Andy Partridge & Harold Budd
Through the hill

THE REVIEW

Before dawn arrives, observing the landscape from the window, the sky appears mysterious. An undefined color emerges, tending towards gris payne.

A rarefied, almost surreal atmosphere is felt. No prelude to rain, or an imperceptible hint of sun. Everything seems static, unchanging.

Apparently...

These are the peculiar days to assimilate the album developed by the duo.

It's arduous to delineate with words the sensations arising from listening to the sixteen compositions.

Fleeting musical strokes, intangible, underlying, and indecipherable. Silent one instant, enigmatically insinuating and mocking the next.

They possess the ability to create a temporary attenuation of the incessant flow of time.

The enchanting “Through the hill”, “Great valley of gongs”, “Ceramic avenue”, and “Bearded aphrodite” stand out.

Honorable mention for the booklet. A rarity, which stands out from the anonymous multitude of leaflets with scattered notes. The cover encloses three distinct and elegant fold-outs: Geography, Structures, Artifacts.

Each depicts black and white prints taken from: “The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration” by J. G. Heck.

Each track is associated with one or more images of personal artistic value.

“Western island of apples”, “Ceramic avenue” and “Missing pieces to the game of salt and onyx” are just a few, but the others are also worthy.

Temporally inscrutable days, further enhanced by listening to “Through the hill”.

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