Name: Feathers
Brand: Poppy Ackroyd

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

tplp1406cd

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

6 Panel Digipak

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2017-08-04

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Universal

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

5016958995775

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Poppy Ackroyd

Genre GB

Modern Composition

Label GB

One Little Independent Records

Advocated by giants of the genre, Hauschka and Nils Frahm, classically trained pianist, violinist, producer, and composer, Poppy Ackroyd turned heads in the neo-classical world with her previous works Escapement and Feathers, as well as her involvement in Hidden Orchestra (Tru Thoughts). Freshly signed to Bjork’s label One Little Indian Records, Ackroyd’s critically acclaimed back catalogue is reissued on CD and vinyl. Through studying contemporary classical piano works and listening to electronic music, Poppy began to develop her own compositional style, using conventional pianistic ideas whilst also inhabiting the world of sound beyond the keyboard, using unconventional techniques to 'play' other parts of the instruments as well. Like Escapement, her second album Feathers mostly consists of piano and violin, but the palate of sounds is increased with other acoustic keyboard instruments - including harmonium, clavichord, harpsichord and spinet – and in the string sections Poppy's violin lines are augmented by guest cellist Su-a Lee. Poppy's beloved, restored Blüthner grand piano in her studio is again the backbone of the album, providing most of the melodies, bass lines and percussive sounds. Other material originated from improvised recording sessions at the Russell / Mirrey Collection of keyboard instruments in Edinburgh. Having previously spent time there dismantling different pianos to understand how their mechanisms work and make sound, she was given complete freedom on her own in the museum to experiment with around fifty keyboard instruments from the 16th century to the 19th century. Selecting a few instruments for Feathers that produced a variety of different timbres, it was again the other sounds these instruments could make that interested her, when treating them as sources for melodic or percussive material. Recordings of unfamiliar sounds, which include brushing / plucking the strings and tapping/stroking the frames or soundboards, are combined with accidental 'imperfect' sounds that come from playing the instrument, such as pedal noise or the sound of harpsichord shutters opening and closing. There is an intimate feel to the recordings as these older instruments are not designed to project sound loudly, so the microphones were placed very close to capture the minutest detail. Field recordings add to the cinematic and atmospheric quality of the music: chiming wall clocks in Timeless, traffic noise on Roads, and the wave and pebble sounds from Brighton beach in Birdwoman.

LP - Heavyweight LP in Gatefold sleeve with Download.

Feathers

Music GB