State River Widening
Encyclopedia
State River Widening, named after the title of a Chinese propaganda photo, are a London
based trio, comprising multi-instrumentalists David Sheppard and Keiron Phelan, along with drummer/percussionist Jon Steele.
Friends from school (in south London) Sheppard and Phelan began experimental recordings in 1996, soon hooking up with percussionist Steele to leaven their intertwining, Nick Drake
like acoustic guitars with vigorous yet dexterous drumming. Thus, in May 1998, was State River Widening born.
A debut single, "Unsung Couples", was released on the Gold Hole label in November 1998. SRW’s hypnotic cycles of avant-rock melody connected with an audience then thrilling to similarly inclined practitioners such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor
and Tortoise
.
Further singles and compilation tracks appeared before the November 1999 release of SRW’s eponymous debut (on rising independent imprint Rocket Girl), drawing plaudits from Delusions of Adequacy, who observed that the band's "intoxicating back-to-nature acoustic explorations supplied the Anglo-agrarian answer to Chicago's urbanite post-rock crowd" http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=3256. A clutch of rare live dates followed, the band performing with, amongst others, Low
and Piano Magic
.
Summer 2000 saw the release of the single "Desertesque (For Hessen)" / "Radio Valkyrie", on the German label Beau Rivage. Eighteen months of work then followed on the second album, Early Music which expanded SRW’s palette using a vivid miscellany of instruments. Released in spring 2003, the album proved another critical success, with several Early Music tracks finding their way onto TV documentary and advertising soundtracks.
Recorded between late 2003 and spring 2004, the album, Cottonhead, was released at the end of October 2004 on a new label, Vertical Form. With strings, additional percussion and, on one track, the voice of reclusive 1960s folk singer Anne Briggs
, Cottonhead was SRW’s most artistically ambitious and sophisticated record to date.
In 2005 Phelan and Sheppard
signed (under their own names) to The Leaf Label
and at the end of the year began work on a new album, with ex-Laika mainstay Guy Fixsen
assisting. That album, Harps Old Master, was released in September 2006.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based trio, comprising multi-instrumentalists David Sheppard and Keiron Phelan, along with drummer/percussionist Jon Steele.
Friends from school (in south London) Sheppard and Phelan began experimental recordings in 1996, soon hooking up with percussionist Steele to leaven their intertwining, Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
like acoustic guitars with vigorous yet dexterous drumming. Thus, in May 1998, was State River Widening born.
A debut single, "Unsung Couples", was released on the Gold Hole label in November 1998. SRW’s hypnotic cycles of avant-rock melody connected with an audience then thrilling to similarly inclined practitioners such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
and Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
.
Further singles and compilation tracks appeared before the November 1999 release of SRW’s eponymous debut (on rising independent imprint Rocket Girl), drawing plaudits from Delusions of Adequacy, who observed that the band's "intoxicating back-to-nature acoustic explorations supplied the Anglo-agrarian answer to Chicago's urbanite post-rock crowd" http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=3256. A clutch of rare live dates followed, the band performing with, amongst others, Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
and Piano Magic
Piano Magic
Piano Magic is a musical collective formed in the summer of 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance in London, England. Their sound has been described as ambient pop, post-rock, indietronica, coldwave, dark wave and ghostrock...
.
Summer 2000 saw the release of the single "Desertesque (For Hessen)" / "Radio Valkyrie", on the German label Beau Rivage. Eighteen months of work then followed on the second album, Early Music which expanded SRW’s palette using a vivid miscellany of instruments. Released in spring 2003, the album proved another critical success, with several Early Music tracks finding their way onto TV documentary and advertising soundtracks.
Recorded between late 2003 and spring 2004, the album, Cottonhead, was released at the end of October 2004 on a new label, Vertical Form. With strings, additional percussion and, on one track, the voice of reclusive 1960s folk singer Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
, Cottonhead was SRW’s most artistically ambitious and sophisticated record to date.
In 2005 Phelan and Sheppard
Phelan Sheppard
Phelan Sheppard are musicians Keiron Phelan and David Sheppard. They are based in London, England, and play mainly instrumental music. Phelan and Sheppard have long been associated with each other, having first met as teenagers with a mutual appreciation of Can, Cluster and Brian Eno and formed a...
signed (under their own names) to The Leaf Label
The Leaf Label
The Leaf Label is an independent record label based in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Initially known as an electronic music label, releasing mainly instrumental music, the company's approach has broadened over the last few years and now features an eclectic range of artists, with a focus on strong...
and at the end of the year began work on a new album, with ex-Laika mainstay Guy Fixsen
Guy Fixsen
Guy Fixsen is a producer/engineer/musician based in London. He is best-known for his producing/engineering work with various indie rock, shoegazer, and experimental rock bands, and for forming the band Laika....
assisting. That album, Harps Old Master, was released in September 2006.