“On their fourth album, The Weever Sands take their listeners to the gentle, soothing, and peaceful side of the ocean. The magnificent title track follows the beautiful Moonfish on a day’s journey from the sunlit surface to the deep waters and back again, starting by daybreak until the soft whale song lays him to sleep. The main track is framed by two tracks that act like siblings, drawing their inspiration from literature and flowing like crystal-clear rivers to the sea. Combining elements of Folk, Prog, Minimal, Ambient, and classical music and dealing with the issue of inner peace and self-love, The Weever Sands provide a listening experience full of elegant tunes, delicate and fragile acoustic fabrics, friendly and sometimes dreamy moods, a grain of humour, and high-class virtuosity.”
There is nothing quite like Jens-Peter Gaul and The Weever Sands, a complex and highly imaginative musical collective that deliver music similar to Mike Oldfield but Oldfield on a day when his mind is a bit skew whiff and not quite in touch with reality. It is utterly joyous and occasionally chaotic stuff with amazing musical guests like Les Penning, Terry Oldfield, Armin Rave, Geo Schaller, Jan Christiana and Dyanne Potter collaborating on this imaginative and completely left-field release.
Oh, I Said, And Turned Vanilla (River I) is a mind-bending musical trip of acid folk and rap that just draws you in and refuses to let go, captivating and downright barmy, I loved every minute of it!
Moonfish (Opah) is supposed to be following the magnificent eponymous fish on a meandering journey from the surface of the sea to depths and back again. Well, if this piece of music is anything to go on, he has a pretty good day! It’s uplifting and joyous and mad as a box of frogs. The great thing about music like this is that it is addictive and you literally cannot stop yourself listening to it. My commute to work is about thirty minutes and I spent a few days replaying this enchanting and madcap piece of musical joy on my drive to and from work and, do you know what, it made those journeys fly by. It’s music to lose yourself in and music that makes your life a better place and I applaud Jens and all his fellow musicians for having the foresight and bravery to create it.
Oh, I Said, And Blushed Like An Idiot (River II), like its bookend companion, compliments the title track with some fine, mainly instrumental music. It’s like someone set Morse Code to a soundtrack and it really, really shouldn’t work but, thankfully, in this crazy world that we live in, it does and it works brilliantly. It’s running time is just under nine minutes but it just flies by like a flash and then, almost unbelievably, all I want to do is go back and listen again!
The Weever Sands return with another journey through the looking glass. Music created as art and not easily accessible but, if you get it, you are privy to a most enlightening experience and one like no other. If it doesn’t resonate with you then I feel truly sorry for you as you are missing out on a most magical musical masterpiece.
Released 31st October, 2024.
Order from bandcamp here:
https://theweeversands.bandcamp.com/album/moonfish-songs-of-love-and-water