Disk of 2023
Mammal Hands - "Gift From The Trees"
Mammal Hands are a Norwich trio developing their art of saying something new with old language, encouraging us to believe that music has a future at least as attractive as history. And because they're already regular guests on the Jazzy Hour, I can say that we're watching them, listening to their further development as serious and imaginative musicians. Their fifth album, Gift from the Trees, gives us a clear insight into their music. As their first residential release, the album enjoys those moments no one can afford in a rented studio. To go at any time to add to it, to look deeper, to benefit from a more organic experience, close to the way they conceive music but especially to the trance during concerts. They experimented more, they dwelled on details, they shaped real emotions and then mixed with Greg Freeman in Berlin. Being recorded in two stages, the album also captures seasonal moods: one more wintry, somber, the other bright and confident. But first and foremost, we have a contemporary album that captures the talent of musicians to render beauty for all the senses.