SINGLE REVIEW: LOST CHIMES - NOW I SWIM

Undoubtedly the most attention grabbing introduction to any song you'll hear this year comes in the opening moments of The Lost Chimes "Now I Swim". It s a female voice with an Irish accent speaking over a guitar or mandolin playing in the background. while the gentle sound of water seems to ripple in the mix.

"I suppose I kind of remember my Dad as I lost my Dad a few years ago and now I swim

Before you can try to make sense of the sentence, the sound develops with a voice that mournfully wails as the stringed instrument becomes more prominent before eventually a vocal cuts in.

It is bold and forthright, each line delivered with a purpose and strength.

"And now I swim,

Recline under the sea line, 

Lounge in the blanket, 

The guardian is resting, 

Absorbing every droplet. 

And in this garden, 

We all stand up and stride, 

Everybody swimming,

Every day, any tide.”

To provide a bit of background Lost Chimes, are a London based folk/roots duo made up of real-life couple Gemma and Nicky Kirk. Their album "Now I Swim" draws on the band’s family history and the collective memory of others. through interviews and reminiscence and the title track is Sheila's story. She lost her father, a windsurfing champion, a few years ago. however, through her daily swim in the Irish Sea, Sheila has found a way to connect with his memory and cope with her grief. 

Their sound seemingly fills every available space to make a compelling soundscape, but listen to it carefully and you suddenly realise how few instruments are creating the backing - it is just that the percussion, inventive vocals and additional sounds are utilised to maximum effect to make something that truly grabs the attention and demands that you listen further if only to fathom out exactly what is going on.

"Stray from the netting, curiously supine

Peeking through the window

Away from the shoreline

Hold us together

Pushing on the rock face

The mother is watching

She's measuring the long days"

Each line of vocals is supported by another female voice in the background adding seemingly random vocal interjections.

The end of the second verse sees heavy percussion and a muted electric guitar adding a murky swathe to the overall sound - upping the volume. It leads to a haunting instrumental break, the female vocal in anguish, the musical rhythm unsettling seemingly swirling like the sea is until it suddenly brought to a halt with a final "And now I swim".

It is undoubtedly a compelling piece of work that is mesmerising, once started it is impossible not to let it finish and once finished the urge is to immediately hear it again, it is that unusual.