Artist: Grasscut
Title: Unearth
Record Label: Ninja Tune
Rating: 8

Andrew Phillips and Marcus O’Dair create the jazzy chill electric sounds of Grasscut. The duo released their first record titled 1 Inch: 1/2 Mile via Ninja Tune in 2010. Their second record Unearth grows some gorgeously organic sounds from keyboards, guitar and double bass in addition to classic-sounding English radio samples and Andrew Phillips’ melodic vocal work. Large parts of this record rework classic English sounds into something contemporary.

These songs take your mind into deep places as on “Reservoir” where the guitars and vocals come folk-y mellow singing about shadows and coins dropping into reservoirs. “Pieces” skillfully weaves electronic patterns and
keyboard melodies sounding simultaneously soft and cutting edge. Deep bass and high-pitched piano compliment each other overlaid by one seriously hook-y electronic melody.

Unearth is clearly a Ninja Tune record apparent within its classy sound imagery and fresh electronic aspects. Something to be loved about this duo of Phillips and O’Dair is their strong ability to twist old sounds into something new, emotional and grandiose. In this way Grasscut combine elements of varied times so they are meant to be together.

Over electric piano sounds and emotion-rich drone, “Stone Lions” tells the story of driving down a road beyond a cast-iron gate, examining the quality of sunshine reflecting off of old bricks, gargoyles, and stone lions. They inject this quality of reminiscing over days lost to the modern world. This attitude represents in the
current day as nostalgia regarding “the crumbling images of the past… But we would be foolish to mourn them too readily.”

Sarah Ferguson