After recording their first album in a church and the second in locations that included an abandoned railway station, Three Cane Whale finally headed to a conventional recording studio. But they are not playing safe. This subtle, gently exquisite set was recorded live with no overdubs, and consists of 21 instrumental pieces in which the Bristol-based trio play 20 instruments, including baby harp, trumpet, piano, mandolin and zither. The compositions are by Alex Vann, who also works with the excellent Spiro, and Pete Judge from West Country jazzers Get the Blessing. They are joined by guitarist and harpist Paul Bradley to create an acoustic style that is elegant, atmospheric and charmingly quirky. They may lack the exhilaration of Spiro in full flight, but create a shifting mosaic of musical textures ranging from the gloriously intricate on Gospel Pass to the elegant and lyrical on Sprig.
