Does it matter what an artist thinks of their work? While listening to Below The Fir by an artist of the same name, I read the description on their Bandcamp page. It notes that the album is a collection of previously uploaded demos that only exists to stop the site getting cluttered. It states that all the songs are virtually unmixed, that some are terribly mixed. Many songs will likely be reworked. They all have art that is nothing special. It was recorded on an iPhone with GarageBand. On one hand, it's interesting context, but on the other it kinda made me sad at how much they are downselling the album, because as an album it's really interesting.
Below The Fir is sometimes an folk album, sometimes an ambient drone, and sometimes Godspeed-evoking post-rock. It's always instrumental, and always built around guitars and banjos. I think the artist really has an ear for sound, and an understanding of how that can create a sense of place. These are compositions that are often beautifully melancholy, menacingly loud, or occasionally both at once.
Wind is a good example. A looping organ chord morphs into loud, dissonant screeching, before eventually cutting out to the sound of rainfall, wind, and gorgeous duelling guitars. Then there's Row of sparrows, which sits at less than two minutes between the two epics, Perched in air and Asterism (improvised song). A breath of pretty guitar strums and guitar ambience that leaves as quickly as joins us.
As for how this album all sounds, I don't care what the blurb says, I really like the production. It's a very raw sounding album, sure. The instruments all sound spiky but with that comes a dynamism that makes it all feel very expressive. Instruments rise and fall and makes space for each other, sometimes fighting, and sometimes singing in unison.
There is something to warn you about with this album, however, and that is its length. On paper it's ten tracks, but when listening it actually feels more like thirty. A couple of the tracks have multiple movements that sometimes feel a bit like entirely different tracks, and this is especially true of Perched in air, which is nearly nineteen minutes long. It's not necessarily a criticism, I enjoyed listening to it, but it feels almost like an EP in itself. Asterism is nearly fifteen minutes long, too, although that is a more cohesive mix of wobbling tape looks and gentle twanging guitars, and actually one of my favourite tracks here.
So I don't know, this album doesn't sound like a bunch of demos to me. It's varied and raw sounding, sure, but there's an atmosphere to it. It's melancholy and pretty and organic sounding, and all feels like it comes from the desert landscape in the cover art.