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World Sanguine Report — Songs from the Harbour
(Bandcamp God Unknown Records, 2025, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-04-21

Songs from the Harbour Cover art

Previously on World Sanguine Report, Andrew Plummer found himself in the company of a group featuring six or more musicians on Skeleton Blush. That was released in 2020, and now WSR is pared down to just Ruth Goller (bass, vocals), Will Glaser (drums), and Matthew Bourne (harmonium) accompanying Plummer, who sings and plays guitar. Goller and Bourne are retained from the previous incarnation of the band, while Glaser is new. Barring the lack of horns, the overall aesthetic is similar, however, just stripped down to basics. Plummer’s low voice is the focal point, and his tones are likely to call to mind other bass or baritone singers like Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Jon Ivar Kollbotn of Major Parkinson (if you’re so inclined), at least superficially — he really doesn’t sound much like any of the others, but such low pitches are uncommon enough in pop and rock that comparisons are bound to crop up. The songs on Songs from the Harbour do lean toward dark topics, though I find the album far from depressing. The edgy, dissonant guitar parts emphasize the uneasy mood, and the songs tend to stray from standard structures, giving the proceedings an unrooted feeling. The occasional appearance of Goller’s sweeter vocal tones acts as a perfect balance to Plummer’s gruffness. I have to admit that my favorite tracks are the more energetic ones (I hesitate to use the word “upbeat”) like “She Is All” and “Litany of Losses,” but the album has a flow to it that elevates the importance of the quieter or more plodding sections. I’d probably admit that Songs from the Harbour is less immediately appealing than Skeleton Blush, but it’s another significant entry into the World Sanguine Report catalog.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Andrew Plummer / World Sanguine Report, Matthew Bourne

More info
http://worldsanguinereport.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-harbour

 

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