{"title":"Alison Cotton","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlison Cotton is a talented musician known for her unique blend of folk, experimental and ambient sounds. With her haunting vocals and mastery of the viola, she creates captivating and atmospheric compositions that transport listeners to another world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by a diverse range of artists such as Maud The Moth, J. Zunz, and Teeth Of The Sea, Alison's music defies categorization. Her ethereal melodies combined with intricate instrumentation create a mesmerizing sonic experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether performing solo or collaborating with other talented musicians like YRRE and Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Alison's performances are always captivating. Her live shows are an immersive experience that leave audiences spellbound.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"engelchen","title":"Engelchen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEngelchen\u003c\/i\u003e literally translates as ‘little angels’ What’s more, for many in the febrile, dangerous era of the 1930s in Nazi-occupied Europe, as they wrote letters to arrange their paths out of danger as refugees, these were Ida and Louise Cook.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIda and Louise spent much of their early years in Sunderland, and in adulthood lived in a suburb of London with their parents. They were enormous fans of opera, and led relatively quiet and unfussy lives. Yet secretly these resourceful and eccentric women were using their musical obsessions as a means to help dozens of refugees escape with their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir secretive heroics now almost beggar belief, and when Alison Cotton, herself from Sunderland, first discovered their story, she couldn’t understand why it wasn’t more widely known. Furthermore, she was inspired by their courage, fortitude and derring-do to compose \u003ci\u003eEngelchen\u003c\/i\u003e, a musical tribute to the duo’s lives and work, now a full-length release by Rocket Recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout, this story is relayed by Alison, whether acapella or by means of richly emotive string arrangements, with a deftness of touch, sensitivity and intensity that matches the feverish nature of the experiences and the unforgiving environs in which they took place. \u003ci\u003eEngelchen\u003c\/i\u003e is a transporting work whose spirit is situated in a very specific time and place,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNonetheless, the story of Ida and Louise Cook is more than merely an inspirational tribute to two mavericks who beat the odds in an unforgettable feat of altruism. It’s a celebration of the human spirit, one that reflects a universality in its narrative which transcends the boundaries of history and impacts very urgently on our daily lives. Whatever attempts may be made to tell this story, it’s hard to imagine one that resonates deeper than \u003ci\u003eEngelchen\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rocket Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Grey LP.","offer_id":50388456964427,"sku":"2175015","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD.","offer_id":50388457128267,"sku":"2213156","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Alison_Cottton__Engelchen_LAUNCH339_Sleeve_0bd49f19_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726342379"},{"product_id":"the-portrait-you-painted-of-me","title":"The Portrait You Painted Of Me","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlison Cotton with \u003ci\u003eThe Portrait You Painted of Me\u003c\/i\u003e, a new 6-track album – her first for Rocket Recordings (released on Feeding Tube in the USA). Like Alison’s previous solo albums, the touchstones of her immersive sound are viola, harmonium and voice, merged together to create a rich suite of songs. ‘Mumurations Over the Moor’ is a wordless piece of layered vocals, drifting like fog towards a sunset over the green undulations of North East England (from where she hails). ‘The Last Wooden Ship’ evokes the shipyards of Sunderland using droning harmonium and viola lines, laced with piano and percussion events, while her voice calls out like one of Tim Buckley’s Sirens urging listeners to a rocky demise. ‘I Buried the Candlesticks’ has a haunted, traditional feel with its dolorously folky viola melody laid across a thick carpet harmonium, and small bursts of percussion that sound like cannonade heard through the thick cold walls of a castle in winter. ‘That Tunnel Underground Seemed Neverending’ is a musical vision of Northumberland’s mining culture at the dawn of the 20th Century - labyrinthine, subterranean, dimmer than night. ‘Violet May’, the only traditional “song” on the album, was inspired by a trip to Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst Castle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rocket Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50417298506059,"sku":"1149273","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417298604363,"sku":"2213157","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a167fcdb-c954-4565-8a8f-3cbfe1dae886_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726725152"},{"product_id":"only-darkness-now","title":"Only Darkness Now","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith gliding viola and choral forces, \u003ci\u003eOnly Darkness Now\u003c\/i\u003e is a more alive, peopled landscape than its predecessor. Moods remain contemplative, concerned with vivid, historical netherworlds and torments – we see this in extended album centrepiece 'Behind the Spiderweb Gate' and in 'In Solitude I Will Fade Away'. However despite its title Only Darkness now has a brighter expanse: Cotton layers viola, chimes and Omnichord - an electrical ghost-like medieval drone, alongside percussion, harmonium, piano \u0026amp; voice. This is a confident record, lifting Shirt of Lace by medieval revivalist Dorothy Carter, from Celtic lament to cathedral like grandeur.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal cassette release on Bloxham Tapes and limited vinyl pressing by Cardinal Fuzz sold out instantly with little press. Coloured vinyl and altered artwork by Luke Drozd. for fans of Max Richter, Tony Conrad, The Unthanks and Laura Cannell.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Friendly Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Silver | LP","offer_id":50505197224267,"sku":"1134445","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c4dc12a4-b73c-4803-a757-77f8dcfd48e7_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727813546"},{"product_id":"all-is-quiet-at-the-ancient-theatre","title":"All Is Quiet at the Ancient Theatre","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAll Is Quiet at the Ancient Theatre\u003c\/i\u003e begins in cold droned echoes of Nico's \u003ci\u003eFrozen Warnings\u003c\/i\u003e but Cotton laments vanishing English customs, performance and countryside. Viola, harmonium and recorders bring lost sounds – the deathly percussive march of 'A Tragedy In The Tithe Barn', ballad themes of departure in 'The Bells of St. Agnes'. Cotton's music searches a past of stillness and desolation but where Nico's is an icy tundra, Cotton's viola and choral layers hold earthy, distinctly English experimental resonances with early music modalities. It's mournful, yes, but with contemplative spaces of light \u0026amp; renewal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal cassette release on Bloxham Tapes and limited vinyl by Cardinal Fuzz sold out instantly with little press. This may be the last window on Cotton's wonderful solo debut. Coloured vinyl and altered artwork by Luke Drozd. For fans of John Cale and Nico, Tony Conrad, Laura Cannell, Linda Perhacs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Friendly Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Yellow | LP","offer_id":50505200828747,"sku":"1134443","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ffd52cf5-a9c7-4839-97e6-2d4ab0219c8d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727813569"},{"product_id":"the-gods-laugh","title":"The Gods Laugh","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlison Cotton’s fifth solo album is a mesmerizing weave of haunted atmospherics and avant-folk songcraft. Built around her viola, harmonium, and transportive vocals, the album moves between stark drone passages and more layered arrangements with piano, percussion, and synths. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Gods Laugh \u003c\/em\u003eis a work of quiet, sublime intensity, cementing Cotton’s unique space in the contemporary English music scene — a space where richly textured sonics meet tradition, and deeply personal compositions evoke the experimental spirit of artists like Nico, John Cale, and Dorothy Carter. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glitterbeat","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":57140493549899,"sku":"R8054-6044","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":57140493582667,"sku":"R8054-4074","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2000x2000bb_e9e56544-8ee5-48e8-b7aa-dd9dacfa759f.jpg?v=1777300107"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_bfa9936a_thumbnail_4096_54cdd2a2-8306-4d9a-831f-5bda746430d7.jpg?v=1726342351","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/alison-cotton.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}