Double Geography – Open Water

前作「The Indoor Gardener」（2020年）に続く本作は、同じく心地よく静かな雰囲気に包まれ、まさに「崇高」と形容するにふさわしい仕上がり。Double Geographyとしても知られるDuncan Thornley（Weird Weatherのメンバーであり、MAP Studiosのスタジオエンジニア）は、デビューアルバムの成功に続き、今回のアルバムでは水や移動、逃避をテーマに、自由で流れるようなサウンドを展開している。

このアルバムには、ロンドンのジャズシーンからGreg FoatやKaidi Akinnibiなどのゲストミュージシャンが参加し、Thornleyのエレクトロニクスに新たな深みと複雑さを加えている。無伴奏ベース、クラリネット、ピアノ、サックスが楽曲を彩り、これまでの作品とは異なる「オーガニック」な質感をもたらしている。

今回の楽曲は、水に関連するテーマに触発されており、Thornleyが住んでいた運河ボート「Great Escape」に別れを告げる想いから「Goodbye Great Escape」と名付けられた曲や、ギリシャのヒドラ島への旅での思い出に基づいたものも含まれている。

A1. Goodbye Great Escape
A2. Rotating Sun Thing
A3. Famous Italian Referee
A4. Late Night Swimmer
A5. Facing South
B1. Asleep On The Bow
B2. Prophet Elias Monastery
B3. Open Water
B4. The Return Leg

Invisible Inc once again presents another incredible full-length album from the talented Double Geography. Following on from 2020's “The Indoor Gardener”, the new LP “Open Water” is bathed in a similar blissful atmosphere...it would be appropriate to describe it as rather sublime.

Double Geography aka Duncan Thornley (one half of Weird Weather and studio engineer at MAP Studios), following the success of his debut album “The Indoor Gardener” (also on Invisible Inc) had sent Invisible Inc label boss GK Machine demos of his second and third album, which the label reluctantly declined on the basis that the music didn't sound quite right for the label. However, this fourth studio album fits the bill perfectly. Leaning towards the label's more ambient and laidback output, the album is themed around water, moving on and escape and sounds as unshackled and free-flowing as you'd expect...you can almost feel the breeze in the air and the sun on your skin.

The album is a progression from his previous releases, this time featuring several additional guest musicians, including stalwarts of the London jazz scene Greg Foat and Kaidi Akinnibi, to compliment Thornley's electronics...adding a complexity and depth to each of these compositions and an overall 'organic' quality that makes these new pieces sound like quite a departure from the first album. Fretless bass, clarinet, piano and saxophone decorate the music with refrains and melodies that have been enchanting our reveries since first hearing them.

“I wanted to incorporate some live musicians on this release so called upon some of the talent I'd worked with as an engineer at MAP Studios...that was the main drive behind the music for this release. The tracks are named after things that relate to either leaving behind canal boat living, e.g. Goodbye Great Escape (Great Escape was the name of our boat) or memories from a trip to Hydra, Greece. All sorta water related… On one of our walks around the island we ended up sharing a beach with Pierluigi Collina hence Famous Italian Referee! That track felt like the weirdest of the bunch so it got designated the weirdest name / memory!” (Duncan Thornley, March 2024)