An intriguing side line for Matthewdavid, and one that fits nicely with the weather as we start to warm up. Any clues for the musical content of ‘Trust The Guide And Glide’ can be found in the cover artwork, for this music really is full of the warmth and solace suggested by the lovely greens and blues. The seven tracks unfold slowly and gracefully, holding the listener in an exquisite state of meditation if headphones are involved, or drifting by pleasantly if they are projected to a larger room. There are no grooves but that’s not the point here – the movement is all implied by the subtle shifts in texture, by the shimmering sounds and by the slow and stately melodic loops that gradually make themselves known. On one sense the music for this album could be directly imported from the new age heavyweights of the 1970s, but Matthewdavid gives his music a contemporary sheen, beautifully produced and wonderfully calming. Even the closing ‘The Vessel and the Voyage’, clocking in at 22 and a half minutes, makes the same point beautifully and without wearing thin. Some of the warmest music you will hear all year.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
