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Keeping in line with Andrew Fosters previous work, The Garden is a timeless and consistent singer/songwriter album of the old school variety.
Opening track Evil Trees is a mini folk epic. Whilst boasting a creepy, dark feel to it, there is a very definite Englishness maintained throughout. Indeed this could be the soundtrack to the cosiest of English winters all by itself. I Belong To You is tremendously good fun. It is simply a good old fashioned bar room stomp complete with plinky plonky piano, handclaps and harmonica which leaves you feeling inebriated without touching a drop. The crisp acoustica of I Cant Help You Now melts the heart lyrically with Fosters voice mixing the falsetto of Delays Greg Gilbert and the growl of Kelly Jones and the deft arrangements continue with In The Shadows.
Best of all is the title track. The Garden is a cacophony of other worldly sounds and influences, mixed in with a Hacienda styled bassline, big baggy beats, crunching guitars and countless effects. Its dark, angular and jagged and represents a man clearly on top of his game.
That is followed by what would appear to be the startling frank and autobiographical Jealousy. Lyrically it makes you reel, benefiting from a layered acoustic backing. Old Traditions, New Fabrications shows a dark humour to Fosters lyrics and Signals has a lovely laid back feel to it with Melanie Burbridges backing vocals adding colour.
The Garden is a deeply satisfying collection, showcasing Andrew Foster as a talent who knows how to achieve a subtle and rare balance.
PLAYING OUT LOUD
Oft-featured folk rock troubadour Andrew Foster's latest sees him continuing in a similarly rich vein to his previous releases, although this time with added humour. It's mainline of traditional singer songwriter sensibilities touching on the melancholic, the lively and the lovely, the surreal and the epic, with a side order of moonshine'd backing band.
THE FLY
Media Ghost is a quirky, clunky, yet winning collection of off-kilter pop songs from Portsmouth-based Andrew Foster. Opaque lyrics overlay memorable melodies, with the whole submerged in some very unusual and memorable production. Nothing here sounds like a slick, run-of-the-mill pop record; the guitar on the opening track sounds like a banjo (maybe it is!), and the stomping, crashing drum kit on "Ten Green Bottles" sounds like it was recorded in a toilet, and yet works wonderfully. A lot of risks have been taken in the recording of this album, and they pay off. Its great and your'll be hearing new things every time you listen.
Sam Wise (ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE)
Singer-songwriter Andrew Foster from Portsmouth is a regular in Roots Time. In October 2008 we discussed his previous full LP Media Ghost praise had already spoken about two EPs "Behind Closed Doors" and "Watching Clocks"
We believe that he appreciates his appearance again from the fact that we have a pre-release copy of his latest CD "The Garden" for a review. On this album he goes for a slightly different approach compared to his previous album, there is some more instrumentation in his songs, though simple acoustic songs are still here.
Album opener "Evil Tree" has as little more panache but the subsequent "Like The Flowing River" sounds sometimes very intimate and sober with sensitive vocals. The Neil Young-clone in Andrew Foster shows up in the folk song "I Belong To You "and the beautifully sung songs" Signals "and "Everybody Gets It Wrong Sometimes".
The happy, cheerful tones of "I Can not Help You Now "and" Fight Talk "(very similar to work of "Mumford & Sons" or "Fleet Foxes") portray that the artist sometimes has a positive message in his songs. The Garden has some very swirly production, and "In The Shadows "and" Jealousy "are quite low fi in their betrayal.
Andrew Foster is home to many markets and proves this on "The Garden", with a varying range to songs and song styles and even his vocal performance varies widely.
He also demonstrates his ability in other fields, even as producer of his new album.
This is again a nice performance and we look forward to more new material.
"ROOTSTIME"
"Some songwriters invest themselves in the melody, creating a tune that carries emotions and influences the mood of an audience. Others prefer to craft lyrics explicitly laying their feelings bare for the listener or fashioning stories that express their thoughts. All too few are the musicians who can do both, but Andrew Foster stands deservedly in their company.
This is an album to be listened to properly, it almost begs to be listened to on an old stereo, a disc of vinyl spinning in a darkened room, the better to properly absorb the music pouring out
This album has to be heard to truly understand the wealth of technique, lyrical dexterity and, most importantly emotional investment, involved!
Matt Merrit (Art Rocker, "The News"
Having already reviewed the two EPs that led to this album, it feels only right to complete the set. Andrew Foster is a heart-on-the-sleeve, straight up minstrel, sometime solo strumming serenader, othertime vocal figurehead and a songwriter with considerable pathos at his command.
Media Ghost's main strength is that, unlike many self produced debuts, it feels like an album rather than a collection of 'material so far'. There's genuine highs and lows, a mix of styles that stays the right of eclectic and, despite there being definite highlights, nothing that could be called filler. At times there's even an intimacy that can't be faked, always the most difficult thing for a solo artist to achieve.
