Fourth Dimension

FOURTH DIMENSION - PRESS

1. The Fields Of Hay - 'Songs For Nine Ladies'

THE FIELDS OF HAY - 'Songs For Nine Ladies'

Speaking of the Faust men, I found it nigh on impossible to nab a copy of the excellent Faust biography, ‘Stretch Out Time 1970-75’ by Andy Wilson. Waterstones and Rough Trade both drew blanks, until I struck lucky with Independent Books Direct (PO Box 60, Helston TR13 0QD) – any book in print, free post and packing! That’s the commercial break dispensed with and it’s back now to Lumberton’s sister label Fourth Dimension Records with a new solo project from Theme’s Stuart Carter (also formerly of Splintered and Heroin), under the name of The Fields of Hay. The ‘Songs for Nine Ladies’ CD successfully locates the perfect middle point between the plastic and the organic, grass and tarmac, the five bar gate and the automatic door – I’m sure you get the picture by now. This largely solo instrumental outing, although Stuart is aided in parts by Sonic Boom and Theme’s Richard Johnson amongst others, seems to adopt a pastoral mindset, although I can’t help thinking that by dint of the left-of-centre machinations of labelmates such as Thighpaulsandra and Andrew Liles, surely everything can’t be as green and leafy as it’s painted? The cover art, which might act as a clue, showing a sapling in full colour suggesting vitality and growth is held in check by the back sleeve’s depiction of a crumbling factory building ready for demolition. A puzzling and yet satisfying collection of question marks and mysteries that requires a number of plays for it to really get its hooks in. Speaking of which, the first three tracks, read backwards with a slight adjustment or two, can be found to read “Early Morning Mantra to Welcome Saints and Miracles”. Taken as a concealed suite, its sombre bass meanderings and chattering digital eddies work to bewitching and hypnotic effect and seem to acknowledge and develop certain nuances of Harmonia and mid period Popul Vuh

Judas Kiss (Roger Batty)

Songs for Nine ladies is the first album from Stuart Carter’s (Theme, Splintered, Heroin, etc) new solo enterprise & it’s a heady and often tripped out mix of dark soundtrack synth elements, electronic beat patterns and manipulation, improvised rock/ folk elements and field recordings. Coming off like a soundtrack to a very bizarre film that starts off been about a simple trip into countryside and lands up falling off the edge of reason into a psychedelic, often creepy twilight zone, where reason is bent out of shape. Sadly a few tracks do out stay their welcome- seemly trying to stretch an interesting vibe or sound idea too far. But on a whole it’s a rewarding enough audio trip in to creative psychedelic instrumental music.

Textura (Ron)

Songs for Nine Ladies by The Fields of Hay (aka Theme member Stuart Carter) arranges meditative acoustic-electronic soundscapes into an uninterrupted, forty-three-minute flow. Perched midway between ambient, folktronic, and drone musics, Carter's five pieces relaxedly meander, with his electric bass often heard soloing against a semi-psychedelic background of synths, samples, electronic effects, field elements, and, in the case of “Gabriels Golden Wing (Naked in the Clouds),” voices. Though Sonic Boom (EAR, Spectrum, Spacemen 3) lends a hand on the first two pieces and a few others (Richard Johnson, Leon Bennet) contribute too, Carter's clearly the project's driving conceptual force. The material's loose, explorative feel isn't unappealing, and the generally becalmed ambiance isn't objectionable either. “Morning in the Early” opens the album nicely with a becalmed, stately waltz that merges bird chirps, bright synth, and electric guitar melodies into an attractive whole, and “Solaar Afternoons,” where samples suggesting the steely, reverberant hum of electrical transmissions pair with pretty acoustic guitar playing, is appealing too. But while there are some good moments, there are some not-so-good too. The longest piece at twelve minutes, “Welcome to Mantra” grounds itself with a repetitive, Phaedra-like synth pattern whose rhythm feels more tribal than those used by Tangerine Dream, but the piece's dark undercurrent isn't entirely convincing and “Welcome to Mantra” ultimately sounds, frankly, a tad banal and undistinguished. Slightly better is “Miracles and Saints,” where Carter's bass solos amidst a whirring, sputtering school of swimming synths. In general, Songs for Nine Ladies would impress more if its sounds were themselves more fresh.

Vital Weekly (FDW)

You may have never heard of The Fields Of Hay, or even of Stuart Carter, the man behind it, but he's been part of some of the finer bands in the UK alternative guitar rock bands such as Splintered, Heroin and Theme, and then things might fall into place. 'Songs For Nine Ladies' is his first solo album, although he receives help from people like Sonic Boom, Richo (label boss) and Lukasz Szalankiewicz (of Zenial). The first time I played this CD, I was a bit annoyed: the five pieces, in the range of six to twelve minutes, sounded like a freak out on guitars and synthesizers. A bit drone like, some field recordings, some guitar doodling and none of the tracks did seem to go anywhere. A freeform friendly muzak. A bit ambient, a bit dramatic. Upon further hearing some of the pieces turned out to be a bit more angular, but the overall smoothness is a bit too slick for me. What is that Carter wants with these songs? Set a comforting tone? Update muzak? Or is he more genuine in his approach, and I am entirely missing a point here? Because of his background I tend to give The Fields Of Hay the benefit of doubt and further await his development.

Gothtronic (Remco)

  After a warm and sultry night the sun appears from 'behind the horizon to heaten the earth and evaporating the dew on the fields. The birds are awake and singing before they hide in their shelter to escape the coming heat. The sun colours everything unnaturally bright. Green and yellow are piercing the blue sky. You will wake up by warm guitar chords and horns slowly entering your consciousness. Songs for nine ladies opens up with “Morning in the Early”.

Songs for Nine Ladies is the debut album of Fields of Hay, a new solo project by Stuart Carter known from Theme, a psychedelic outfit with members spread over Europe. If Fields of Hay is as much psychedelic we will find out soon.

  “Morning in the Early” opens as a soundtrack for a surrealistic romantic movie and is much in the vein of Labraford. This is a nice song to wake up with and is open in structure and sound.

  “Morning in the early” goes seamless into “Welcome to Mantra” with birds singing and cows muhing. But the sound is becoming darker now, a shadow appears over the shiny fields, the sound of coming danger and suddenly you are in complete darkness. Pitch black uneasy pulses from the tone generator with a threatening melody. A breath taking and oppressive piece of music that hold a grip on you for a long time. This is in an unnatural contrast with the shiny music from before. What is going to happen? What kind of danger is coming over us? Is it coming from out of space? This track you may compare to Coil. This is musick to play in the dark.

  Still in a dark atmosphere we are entering “Miracles and Saints”. A slow misty bass draping the dark fields and the deep waters. Dark samples of a landing space ship makes clear from which direction the danger is coming from. Are they shooting? Are you still awake? The sound is oppressive and overwhelming, there is no light left from the morning we started with. Are you afraid?

  We are entering the end of the day with “Solaar Afternoons” and the acoustic guitar is winning from the dark synths but it still is not save outside. Beautiful music with a strange feeling which can be considered as a soundtrack for the mind. May be I have said to much already but I must convince you this is a truly beautiful record for the mind, this is pure listening enjoyment for those who can give rein to their imagination.

  Dusk sets in and the sky turns purple in “Gabriels Golden Wing ( Naked in the Clouds)”. This is the end of a beautiful day.

  Fields of Hay makes a great mixture somewhere between Labradford and Coil and I think if you like both bands you will not be disappointed by buying Songs for Nine Ladies.

More soon...