As 2012 drew to a close, we here at Wake The Deaf were trying to fit the music we enjoyed in the preceding year into a series of lists. While we were compiling our series of posts on the Best Free music 2012 had to offer, I (re)stumbled across something I had intended to devote a post to, but never got round to writing up. That was Mt. Judge’s debut Not Always EP.
Luckily for us, Mt. Judge, AKA Tom White picked up on this, and was kind enough to send us a preview of his debut album, due for release on April 15th.
Entitled Time’s Machines, it seems very much like the fully realized design for which Not Always was the scale model. Whereas the latter’s five tracks came in at just over half an hour in total, Time’s Machines five pieces span just under an hour. Consequently, the sounds and textures have a lot more space to expand into, which they do spectacularly; steadily building up in subtle complexities and rippling modulations.
This is meditative stuff, and though White is currently based London, it’s easy to hear that his influences are not drawn from any urban sprawl. This is music that paints landscapes, barren skies and solitude, but at the same time manages to avoid sounding passive or inert.
While the release date is a long way off, you can go here to download a free track, and if it appeals to you, then you can always pre-order a copy of the album here.
Also check out the free download of Mt. Judge’s previous EP Not Always.