Shape of the Shape

VINYL FORMAT. On their sophomore release, Manchester's Starless & Bible Black have drawn together the sounds of '70s Topanga Canyon country-rock, '80s Mancunian jangle, and space age psych-tinged drones to make a dynamic, warm, and woodsy album. Gone are the dulcimers and banjos of the first record, replaced by an electrifying wall of Telecaster and Moog - and standing in the center of this bold, widescreen sound resides the earthy, husky voice of Helene Gautier. Recorded at Bryn Derwen and during all-night sessions in the tranquility of their local village hall, Shape of the Shape is an album of contrasting styles, themes, and approaches that coheres beautifully into a seamless entity as we are guided through swamp rock, gothic bluesy chanson, smoky acoustic ballads, and even a jazz-folk tinged instrumental - after all, the band takes its name from the classic 1965 Stan Tracey cut.