Review: Harvestman ‘Triptych: Part Three’
Given that this review is covering the final release of Steve Von Till‘s epic Harvestman three-part saga Triptych, the main challenge for your humble scribe, who also wrote about Part One and Part Two, will be to keep this review fresh for those who’ve been along for the ride so far.
The prolific Von Till has concentrated his 2024 musical output exclusively on Triptych and the reward for the listener is the most ambitious and densely layered project under the Harvestman banner yet.
With the previous parts coinciding with full moons, specifically this year’s Pink Moon (April 23rd) and Buck Moon (July 21st), it comes with little surprise that this transcendental series comes to its conclusion on October 17th’s Hunter Moon.
On paper, Part Three follows the same blueprint as the first two. Each consists of seven songs with track four coming as a dub redux of the opening number. All feature gorgeous artwork from Henry Hablak of an ancient stone circle akin to the Germanic stone sites that call to us from the past with constellations of stars wheeling overhead signifying the interconnectedness of the primitive roots and infinite cosmic potential.
This historical inheritance is something that has preoccupied Triptych and this psychedelic, meditative reverie has tried to tap into the spiritual residue of the megaliths and ruins that are littered throughout British and European geography.
As with other parts of this trilogy, the latest instalment is a heady mix of trance-like sounds that manage to connect to the past, the future, the physical, and the spiritual to the point where trying to describe the release (singular or en masse) becomes a mere observation of the composition as the true beauty lies in how it makes you feel.
Opening with the soft, mysterious, tinkling electronics of Clouds Are Relative, it morphs into ringing notes and deep bass runs which build anticipation for the second version in a few tracks time. The swirling atmospherics give way to stomping percussion that ticks like a metronome whilst accented notes drone in the background. The layered melody collides with the grooving rhythm in a purposeful, hypnotic statement.
The tribal tom-toms of Snow Spirits look to harness the primal energies that resonate through our very nature. The clapping rhythm brings intensity as electronic effects wash over the lingering, mournful strings before a vertigo inducing dropout.
Delving into the home recordings Von Till has compiled over the past two decades has revealed an unsurprising amount of depth and artistry. Much like the first two parts, poetry plays an important role on Eye The Unconquered Flame, the garbled voice of Ezra Pound sounds like a transmission fallen through time over the pulsing electronics and the jangling Eastern flavoured notes makes it feel like Triptych is on the point of darkness before pulling back.
a unique blend of sonic alchemy that displays the skill and attention to detail that Von Till and his cohorts have brought to the project…
Working with a host of collaborators including Kevin Martin aka The Bug, Douglas Leal of Deafkids, Wayne Adams of Bear Bites Horse Studio along with Petbrick, JAAW and many others, Dave French of Yob and recording engineer supremo Sanford Parker keeps the complex textures rich and varied, but intimately connected in the overall picture of the Triptych.
Taken as a continual listening experience there are callbacks, but subtle differences and motifs that run through the music. The Bug’s Amtrak Dub Remix of Clouds Are Relative thumps with almost oppressive and clashing percussion. The high end is dashed with pipes and meandering notes. Even the train blast that sounds in the middle somehow fits in as a device before the bass redoubles in power, giving the piece a swaying tantric feel.
Once again, the future collides with the primal on The Absolute Nature Of Light as sci-fi synth noises intrude in a kaleidoscope of glitching, muted sounds, repeating rhythms, pipes and trilling light notes.
Herne’s Oak brings to life the British folklore of Herne the Hunter to coincide with this month’s moon. Noises elbow into the calm with rattling chains, the scraping of metallic sounds that represent the dragging of his antlers and the giant footfalls of the Windsor Forest ghost. For all the floating meditative calm of Triptych, this is the closest that a nightmare rears its head into this otherworldly dream state.
The final passage returns to the Celtic motif and Northumbrian smallpipes that have closed out Part One and Part Two. This time Cumha Uisdein (Lament For Hugh) returns us to the warming pulse and deep state of meditation that clears your mind of the daily chatter.
The beauty and success of Triptych over all three parts is Von Till’s ability to use these field recordings that he has accumulated over the expanse of time and form them into a coherent journey that celebrates the past and attempts to bring it into the future. This is a series that defies convention and twists into an evolving narrative that stimulates the senses and attempts to let the mind drift without distraction.
Far removed from expectations of what an album should be and almost in defiance of how you may perceive them, all three parts stand alone with slight differences, yet inform and subsequently complete each other in a cycle that speaks to us through history. They come together in a unique blend of sonic alchemy that displays the skill and attention to detail that Von Till and his cohorts have brought to the project.
The completion of Triptych makes it one of the most interesting and stunning releases of the year.
Label: Neurot Recordings
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Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
