The Fields of Hay

Stuart Carter has long been a part of everything happening in and around Leicester since the late 1980s. While he has maintained a healthy distance from what might be considered the local scene, he has long stamped a presence on it through previous groups based there such as Scalpt, Sarcasm, Heroin (UK) and Nylon 9 as well as present involvement far beyond in Splintered and Theme. Alongside his continuing commitment to the latter two groups, however, he has had a solo endeavour called The Fields of Hay operating erratically for a number of years. While this project has so far only released one album, 2007’s pastoral yet ravaged Songs for Nine Ladies and played just a couple of live shows, Stuart has long been working away in his studio on ideas that he now feels are ready to finally leak like cosmic ooze into the public domain once again.

The new album, 'Requiem for a Circle of Skin', collects three lengthy pieces loosely formed around an axis of grubby psych, field recordings, fluttering tones, twilight murmur, ravines of unsettled electronics, Swans-like hypno-strum and the very same geysers of greasy weirdness responsible over the decades for having spewed all from Amon Duul, Faust and The Fugs to Nurse With Wound, Kluster and Organum. It’s the kinda music which might pull one mercilessly along to the murkiest of corners before pulping the senses completely with some finely accomplished head-churn.

Requiem for a Circle of Skin, like the best of the most fully realised albums to have emanated from the dankest spaces, is akin to looking at a world falling apart through the flickering flame of a candle down to its final hour. Music perfect for our times would be an understatement.

Bandcamp: https://thefieldsofhay.bandcamp.com/