Review from The Wire

This collection from Sheffield label Singing Knives plays its cards close to its chest: an oddball psychedelic cover in the style of Avarus or Kemialliset Ystavat, with a simple list of group names. Further investigation reveals that many of them are side-projects of better known groups. Daniel Padden is a member of Volcano The Bear, Bridget Hayden played in Vibracathedral Orchestra; most intriguingly, Tirath Singh Nirmala used to be a member of Leeds electronic pastoralists Hood, before adopting his current Sikh name as a solo artist. His contribution, from which the album title comes, is undoubtedly the most startling track – a reverberating vocal which seems to go outside the body, accompanied by an intense landslide of improvised, echoed instrumentation. At the other end of the spectrum, McWatt’s untitled track on flute, accordian and double bass is a pensive slice of chamber folk that unfolds with the grace and weight of a Gavin Bryars piece. The other contributions all fall within the parameters of improvised folk or homemade psychedelia, but with a diverse instrumentation and hands-on song craft, Singing At The Moon manages to be always idiosyncratic and occasionally otherwordly.

Reviewed by Derek Walmsley, January 2007