Gravenhurst is a vehicle for the music of singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot, who lives in Bristol, England and is signed to Warp Records.
[audio:gravenhurst – 01 – down river.mp3]Talbot characterises Gravenhurst as a world created by sound and language, ever-changing and conjured from disparate ingredients. Noticeable is the melodic noise of My Bloody Valentine, the lush vocal harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, and the influence of a diverse range of guitarists including fingerpickers Bert Jansch and Richard Thompson (Talbot rarely uses a pick). He says that the most important musical event of his life was discovering The Smiths, which encouraged him to attempt song writing.
Talbot’s ultimate guitar hero is Johnny Marr, but he remains a Morrissey fan, citing his 1992 solo album “Vauxhall & I” among his favourite records of all time. While the cryptic symbolism enshrouding Talbot’s lyric have their roots in his literary heroes Alan Moore and Ian Sinclair, the fundamental emotional power of his songs was born of a troubled adolescence soundtracked by the Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division.
Gravenhurst | I turn my face to the forest floor
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=qfQmbCPXihw
Later, his discovery of Bristol’s lo-fi collective; Third Eye Foundation, Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone and Crescent, made Bristol his first choice for University study, with his eyes opened to the DIY possibilities of home recording. Puzzling pigeon-holer critics with each successive release (Folk? Acid Folk? Shoegaze? Post-Rock? On Warp Records..?) Talbot has displayed a shark-like inability to remain still, but over the course of five self-produced albums, the consistency is clear.
Gravenhurst | The Diver
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=AHvUTrrqBDY
A fragile yet powerful voice, intricate guitar work, unsetling ambience and uniquely haunting lyrics have earned Gravenhurst a devoted and loyal cult following. As a four piece, Gravenhurst has left audiences open-mouthed and partially deafened by the telepathically entwined guitars and ghost train dynamics of ‘Song From Under The Arches’. Solo, Nick has reduced 3,000 festival-goers to complete silence with his bone-chilling rendition of Husker Du’s controversial ‘Diane’.
Gravenhurst’s latest album, The Western Lands, was released on 10 September 2007. May 2008 saw the release of a double A-side single, ‘Nightwatchman’s Blues’/’Farewell, Farewell’..
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Gravenhurst LIVE
Monady, 07 Febuary 2010 | 21:00 CET
WestGermany | Skalitzer Str. 133 | 10999 Berlin/Kreuzberg
http://www.gravenhurstmusic.com | http://www.myspace.com/gravenhurst
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