the resource centre

John Hanson – the other part of the Magnetophone equation – these days operates under the guise of the Resource Centre – much admired around these here parts not least with the advent of two outings (if I rightly recall) for the aforementioned and now sadly gone first fold imprint. Weep not though for a new home has been found in the welcoming arms of the geography trip imprint who describe themselves as ’a label dedicated to the weird vortices of the british countryside and beyond’ which oughtn’t prove too outlandish for Mr Hanson who refers to his recently released ’low fantasy’ EP for the label as being of interest to admirers of ‘Terry Riley, bird watching, John Cage, that warm feeling you can on remembering your first school music concrete’. the release itself comes pressed up as a strictly limited 250 only 12 inch package that includes 6 tracks stamped to wax, 4 postcards, a handwritten message, a vintage tea card, and a patch all housed in a by all accounts beautiful looking folk out sleeve. Dare you resist. As to the sounds – much like those previous Resource Centre outings Saunders utilises an array of analogue instrumentation, xylophones, glockenspiels and various wood block symphonics all of which he moulds into serene and dainty musical carousels that sits somewhere between the playful lullaby lilts of Raymond Scott and the twinkling innocence of a youth ISAN and Plone. For now we’ve found ourselves somewhat smitten by the near 12 minute chime recital ’round (music)’ a demurring sleepy headed toy box symphony that slowly unfolds, yawns and stretches to occasion a gorgeously hypnotic motif of bowed orbs and interlocking harmonic progressions seductively at play firing off lilting clock working love noted bows. Rest assured this won’t be the last you’ll hear of this becoming and bewitching beauty. http://www.thegeographytrip.bandcamp.com