THE HILLS HAVE RIFFS - THE COUNTRYSIDE HAS ESCAPED
(CD EP on Noisestar www.noisestar.co.uk )

"...This may come as a surprise to anyone familiar with post-rockers Cove, as their front man DCW Briggs is in essence “HHR”, ably aided and abetted here by producer Alexander Tucker. And Mr Briggs delivers up the goods.

This 6 tracks EP features a fairly sparse arrangement comprising of guitars and effects, a haunting cello (courtesy of Tucker) and Briggs’ zombie-like vocal delivery which lends the CD its doom-folk tag. Bad-acid folk (the hyphen is all important here people, and in the right place) might be a better description, although it is folk music only in that it is largely restrained and semi-acoustic. In fact you sense that anyone capable of producing such a work ought to be manifestly incapable of finding their ear with their finger. This is actually a melding of shoegaze, acid-drenched psychedelia and, just beneath the surface, some proto-metal guitar workouts. The result is a most impressive and highly atmospheric slice of narcotic, semi-pastoral nod-out music. The proceedings are bookended by Parts 1 and 2 of the title track but these are but the bread in the sandwich, holding the more interesting bits in place. “Willow Woman”, “I Lay Eiderdown” and “Gybson Embryo” are all exquisite and trippy lo-fi little gems, whilst the scary-Syd Barrett sounding “You Are Strange to Me” builds up to a degree of menace on which guitar phasers are set to stun.

“The Countryside Has Escaped” is a thoroughly diverting 25 minute slice of left field introspection and one which I would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in the more lysergic- inspired end of the music spectrum. It is also the first of three EPs to be released by Briggs under The Hills Have Riffs banner and on this evidence the next two can’t come soon enough."

Ian Fraser - TERRASCOPE

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