An atmospheric and evocative instrumental EP
There are only three tracks on Matthew Kilner’s instrumental EP ‘Lives Move Like Circles’: ‘Kindred’; the title track; and ‘Hygge’. The first two are just over eight and seven minutes long respectively, while the third is only three and a half, but all of them swell and fade in long, deliberate passages. ‘Kindred’ is the best of the three, and it’s probably not a coincidence that it’s also the longest. It’s where the melodies get the most chance to evolve and change, slowly developing.
The opening bassline and gentle piano of ‘Kindred’, played by Elie Afif and Neil Birse, play off against each other really nicely. The bass provides a contrast to them, and eventually the long sax notes, in its slight urgency. The instrumentation expands and the music crescendos, creating a warm soundscape to fall into which rewards close attention and repeated listening. When the guitar comes in, it creates one of the most exciting moments of the EP. In the closing minutes, the music becomes more staccato, tenser, speeding up and slowing down. Instruments drop out in an inversion of how they were built up in the opening.
The title track stumbles into being, creating a somewhat uneasy, awkward atmosphere. The piano, now playing full chords, is more dramatic here, and the bassline rumbles underneath it all. Kilner’s saxophone wails. The guitars are distorted and beeping, especially in the last couple of minutes. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first track, but that’s not saying too much; all three tracks are very good. The juxtaposition between the soft piano and the more unnerving instrumentation is intriguing. More could definitely have been made of it, especially given the lack of dissonance and distortion in the other two tracks. Even as is, it provides an interesting contrast, sitting in the middle of the EP.
‘Hygge’ is pretty and delicate, reflecting the comfort and contentment meant by the Danish word that gives the song its title. Both ‘Hygge’ and ‘Lives Move Like Circles’ could easily be descriptions of the overall feeling of the EP. The way the shifting tempos of the guitars interact is a clear highlight here, although the tenderness of Kilner’s sax here is a close second. The two guitarists- Graeme Stephen and Kevin Henderson- react to each other in interesting ways throughout the EP, often providing a more uptempo counterpoint to everything else that’s going on.
‘Lives Move Like Circles’ is calming and reflective, a gorgeous twenty minutes. It’s easy to get lost in all three of the songs. All the playing is great, and the production- Doug Whates and Christoph Stickel- is beautifully clear. It’s no surprise to learn that the EP was inspired by poetry (by William Letford) given how evocative it is.