Recorded across two sessions in Ontario in 2013 and New Orleans in 2015, Groanbox release their latest, self-titled, album, as they celebrate their tenth anniversary. It's hard to believe, but the band claim that nothing on this album was preconceived; that everything originated in the moment. The album was born out of influences from their surroundings.

The aural landscape is provided by the recording locations: the instruments and the insects of the rural shack in Ontario; the crashing and destruction of the broken down cabin that was rumoured to be Al Capone’s hideout; the drips, echoes and screeches of bats as music rang through the night in the underground caves of Bonnechere.

It's difficult not to find something here that you will instantly love. And once they hook you in you'll revisit this album time and time again, slowly coming around to tracks that you might not have given much notice to on the first play through. This, to me is the sign of a truly talented team of writers and performers. By the time I'd listened to this for the fourth time, I was hooked on all of the tracks.

This truly is an album you can either put on in the background and chill out too, or give your undivided attention. Either way you'll get a lot of pleasure out of it.

The album contains 11 tracks (41 min, 26 sec) with personal highlights being the quirky 'Deep Tree Diving'; 'Orchestrated Entropy', which will stick in your head; the intricate instrumental 'Wolfe Ridge'; and 'Adios Plato', which leaves you wanting more... much more.

It's an entertaining and varied album. Now I'm going to go and discover their back catalogue on iTunes...

9

Nick Smithson