Knowing whats to follow, The Spangle Maker is a stopgap EP seemingly distant from its surroundings. Its title track is the most subdued song the group have written to date. Its a slow burn crawling to a quiet roar with a swell of layered sound in its closing cycle. With new bassist Simon Raymonde joining, perhaps this was an exercise in integration, becoming accustom with one another in writing and the studio.
Either way, its a familiar tale of music that misses the spark. Peraly-Dewdrops' Drops and more so Pepper-Tree have the hallmarks of the groups blossoming sound heading in the direction of Treasure. Somehow, Fraser's timeless singing and the Ethereal persuasion of Guthrie's effect soaked guitar magic just don't click.
Pepper-Tree does delivery a gorgeous shadowy acoustic guitar timbre, resonating off its chilling pianos with an eerie ambience. Somewhat of a cornerstone for Autumns Grey Solace's sound. It's also rather noticeable that the bass guitar steps away from that defining upfront presence of Post-Punk music, taking a more subdued roll with a softer aesthetic. All in all its another unremarkable but slightly intriguing EP of which they have a fair few main between releases.
Rating: 3/10