Caul by Last Harbour

'Caul' contains all of the band’s trademark cinematic laments and doom-filled rock, but there is also an added layer of raw, bleak experimentation that marries ideally and simultaneously with brighter, almost joyous moments laced with vintage synths and organs. Most noticeably, 'Guitar Neck' moves from a metronomic, semi-spoken verse to a richly orchestrated chorus with the FX-heavy vocal of K. Craig soaring above the pulsing instrumentation. Or there’s a moment in 'Fracture/Fragment'
where group vocals take centre stage and the record immediately takes on a deeper and wider atmosphere. 'The Deal' is a highlight, providing a hypnotic, insistent rhythm, menacing vocal and obscured effects, leading off a trilogy of tracks which form the album’s second half, the negative image to the first half’s positive, the two sides of the same story.

Final piece 'The Promise' is the band’s most ambitious statement of their career so far, clocking in at 13 minutes but never once outstaying its welcome. Beginning with droning soundscapes and minimal notes before opening out into a beautiful, melodic section which is the most accessible point on the record, it then descends to a haunting, sparse and thoroughly satisfying end. The progression on 'Caul', from that of its predecessor 'Your Heart, It Carries the Sound', is clear. There is a new focus, a need to explore, a quest to push further into the void.

Tracklist

1.	Feint	1:15

2.	Fracture/Fragment	5:14

3.	Guitar Neck	4:33

4.	Before The Ritual	3:51

5.	Horse Without A Rider	7:08

6.	The Deal	4:30

7.	The Pressure	4:15

8.	The Promise	13:11

Credits

released February 9, 2015

K. Craig – vocals
Gina Murphy – piano, vocals
James Youngjohns – viola, tenor guitar, organ
David Armes – guitar, organ
Michael Doward – bass, vocals
Howard Jones – drums

Recorded at Zoo Station Studio, Stockport (RIP)
Peter Martin & James Youngjohns - mixing
Christopher Leary/Melograf Mastering - mastering

License