruments but the resulting symphony of acoustics is incredible. And when you think of Djam Karet, this music is about as far away from them as you can get. Gayle and Todd, drawing upon their 30+ years as musicians, weave a colorful tapestry of sound demonstrating what talented musicians can achieve by returning to the basics. Almeria is strongly cinematic, crossing many cultures and presenting traditional instruments in new and interesting ways. The frail and haunting compositions touch on the spiritual, every now and then recalling Florian Fricke and Popol Vuh. Some of my favorite tracks are “Hungarian Holiday,” “East Window,” and “Nightingale.” This delightful journey through pastoral, European, Asian, and middle-Eastern music is over far too soon. So you may be left thirsting for more, and the good news is that Todd and Gayle have already begun work on a second Fernwood CD that they plan on releasing in the first quarter of 2009. Almeria is a breath of fresh air and is a welcome addition to today’s electronic and synth dominated music.

---

Filed under: New releases, 2008 releases

Related artist(s): Fernwood, Gayle Ellett

More info
http://www.virb.com/GayleEllett
http://www.myspace.com/tjmontgomery
http://www.DjamKaret.com

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.

• Review: Focus - Focus 12
  Published 2024-12-22
• Review: Dirk Bruinsma - Low Reliefs
  Published 2024-12-21
• Review: Passionfix - Silent Town
  Published 2024-12-21
• Review: The Verge - The Verge
  Published 2024-12-20
• Review: Denman Maroney - The Air-Conditioned Nightmare & Covid Variations
  Published 2024-12-19
• Review: Erik Wøllo - Solastalgia
  Published 2024-12-18
• Review: Jill Fraser - Earthly Pleasures
  Published 2024-12-18
• Review: Propaganda - Propaganda
  Published 2024-12-17
• Review: Radio Massacre International - Galactic Furnace
  Published 2024-12-16
• Review: Paul Hanson and Raze the Maze - Calliope
  Published 2024-12-16
• Review: The Occasional Quintet - Recording Rites
  Published 2024-12-15
• Review: Thierry Zaboitzeff - Heat (Rough Mix)
  Published 2024-12-15
• Review: Keir Cooper + Eleanor Westbrook - Star Quality - Speculations for Guitar and Voice
  Published 2024-12-14
• Review: Astral Magic - End of Time, Mind Melt Machine, Strange Sensation & Secret Paths
  Published 2024-12-13
• Review: Paul Dunmall - Red Hot Ice
  Published 2024-12-12
• Review: Actionfredag - Lys Fremtid i Mørke
  Published 2024-12-12