UPPERMILL record shop owner Brett Savage has penned a series of musical profiles for the Independent. Here, Brett from Inner Space Records looks at the debut album for Great North Star.
SHARING their name with the constellation famed for finding your bearings in the firmament, Great North Star are a duo with local roots who are poised to release their self-titled, fantastic debut album onto vinyl on The Acid Test Recordings label.
Comprising of Saddleworth’s Phil Considine on percussion and electronics and ex-Mossleyite guitarist Dean Thom (who has now decamped to Derbyshire), GNS capture the solitude and quiescence of stargazing in wide open spaces.
Imagine (ex-Fairport Convention’s) Richard Thompson’s electric guitar soundtrack music, meeting the icy post rock of Mogwai or Papa M, the astrally inclined Krautrock of Harmonia, then dusted over with subtle electronic beats and flourishes that puts you in mind of Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada then you are getting close to the sound of the band’s debut.
Kind of like a chilly, bracing blast of wind whilst up on the moorlands.
So, where did the idea for Great North Star come from?
“The name comes from our mutual interest in astronomy,” says guitarist Thom.
“We’ve spent hours together, freezing, watching meteor showers.”
After playing in various bands together over a period of 30 years, they formed this project on the suggestion of an audience member who saw them perform in a previous ambient, instrumental project.
“We started with a view of making music to soundtrack a film but it has grown organically into what it is now,” added Thom.
Considering the widescreen nature of GNS’s music, it’s easy to see why it would lend itself easily to sound tracking film.
“I wanted to write music that evoked lone travel, walking in wild landscapes, the moors, mountains, being on the open ocean, distant, remote lands, whale watching, birdwatching, cloud watching, star watching, weather watching, solitude.
“We’re obviously influenced by where we live – the endless moorlands, the big skies, wide vistas – and I hope that’s apparent in the music.”
Given the ambience and quietude on the GNS album, it’s worth pondering whether the band are breaking new ground, switching cranked amplifiers for binoculars and creating music ideal for birdwatching?
“I know it doesn’t sound very rock’n’roll but I’m in my element sat in a bird hide, with a flask of Earl Grey tea, a packed lunch and whiling away the hours watching the comings and goings of the natural world,” added Thom.
“It’s about finding those moments of inner contentment and letting go of a chaotic world. it’s often in moments like those that I find melodies arising.”
Not ones to stay idle in their bird hides, GNS are already working on a follow up to their debut and have plans to play live in the future when they get a band together.
“I’ve been approached by a number of musicians, who’ve listened to the album, and have offered their services, which is a nice vote of confidence,” said Thom.
“In the meantime, we will be keeping our antennae up for further news.”
The Great North Star’s debut album is available online from theacidtestrecords.bigcartel.com/product/great-north-star
Visit Great North Star’s Bandcamp page: greatnorthstar.bandcamp.com/album/great-north-star
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