Cargo Records

The Gallows / Royal College O' Surgeons

The Gallows is the long awaited second album from Leeds-based musician Gareth S. Brown and the follow up to his 2007 opus Iron Henry. The Gallows is a song cycle of extraordinary emotion, power and precision from the metallic clank of the opening 'An Attack of the Good Grace' the influences of Michael Nyman and Phillip Glass are immediately obvious; yet Brown has such a distinctive way with a melody that every composition is fully his own – haunting string and oboe lines glide effortlessly over repetitive percussive xylophone and vibraphone.

The title track is reminiscent of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 'Rain (I want a divorce)’, The Blue Nile's 'Walk Across the Rooftops' and Burial's 'Archangel' in its rain-drenched beauty whilst 'First Re-appearance' takes the minimalist approach to its ultimate conclusion only revealing its warped melody after several minutes of churning loops reminiscent of a neo-classical take on Third Eye Foundations off-kilter discordance.

The Gallows will be released as part of a limited edition two CD set along with Royal College O' Surgeons, a full length album comprised of tracks recorded during the making of both The Gallows and Iron Henry that didn't make it onto either final cut. Don't let this fool you into thinking these are out-takes. This is a fully realised album of amazing scope and breadth. 'Earlier, I thought I saw John Dee' is the best song Rachel's never recorded whilst 'You mustn't stop clapping your hands (or you will die, you will die)' is Browns most strung out textured work to date recalling Seefeel's fractured ambience.

Limited to 300 & handmade.