Liberez

This is the first album by Liberez, a group formed by recording engineer John Hannon and Pete Wilkins in Southend. The project began life exploring a deconstruction of the traditional "band" form before expanding to a quartet with the addition of vocalist Nina Bosnic, and multi-instrumentalist Tom James Scott. Musically rooted in improvisation, the band sought a progression from the loosely described "noise rock" sound at their inception into more abstract territories. The tracks were recorded as a mixture of sessions at Hannon's studio and external locations where fleeting incidents were captured on crude equipment such as mobile phones and portable cassette recorders. It was a piece of text written by Bosnic that gave birth to the initial concepts that formed the backbone of The Letter, and new ideas with regards to incorporating her voice were then created within the group. Bosnic's vocals on this record bear little resemblance to traditional singing or melody, but instead use the inflection and cadence of speech to play with syntax. The repeated phrases and deconstructed sentences give the record an unusual and disconcerting atmosphere, acting as a sinister bedfellow to the sharp and broken sound of the guitar and heavily treated drums. While these instruments may represent rock 'n' roll, Liberez are content to take influence from the likes of Robert Ashley rather than Chuck Berry. The Letter is a bold first statement from a group who are taking full advantage of what they have at their disposal, and proudly displays the vast frequency bandwidth that they now work within. Limited edition of 300 copies. Vinyl cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates + Mastering, Berlin, March 2011