Kingbastard – Lost Property
Chris Weeks’ latest release as Kingbastard is a detailed and evocative slice of ambient electronica, inspired by the discovery of an old abandoned house in rural Wales. However, the title could just as easily refer to misplaced items gathered together in a repository, awaiting collection. An atmosphere of things being slightly out of kilter permeates – but with it the sense of eyes-wide discovery.
There’s some beautifully considered soundscaping going on here, very intimate and moving, especially during the middle third of the album. Many of the chord sequences have a disarming quality, punctuated by passages of downbeat momentum. Although the album works nicely as a whole, the most notable individual tracks that I invariably crank up are probably the glitchy ‘Glim’, ‘Fireplace’, ‘Under The Staircase’, which sounds like Boards of Canada covering an old Elvis standard, and the delicious gaseous surge of ‘The Mist Descends’. There’s even a bluesy lo-fi number (‘Take Me Home’) thrown in there.
Despite the different directions it wanders off in, it all somehow coheres. It definitely sounds like a labour of love for Weeks. The intricate handmade sleeve is pretty spectacular, too. Looking forward to checking out the rest of his discography.