Cargo Records

Cormorant

Since their birth in 1982, Shriekback have managed to hack their own unique trail through the sonic swamps never bothering to check in at the counter of convention, the band, originally formed of refugees from XTC and Gang of Four, have led us through the curious mix of organics and mechanics that was care, the clinical funk of jam science, the machine-free beauty of big night music and many other matchless works and they have always sounded fresh and confident in comparison with any number of their contemporaries's 2005 saw Shriekback's return to form on malicious damage with this eagerly awaited 10th album, cormorant this latest offering,

As with many of their previous releases, provokes and seduces in equal measures a soulful, insistent and sometimes riotous collection of songs and distracting instrumentals, the album features the ever present musical heart of Shriekback - the vocal and lyrical alchemy of Barry Andrews, and the percussive bedrock of Martyn Barkers enriching this formidable partnership is a rare blend of shriek collaborators - Mark Raudva (co-production, mandolins & bass), Carlo Asciutti and wendy partridge (vocals) make a welcome return to spice up the mix, barry's son Finn Andrews takes a break from the veils to add some vocals, while Shriek virgin Andy Partridge contributes some fiery guitar work, playing alongside Barry Andrews for the first time in the many years since the early incarnation of XTC.