It's tempting to offer the criticism that the album descends on occasion into a kind of over-emotional melodrama. But then, that would be denying the possibility of maybe just a hint of a promise of a tear in a certain cynical critic's eye…
Matt Golding "The Fly"
'Butterflymind' is a pretty sensational seven track EP from acoustic alternative artist Andrew Foster; no hiding behind multi-instrument over-dubs for Foster, no place to hide in a mix that's as sparse as it is sensitive. Andrew Foster's honest and stripped back approach gives you access to a man that is clearly a great wordsmith, a damn fine composer and a stunning performer.
Apart from a few piano additions from buddy Loz Bridge, Foster relies simply and effectively on his own accompaniment to deliver some remarkably mature sounding songs; the man, the musician is totally exposed by the remarkable simplicity of 'Butterflymind' - just voice, guitars and harmonica, just a man with a vision, just a man and his music! Foster nails it though with curt but vibrant songs, heart on sleeve execution and a seriously commercial sound.
"Butterflymind' is generally a mid-tempo work that has a pretty up-lifting feel about it; even if some of the songs err on the slightly mournful side, Foster brings a lightness to the feel with his precise strumming and picking using a guitar that's obviously big, beefy and rich in timbre. Vocally Foster's voice matches the warmth of the guitar and therefore the two sit perfectly harmoniously together and tend to fill out the sound quite magnificently. Foster's songs are well conceived and beautifully crafted; his ability to make the listener connect with the words is quite special - at times is sounds like Foster is in the same room singing to you and you alone!
'Butterflymind' by Andrew Foster is a wonderful example of modernistic, bright and warm eclectic acoustic music. Foster's talent is there for all to hear - Foster tempts the listener, like a magnet he draws you in such that you feel part of something special. As the EP draws to an end there's a feeling of disappointment though - not cuz 'Butterflymind' has let down but because 'Butterflymind' leaves you wanting more. 'Butterflymind' by Andrew Foster is pretty-much as good as anything similarly ilked out there - with the likes of Gray, Rice, Fretwell and a few other 'names' seemingly taking a while to make their returns, the time could be just right for someone with similar talent and style to walk right up and cash in - the time could be just right then for Andrew Foster - good promotion and exposure right NOW could see Foster making a pretty indelible mark on the acoustic music scene!!
Toxic Pete
ANDREW FOSTER The Garden
Andrew Foster is something of a favourite of ours here at Call Upon The Author, some may even accuse us of favouritism, though theyd be wrong, the reason we like Foster so much is because of his consistently high quality output.
As such, it was with more than a little excitement that we contemplated listening to Andrews second album on a bleary Monday morning journey into work. The immediate thought was that leaps and bounds have been made in terms of production, this is a bolder piece perhaps influenced a little by the quality of other artists in Portsmouth like B of the Bang, Dawn Chorus and Fosters sometime colleague Loz Bridge. Whatever the reasons what we have here is an intriguing album that plays out as one long piece more so than a bunch of disparate tracks.
Opener Evil Tree is an atmospheric beast and sets the tone perfectly for an album that, despite Fosters subtle vocals, has a brooding presence. The real highlight here though is the title track, from the Eastern influences (Im not sure that an actual sitar, but at the least its an impressive approximation) that lend the track an other worldly air against the simple instrumentation elsewhere to the menacing and claustrophobic feel as the music ebbs and swirls about the ears, this is a truly great track!
So, Foster remains an artist this site is proud to champion and one that we heartily recommend you check out!
Call Upon The Author
"Here we have an intelligent and introspective singer/songwriter with a wonderful gentle sound that is at once familiar and refreshingly his own. In a world where the singer/songwriter is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, Andrew Foster is one example that deserves to have some recognition."
THE MAG
One of the most wonderful films about music in the last decade is Once. It is a beautifully human tale of a Dublin singer who falls for a Czech immigrant. It features the most tender but uplifting music that gels in perfect synchronicity with the visuals. Butterflymind by Andrew Foster sounds like a lost outtake from that film. There are gentle soft hued acoustic guitars, flushes of subtle piano and voice that gives off a secure fireplace warmth.
Foster is seated in the traditions of the male singer songwriter for sure. There is nothing progressive or particularly unusual about his songs such as Watching Clocks and the harmonica led Hovering Over The Red Button. Instead he is steeped in the craft of developing his skill, to produce a melody that is natural and honest. He writes in a quiet personal way exemplified on tracks such as the questioning Snow Through The Window where he asks What if I had never taken a chance? What If Id had never spent the time? What if I had never replied to the mail? Before concluding You wouldnt know me and I wouldnt know you.
Foster is central to the hub of the more intelligent, and mature sounding young artists that herald from the Portsmouth scene. A collaborator with both Loz Bridge and The B Of The Bang both featured earlier this week, Foster has supported a whole range of artists from eighties singer songwriter Nik Kershaw to the likes of Mumford and Sons
"BREAKING MORE WAVES"
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