The Horse - s/t

Quietly ambitious debut outing from The Horse, a new collective led by Luke Cowan and comprising 13 different players of various strings, brass, keys, voice and other less conventional instrumental ephemera. At no point does anyone appear to be calling this a Christmas record, but it's mid December and there's little else new being released right now that's replete with such communal, huddle-around wintery comfort. And isn't a reindeer just a Christmas horse anyway... What's most impressive is how a set of recordings with this many people involved can remain so restrained and controlled, veering away from any element of bombast into a beautifully hushed slow-core folk drone subtly led by whispered vocal melodies that hint at the land, the elements, emotional bonds. Can't fully place right now exactly who it reminds me of, though there's at least a passing similarity to that late 90s/early 2000s post-post-rock period of quiet-is-the-new-loud song form, alongside more contemporary formations such as caroline, Modern Nature and the Odda Recordings stable. However you wish to label it, The Horse is a perfectly timed late-in-the-year showing that'll make the ideal soundtrack for these incoming long days of quiet night. 
 
FFO: Luke Cowan, Flaer, Blue Lake, Modern Nature