Harpist
Mary Lattimore
's albums under her own name have often continued the spirit of collaboration she developed while working for years as a guest on other artists' albums. Though her songs often evoke a feeling of solitary contemplation, many of her pieces are born from the spark of playing off the creative energy of a peer. With
Silver Ladders
,
Lattimore
worked with
Slowdive
's
Neil Halstead
on a collection of solo compositions and joint improvisations that funnel into an album of reflective, autumnal bittersweetness. The album was recorded at
Halstead
's studio on an old airfield in Cornwall, England, and the production is spacious. This sometimes enhances the eeriness in
's playing, with songs like "Sometimes He's Still in My Dreams" hanging in a state of cavernous melancholy. Her patient harp figures are complimented by occasional understated accompaniment from
on guitar and synth. The bedding of soft synth pads that begins "Chop on the Climbout" adds support more than it makes any statement of its own, creating a soft landscape for
's delay-effected harp notes to fall on like gentle raindrops. Subtle production twists are hidden throughout
, adding nuance and depth with sounds that might get missed the first time around. This takes the form of deep waves of bass synth that slowly rise up in the mix through layers of multi-tracked harps on "Til a Mermaid Drags You Under," or the distant lingering organ chords that hang in the background of the title track.
's melodies are both restrained and emotionally dense, evoking scenes of quiet beaches, early-morning rumination, and warm rooms in small houses with cold winter raging outside. The wordless storytelling of
is one of its most intriguing elements, pulling emotional gravity from expert arrangement of minimal sounds. The wandering, ambient nature of
's music could turn into forgettable background music in the hands of a less intuitive player, but
doesn't require close listening to locate its emotional currents. It's a gorgeous immersion in loneliness, solitude, and perseverance that immediately sets a mood and could soundtrack the entirety of the colder seasons. ~ Fred Thomas