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Gnac \ The Arrival of the Fog [LTMCD 2491]

The fifth studio album from Gnac, the sophisticated instrumental project from Mark Tranmer. The Arrival Of The Fog follows acclaimed predecessors Sevens (1999), Biscuit Barrel Fashion (2001) and Twelve Sidelong Glances (2006).

The album centres on ten new instrumental pieces recorded in Tokyo, Osaka, Wollongong and Hebden Bridge between October 2006 and May 2007. The moods vary from Barry to Roubaix, Reilly to Delerue. Stand-out tracks include the opening title track, Nautical Episodes and What to Make of Jagged Graphs. The 70 minute CD also includes two extended bonus tracks, Bright Days in Winter and Winter Blanket.

Tracklist:

1. The Arrival of the Fog
2. Nautical Episodes
3. Japanese Fiction
4. Vetchinsky Backdrop
5. Vertical Features
6. Horizontal Happiness
7. Winter Circus
8. What to Make of Jagged Graphs
9. Examples of Bad Driving
10. Cliques and Clusters
11. Bright Days in Winter
12. Winter Blanket

Available on CD and download.

The Arrival Of The Fog [LTMCD 2491]

Reviews:

"This lush, moody set suggests a combination of Italian film music, mid-period Brian Eno and maybe even a splash of Erik Satie in places, evoking the standard music-for-a-film-yet-to-be-made comparison by tired rock hacks" (Yahoo Music Blogs, 10/2007)

"As dark as it is hopeful, The Arrival of the Fog is full of emotive contradictions. Gnac offers a beautiful and haunting album dripping in stoic melancholia and defiant solitude" (Rant, 11/2007)

"Dreamy, pastoral and cinematic - it's clear that simplicity and beauty is what Tranmer does best" (The Insight, 11/2007)

"Tranmer conjures up a cinematographic world, sometimes suggestive of Air, in which the absence of vocals is more than compensated for by the class of his compositions" (PopNews, 11/2007)

"An artist who seems out of time in many respects, TAOTF sees Tranmer in largely sombre form. Horizontal Happiness uses unusual instruments to make beautifully unique melodies, What To Make of Jagged Graphs is another grand affair, while the finale Cliques & Clusters is pastoral and lovely. Winter Blanket is possibly his most haunting offering yet, and enough to tempt fans of his previous work" (Leonard's Lair, 11/2007)

"Like a soundtrack to that cool arthouse film you never managed to see, this collection of mellow grooves includes the wonderful mock John Barry posturing in the title track and Bright Days In Winter, all plush electronic instrumentation and majestic yet tasteful melody, and a flirtation with the sophistication of ambient Gallic chill out grooves with Nautical Episodes" (The Scotsman, 12/2007)

"His music is still as compelling as ever, perhaps even more so than before. The 12 tracks are more musically varied than previously and he has given himself more room to stretch out - five- and six-minute songs are common, and there are even a couple that check in at over ten. And they never feel too long because he's always taking listeners on a journey with a destination in mind. Tranmer's best album to date" (Exclaim!, 12/2007)

"Twelve pristine, beautifuly melodic, filmic compositions that are full of hints of John Barry, Craig Armstrong, Philip Glass, Yann Tiersen, Lemon Jelly and King of Woolworths. Entirely convincing, and impeccable production" (Yorkshire Evening Post, 12/2007)

"A long album, more sober than Twelve Sidelong Glances, yet light and almost weightless - much like the fog alluded to in the title. We eagerly anticipate the view after the fog lifts" (Rockdelux, 12/2007)

"Gnac make moody instrumental records influenced in part by serious post-rockers like Durutti Column. His fifth album sounds like the soundtrack to a lost arthouse noir film, and makes for an absorbing, atmospheric soundscape" (The Times, 01/2008)

"Haunting strings and thoughtful melodies are present throughout, classical sounds are interwoven with contemporary production to great effect" (Traffic, 01/2008)

"Tranmer is a man of his craft, he creates aural scenes with seasoned verve. Gnac songs are a testament to how practiced he is at meticulously building tracks, combining his ideas into a cohesive narrative. Musically, Tranmer seems to have an awful lot to say, and to those with an attentive ear the rewards are obvious. With the investment of the attention it deserves, fans of instrumental music from Do Make Say Think to Isis should find all 70 minutes of The Arrival of The Fog an intensely pleasurable listening experience" (The Line of Best Fit, 01/2008)

"Tranmer makes soft noise albums that pull influence from cinema, literature and the change in weather, and Arrival really is an impressive offering" (Buzz, 01/2008)

"Superb - deeply affecting mood music that defies categorisation" (Nude, 03/2008)

"Lady Beauty *1" (Vogue.com, 12/2007)