{"product_id":"april-is-passing","title":"April Is Passing","description":"\u003cp\u003eSecond VHF solo LP from the Pelt\/Black Twigs mainstay, following 2022’s acclaimed \u003ci\u003eEvening Measures\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eApril is Passing\u003c\/i\u003e builds on the striking solo Hardanger-style fiddle performances on the previous LP to take the music even further out, with deep drones and extended techniques defining a vocabulary that is Americana-adjacent, but a unique and special sound that Mike is pursuing almost alone. Joined on selected tracks by Cara Gangloff’s Sruti and Kaily Shenker’s sonorous Cello, the all-original, all-live performances are resonant with both overt melody and a cloud of thick string overtones, whether on the more upbeat tunes like “Ironto Dancer” or the epic 11+ minute LP closer “Helen’s Song.” “September Air” is a mournful slow build, the fiddle embroidering a minor-key melody over the drone of the Surti box and a low cello counter point. “A Fallen Palace of Snowville” is a solo performance where the additional sympathetic strings of the hardanger fiddle are strongly heard as a ghostly accompaniment, as Mike’s elegant melody switches back and forth from minor to major. “Helen’s Song” closes side 2 with a complex, ever-changing swirl of melodic and harmonic invention, with Mike’s keening, languorous bowing leading the way through multiple moods and sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"VHF","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":51183630811467,"sku":"2242341","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/getImage_-_2025-01-30T180241.323_8d67d5cc_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1738273835","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/april-is-passing","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}