For a lot of people, Robin Guthrie will require no introduction. He’s been a major part of the alternative scene since the late 70s, not just as a founder member of the dream pop pioneers Cocteau Twins, but as a producer, and a collaborator with artists as diverse as Harold Budd and Ride’s Mark Gardener.
His solo works might not have always gained as many accolades as those Cocteau Twins recordings, but each one has brought plenty to enjoy. His post-lockdown work, in particular, has gained a lot of interest, with Guthrie often exploring ambient textures and sharing work with a timeless, soundtrack-like feel. His 2024 EP ‘Atlas’ continues in a similar understated vein, with semi-detached melodies and floating soundscapes coming together seamlessly to create what could arguably be called his finest venture without his long time musical partner Elizabeth Fraser.
The short title cut sets the scene by opening with a keyboard drone, overlaid by a harmonic guitar sound. Robin then uses this as a musical blanket for a gentle melody that unfolds via a slow piano. As the drone changes key, the echoing piano begins to sound a little grander, and an occasional drum acts as an anchoring heartbeat. A slightly deeper tone adds warmth, and by the time the melody swells to its fullest, the effect is like hearing a deep cut from The Blue Nile’s ‘Hats’ reworked by an ‘Apollo’ era Eno. When it fades, prematurely, it initially feels a little disappointing that something so marvellous couldn’t absorb the listener for a little longer – or even a lot longer – but it’s quickly clear that the EP is more concerned with sharing little swatches of mood colourant, as opposed to taking a more indulgent route.
Almost as good, the base of ‘Metropol’ immediately evokes the mood of a film score with its occasional piano notes and wavering synths. This is used very effectively to allow Guthrie plenty of space to drop almost bluesy sounding guitar work, and his sparse playing – although never flashy – has a pleasingly grand feel throughout. A couple of huge key changes bring more of an early Porcupine Tree/prog-psych feel, but this never dominates the otherwise ambient mood. Those changes in tone are vital to the piece as a whole, but its always Guthrie’s guitar work that stands out; he appears to have absorbed bits of Gilmour and Lanois by osmosis here, and although this takes on a different feel to the opener, it’s fair to say that fans will love what they find here. In a change of mood, ‘La Perigrina’ offers electric piano sounds that feel as if they’re on loan from classic Vangelis works, and a deeper, almost jazzy guitar tone calls back to a world of 90s sounds. Using the guitar to weave another strong melody, Guthrie shows off an easy charm. Using this to supply another bluesy lilt in an ocean of dream pop, this quickly sounds like something you’ve always known, but at the point where the listener begins to feel especially invested, Guthrie chooses to bring everything to an abrupt end. With this in mind, this instrumental could’ve ended up sounding like a sketch for something fuller, but in keeping with the scaled back elements of the rest of this EP, it works well enough as it is.
Shifting more of the focus towards dream pop once again, ‘Without A Word’ supplies older Cocteau Twins fans with the EP’s highlight. The opening of the number shares a clean shimmering sound via a floaty rhythm, but as the melody grows, something much warmer envelops everything, giving Guthrie a much bigger canvas. Over the jangling sounds, he adds occasional deeper notes, but the main focus here comes from some superb lead guitar which supplies cold, indie-ish notes as a perfect counterpart for the otherworldly sheen. His chosen melody is almost mournful, yet beautiful. It becomes the kind of number that’s unmistakably of Guthrie’s imagination, to the point where it sounds very much as if Ms. Fraser is there, just waiting in the wings…
This is absolutely gorgeous. Within these four tracks, Robin creates a range of sounds that feel deceptively simple, but always have a rich and layered quality that allows the listener to feel fully immersed. Always atmospheric, always wonderful, ‘Atlas’ isn’t just a treat for old Cocteau heads, but the kind of EP that should be explored by indie/dreampop/ambient fans everywhere.
July 2024