Again it’s left to Hermansen and Moen to pick out a melody line over the busy rhythm on Red Kite Flight, which again marries frantic rumbustiousness with considered melody. Lofthus soon wakes us from our reverie however, as he again tries to thrash his reassembled drum kit into submission whilst Frøne pokes his bass into the wasp nest. It sounds like it could have been recorded under a nigh time desert sky rather than in a Norwegian studio. The mood is lightened somewhat as the title track drifts into view, an atmospheric slice of dreamy psychedelia.
The interplay between Hermansen’s guitar and Moen’s Rhodes is both dark and joyful at the same time.
It’s the sound of music emerging from a primordial swamp, dark and mysterious, and evolving into a delicious jazz behemoth. Second track This Immortal Coil slows things down with doomy sludge riffing and menacing bass, combined with Chick Corea-style Rhodes explorations, and Red Kite stretch out unencumbered by expectation. The experience of this quartet is considerable, combining talents of well known Norwegian progressive outfits such as Elephant9, Shining, Bushman’s Revenge and Grand General, and in Red Kite the emphasis seems to be on improvisation within a composed framework, and the chemistry is readily evident. It’s almost like two songs overlaying each other, and yet Astrology (The One True Science) works somehow, resolving beautifully, the overall impression from this frantic opening salvo being that nothing is quite what it seems, or what you expected, and it sets the scene for more unexpected twists and juxtaposed styles as we venture further. And yet not everyone is on the same page, as guitarist and composer Even Helte Hermansen finds room to settle into a jaunty melody, supported by Bernt André Moen on Rhodes. Red Kite kick off their second album (after 2019’s self-titled debut) at a blistering pace with drummer Torstein Lofthus threatening to destroy his kit in a savage fit of petulance, egged on by the hammering bass of Trond Frøne, and it sounds as though all hell is breaking loose in Athletic Studios, Halden in Norway. With all the misinformation on social media, and conspiracy theories abounding, I guess it’s understandable that people see connections that simply aren’t there, as they try to make sense of a senseless world. A thoroughly recommended book of an outstanding natural history success story.For yet another album conceived during lockdown, Red Kite have come up with a great title, Apophenian Bliss. Two fine naturalists giving a new slant on an ongoing story through very good fieldwork. It is highly recommended for all aficionados of this charismatic raptor, which is now well established in many areas of the UK and hopefully will soon become a regular sight throughout these islands. Walter Belis, Alauda While not a detailed scientific appraisal of the reintroduction of the Red Kite, this book does provide a very readable account of one of the most successful conservation projects ever attempted in the UK. The reintroduction program, to which Ian Carter collaborated personally, was organized in several parts of England, in Scotland and Ireland. The numbers reached their lowest level in the 1930s but, since the species has been protected, a (very) slow recovery has started. At the end of the 19th century, only a few couples remained in a remote part of Wales. As a result of the sanitation of urban areas, the possibilities of finding food decreased and persecution increased. Barry Larking, ECOS We learn in this book how the species was protected in the 15th century because of its role as a street cleaner. A book for the enthusiast, The Red Kite's Year is certainly recommended. Ian Carter's text is wonderfully illustrated by Dan Powell, whose lively line escapes the pages and makes one want to rush to spot one of these impressive creatures. Written around the yearly cycle of survival, mating and nest selection, habitat interaction, food, growth and dispersal, it also covers history, documented fieldwork and personal experiences. Immediately I picked up The Red Kite's Year I was smitten.
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