 
Nether Edge
2003
CD
Fluttering Dragon
Rik
18 October 2003 This review also covers the "Sleeping Pictures Heimdallr Radio Session", 2003, CDR, Cottage Industries. The Heimdallr CD is available as an on demand CDR from Cottage Industry/Heimdallar, with printed sleeve and labeled CD for five euros - inclu neofolk dark folk | Sleeping Pictures follow their self-released CDR-EP promo, "Life Discontinued", with their first proper release, "Nether Edge", which is issued on the Polish alternative label, Fluttering Dragon, with top class artwork featuring pictures by the Croatian artist, Maja Dzaja.
The new CD shares five tracks with the promo and adds eight new ones. The album retains the same neofolk approach with vocals by Marc Blackie and guitar by Gary Parsons, but the mastering has given it a smoother, warmer and marginally more poppy sound. The rest of the line-up is Hunter Barr (bass), Renée Rosen (violin), Tony Wakeford (bass) and David Cook (bass).
Marc's lyrics are intelligent and eloquent, and reflect issues of personal angst rather than the more collective concerns that neofolk lyricists usually address. Marc and Gary both take issue with the neofolk label, at least in so far as it suggests influences from the famous triumverate of World Serpent bands - DIJ, Sol and Current. Gary's accomplished guitar playing, for example, owes more to John Renbourne and early blues artists.
Blues influence is apparent on 'Horns of Plenty' with its blaring guitar, syncopated rhythm and perhaps a suggestion of the Stones, while 'Sickly Child' is said to be a mangled version of the traditional English folk song, 'Scarborough Fair', although I can no longer detect much connection. The opening track, 'Angel' owes more to the style of 70s 'contemporary folk' than neofolk.
'Soap Opera Life' and 'Ship of Fools' (both on the EP) remain two of the strongest songs, lyrically and musically. 'Love the Criminal' remains my favourite track stylistically and Marc's vocals seem particularly confident here. I also like the percussion on this - the sort of ominous drum rolls we associate with an immenent execution! The chorus picks up, a guitar blazes and I am thinking punk rock. The guitar work and sound effects on 'Our Lady Death' are straight out of a spaghetti western, suggesting that SP have a sense of humour despite the miserable words.
My initial feelings were that the vocals should have been higher in the mix in some places, and that Marc's voice could benefit generally from stronger projection. Mark tells me that the material on Nether Edge was not only written but recorded over a three year period (and in different studios) during which time he was experimenting with different vocal techniques.
The session for the Heimdallr French radio programme, on the other hand, represents the current state of play. The line-up on this is Marc, Gary, Renée, and Hunter with percussion by Lloyd James of Naevus. The vocals are much more to the front and the whole sound is better ballanced - a foretaste of the next album on which the group is already working.
The Heimdallr CD features one track from Nether Edge and four new numbers. 'Acquisition' is a fairly typical of SP's style but with Renée's violin riffs more in evidence, which I like. 'Living on Luck' has an angry folk-punk style. 'The Prize' takes a much softer approach, which provides contrast and relief from Marc's characteristic lyrical bleakness. 'Plastic Flowers' has quite a lively sound, more orchestrated and more exciting than earlier material. I like Lloyd's percussion and Renée's violin, and the whole effect with rising excitement in the hook is much more typical of the 'heroic' sound I expect in neofolk, and, indeed, like.
Sleeping Pictures take a little getting used to, and this is due at least in part to having such a distinctive sound, but that is all to the good.
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