The name of multi-instrumentalist Jim Wallis should probably be known to listeners of Modern Nature, as he is a member of that band.
Yet, what he has done on his new solo venture aptly titled In Huge Gesturing Loops is something that takes an almost completely different route while still retaining one characteristic that could be loosely attached to the band he plays in – atmospheric.
When Wallis started out to prepare this album he had in mind a set of more conventional songs, possibly in a way attached to the sound of Modern Nature.
His plan was to include the pedal steel guitar of Henry Senior (Danny & The Champions Of The World, Honey Harper), to whom he sent a few songs to record the pedal steel parts remotely.
When he got the tapes back from Senior, the album took a completely different turn.
“There was a moment in the studio where I muted everything except Henry’s pedal steel takes on a particular song and played them back together at half speed. I realised immediately there was something magical there and much more unusual and interesting to pursue than what I’d been working on”, explains Wallis.
And that is exactly the core of the album, as he slowed down the tracks to a more meditative pace, carefully editing and looping certain sections and then added occasional piano, cello drones, synth bass, trumpet (by his friend), and field recordings.
Listening to the seven tracks here, you realise why Wallis decided to take this route, touching exactly the pulse and the sound of the ambient country to a tee, with excellent results.
