Luce Mawdsley: Northwest & Nebulous

Over the past several decades, alongside the likes of Kepla’s Jon Davies, Pete Smyth and Hell on Hearth’s Sean Wárs, Luce Mawdsley has been the architect of some of the most challenging music to come out of Merseyside.

While Mawdsley’s 2020 release, Vulgar Displays of Affection, was like being dragged through the psychedelic horrors of a haunted house in slow motion, Luke 2 was far removed in what was a series of warped, Morricone-inspired vignettes that saw the artist cover exciting new ground.

On Northwest & Nebulous, Mawdsley sheds yet another skin with sonic meditations that open up sound portals for the listener to choose their own adventure.

Granted, the same could be said of most instrumental-based endeavours, however with a multi-layered cinematic charm, the compositions which comprise of Northwest & Nebulous see Mawdsley escapes the esoteric extremities of their previous sound worlds in search of new ones. There were hints of this on Luke 2, but here there is a new depth. A new tenderness.

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Backed by clarinettist, Nicholas Branton, and viola player, Rachel Nicholas, the chamber trio carve out a seamless brand of cosmic Americana. A wandering psychedelia with a romantic edge.

Recorded and mixed by Mawdsley in Liverpool’s Scandinavian Church, it all begins with Latex Feather. With guitars bobbing and weaving through a miasma of brass and strings, the trio create a stirring fever dream that is like scouring across fantastical landscapes.

Next up is Roosting. With bluesy guitars that reach every corner of the room, the arrangements quash the notion that neo-classical is exclusively highbrow. And the same can be said later on with the fractured rockabilly swoon of All Season Swarm; both pieces, showcasing a band simply having fun with an effortless swing and sway that conveys the freedom of open space.

In between is Sojurn – the most beautiful piece Mawdsley has delivered, to the point where they may never reach the same heights again. Effectively a composition that final scenes in masterpiece films end with, Sojurn is panoramic grandeur at its finest.

Now at full tilt, Meltwater is simply bombastic. Not a world away from the likes of Danny Paul Grody’s most recent works, but with the added force of Branton and Nicholas, Mawdsley never crosses boundary lines with a moment laced with remnants of the Morricone which dominated their last release.

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With expansive arrangements, the title track underlines a band deep in the groove, sparkling with a cadence that cross-pollinates into The Growing Rooms. Featuring Davies on piano, Mawdsley opts for minimalism, as sparse keys and Mawdsley’s brushes across the strings give the piece another layer of emotional depth.

And this is where we stay on Lake Light Sparkles. A contemplative dreamscape that ties Northwest & Nebulous together. Think of those sun-drenched open spaces and the freedom these images bring. Whether it be in film or from the stories of McCarthy, Steinbeck, or Kerouac, purely through the sound, Mawdsely, Branton and Nicholas evoke these grainy, sepia-toned images.

Ahead Northwest & Nebulous’ release, Mawdsley touched on this fact, explaining that the record was one for others to have their own cinematic experiences. Joining the likes of droneroom and Departure Street, Mawdsley orchestrates the kind of ruminating sketches that offer new possibilities. Their influences, taken from the ends of the earth and combined for the ultimate dreamscape. One that is rich, borderless, and meticulous in execution. You will be hard-pressed to find a better release out of Merseyside all year.

Northwest & Nebulous it out Friday via Pure O Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.