Cheju: Hutton
October Man

Boltfish co-owner Wil Bolton humanizes his Cheju sound to perhaps a greater degree than ever before on the three-inch EP Hutton. The four pieces differ with respect to style and duration yet all exude a late-night, dreamscaping ambiance. The shortest track “Acorn” sets the mood with a piano-based etude draped in subtle electronic effects. “Hutton” follows, a slightly more uptempo setting gently kicked along by a simple drum machine beat and what sounds like the huff'n'puff of a harmonica; halfway through, the track moves seamlessly into classic Boltfish electronica mode with the addition of harpsichord-like filigrees and soft synth tones. Willowy textures drape themselves across gossamer piano melodies during “Moiré,” making it sound like it's being heard through layers of gauze. The coup de grace is the heavily-processed closer “Subside” which comprises half of the disc's nineteen-minute running time and whose starbursts and guitar-generated flickering ebb and flow produces a lulling serenity that's more than a little hypnotic. As is usually the case with October Man releases, this one's available in a ridiculously small run of forty copies so don't wait too long if you're interested.

March 2008