Shovel Dance Collective - Everything In Readiness

As with their previous releases, the songs on this album are taken from myriad sources, often presented in a kind of collage. ‘The metaphor of weaving, or a patchwork quilt, increasingly feels like the best way to describe what we have done.’ they explain. ‘Not only has our own shared musical language (improvised or otherwise) developed in increasingly precise ways but also the way we mine and research increasingly specific and underperformed traditional music.’

Everything In Readiness is an ambitious and genuinely powerful collection. It is the sound of a band fulfilling the promise of their early releases and daring to push even further, expanding the limits of what can be done with inventive recording approaches (tape manipulation, field recordings, unlikely locations), largely acoustic instruments and voices raised in defiance, sorrow or celebration. It’s their strongest statement yet, a work that contains multitudes and rewards deep listening.

For Fans Of; caroline / Brìghde Chaimbeul / Alison Cotton / Milkweed