For this version of Brad Rose's continuing North Sea recording project, done for the noted Italian psych/experimental label A Silent Place, Rose took inspiration in an instrument -- namely the bouzouki -- more commonly associated with countries to the east of that label base. On the five songs of Archaic Spines, Rose balances off a blend of gentle, rolling melodies and the unique resonance and sound of the instrument to create drone-touched compositions that are at once immediate and mysterious. Even when Rose breaks into a brisker pace, as on the conclusion of Splendor after a false ending, the resultant sound may strike many listeners (or at least Anglo-American ones) as calling to mind sitar performances as much as guitar-based ones. Silent Order of the Shrouded Tombs brings in a little something more as bouzouki parts alternate with shaken percussion at the start before moving into its main section, a central melody that's half mantra, half anthem ringing out over the tangled brightness the instrument creates under Rose's control. The album's closer, The Feather'd King, the Bluejay Queen, matches this beautifully soaring feeling with Rose's wordless vocals appearing at points to enhance the feeling of gently compelling rapture, before he concludes with a final few lyrics. At the album's most stripped-down, on the four-minute Oh Velveteen, Rose steers away from constant resonating tone in favor of clear pauses and a stately feeling -- the former tune at one point almost feels like a grand march. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

1		Splendor
2		Oh Velveteen
3		Silent Order of the Shrouded Tombs
4		We Salute the Sandblasted Turrets
5		The Feather'd King, the Bluejay Queen