A Broken Consort is the musical brainchild of artist Richard Skelton, who works under many different names, each covering a facet of his musical explorations. I use the word 'explorations' here on purpose, because Skelton is more a craftsman of soundscapes and collages than anything else. As such, A Broken Consort satisfies a very specific part of his musical personality, a sepia-toned world of fading memories and half-remembered dreams, which, depending on how a listener feels about that sort of thing, can be interpreted alternately as awe-inspiring, comforting, or terrifying.
A 'broken consort' is actually a bit of Baroque musical terminology referring to an ensemble made up of instruments from different families, such as strings and woodwinds. This ties in directly with what Skelton creates under this name, as the sounds captured on the two records he has so far released are comprised largely of droning, looped string instruments mingled with clattering, distant percussion, meandering piano sounds, and what appears to be barely audible field recordings. The strings wail and sigh and sing, you can hear knocking against the wood of the instruments and the squeak of strings. There is no beat, no pulse, no rhythm of any kind. The sounds come unbidden and retreat when they've had their say. Despite that, the records are not ambient. The sound is very present and intimately recorded, and any attention paid to the records is handsomely rewarded with the atmosphere created by them.
Box of Birch was the first official release by A Broken Consort, followed by Crow Autumn. Both records are similarly executed, but to oddly different effects. Box of Birch tends to sound warmer and somewhat more comforting, while Crow Autumn is colder, more spare and unsettling. The first record is haunting, while the second seems haunted. On both, the music rusts and rots, the drones collect dust; it all seems impossibly old and yet somehow timeless.
It should go without saying that A Broken Consort is not for everyone. I imagine that most people, if exposed to these records, would think they sounded like a string section tuning up before a performance...for an hour straight. But there are a select few for whom these recordings will transport them somewhere else. There is an inexplicable power and charm to the sounds on these tracks that goes beyond mere strings and assorted sounds. Skelton has created something special with A Broken Consort, and the lucky ones that can access the magic therein will have found something unforgettable.
-Review by TZARATHUSTRA