Gravenhurst (band)

History

While Talbot began performing solo, in 1999 additional musicians helped expand Gravenhurst into a live band, with drummer Dave Collingwood also contributing performance and production work to several recordings. From 2004 to 2006 Gravenhurst performed as a trio with Huw Cooksley on bass guitar. On tour throughout 2007 and 2008, Robin Allender played bass, and Alex Wilkins played guitar. The release of The Ghost in Daylight in 2012 saw the formation of a new three-piece Gravenhurst Ensemble, featuring Rachel Lancaster on vocals, bass guitar and keyboards, and Claire Adams on vocals and percussion. Talbot also performed solo with a guitar and phrase-sampling, looping and droning devices.

Gravenhurst is described as dark and atmospheric, veering between the noisy shoegazing sound of guitar bands such as My Bloody Valentine, the harmony-laden singer-songwriter territory of Simon and Garfunkel, and the intricate fingerpicking guitar styles of Bert Jansch and Nick Drake. Earlier releases were grounded in acoustic and folk styles, while Fires in Distant Buildings made moves towards psychedelic rock. Flying Saucer Attack, a cult Bristol outfit who released a series of feedback-drenched, folk-inspired albums in the early 1990s, have been cited by Talbot as a major influence.

A constant in the Gravenhurst sound is Talbot's fragile voice and vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and unsettling and mysterious lyrical themes.

Gravenhurst wrote and recorded original soundtrack music for the film Ein Freund Von Mir. As well as the bespoke "Song Among the Pine", the Gravenhurst songs "Animals", "The Velvet Cell" and "Song from Under the Arches" feature prominently in the film. An instrumental version of the song "Nicole" is featured in the acclaimed Shane Meadows film This Is England. The song "Black Holes in the Sand" is featured at the end of the "Johnny B. Good" episode of "The Unit."

Gravenhurst recorded cover versions of Hüsker Dü's "Diane", "See My Friends" by The Kinks, "Farewell, Farewell" by Fairport Convention, "Longest River" by War Against Sleep, "Song to the Siren" by Tim Buckley, "Only A Northern Song" by The Beatles, "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson, "Paint a Face" by Neil Halstead, "The Tourist" by Radiohead and "I Found the F" by Broadcast (for the 2009 Warp20 20th anniversary album).

Talbot also played guitar on "Changing of the Seasons" and "Borderline Personality" on the second War Against Sleep album, Invitation to the Feast.

Silent Age records

Talbot contributed to Guy Bartell's electro-acoustic ensemble, Bronnt Industries Kapital. In 2000 the pair set up Silent Age Records, a co-operative label which helped gain exposure for their own music as well as artists SJ Esau (Anticon), War Against Sleep (Fire Records), Mole Harness (Stray Dog Army), and Exercise One.

Journalism

Talbot was a freelance journalist, and conducted exclusive interviews with the philosopher John Gray and the comic book writer Alan Moore for the British online arts magazine The Quietus.

Talbot maintained a website archiving his journalistic work and a weblog entitled "The Police Diver's Notebook."

Band personnel

Singles and EPs

Albums

Soundtrack and compilation appearances

Certain Gravenhurst tracks have also been contributed to soundtracks and compilations, some of which are not available elsewhere, including: