BOW RIBBONS - S/T

Let it never be dismissed as some quaint value. Sincerity is perhaps that final, graceful pirouette towards what the Spanish name duende _¢‚Ǩ‚Äù an absolute and utter possession, a force of severance from consciousness _¢‚Ǩ‚Äù having soul. Bow Ribbons_¢‚ǨÀú self-titled album is a musical testament to the sincerity of its two authors Pete and Willow.\r\nA powerful yet un-imposing union between guitar and voice, keys a unique presence that is indicative of Bow Ribbons as both multi-timbral and able minimalist. As alchemically elusive as it is\r\nself-confessing _¢‚Ǩ‚Äù these polarities are much like the sinuous phantoms that glide throughout Bow Ribbons songs. Guitars that bloom and may appear to trail away in despondency or as if following some other train of thought, return just as quickly to invoke the vocal melody and shudder with admittance that, _¢‚Ǩ_ìI know lately that Ive been cruel/\r\nI know lately Ive been mean, too._¢‚Ǩ¬ù The albums grand archaeological revelation, arcs with In Colors. Musical canyons into which Willow leads with lyrical wizardry, before dropping the listener into a\r\nfree-jazz quake amongst chants of _¢‚Ǩ_ìTo Be Love_¢‚Ǩ¬ù. The sashay of cymbals and fluency of horns invoke the cavernous waves that eventually roll back to where all things began _¢‚Ǩ‚Äù at the horizon.\r\nSongs that impart the listener to stretch out and challenge the inclination to fill the void with static are increasingly hard to come by. Bow Ribbons is timeless music, for it acknowledges what existed\r\nbefore the embellishments that held the greater half of a century and consequently our habitude in dressing up the song. This does not mean that their music lacks production or pause. The warmth and tonal breadth of Petes guitar work is rousing by way of its subtleties.\r\nThese songs remind us that space is not a listless vacuum, but instead what lies between is where the Bells Ring out, where the needle is thread through the fabric, where we are reminded to sigh, where we\r\nmight reflect on a notes absence. At the edge, before the great dip into the void, theres the sense that we are standing with our noses at the tip of a flame or the iciest frost. One might see a flash. One may listen and hear silence as though it was the very first time doing so. Its any number of these things that make Bow Ribbons stand out in noble eloquence. -Nicky Mao, December 2010\r\n\r\nBow Ribbons walks on each songs tightrope. Gracefully. Tenuously. But you will be the one floating at the end of a kite string; being pulled\r\nand flown - slowly then quickly - upwards, sideways and down. Captured by declarations of heartbreak, hopes and the endless strain and love of balancing on dreams. Their songs soulfully release the doves that bless our most intimate and musical hearts - so that in rejoice we may all sing, once again." -Hueso