Tyneham House – self-titled

Although the Second Language label has certainly embraced pan-European creativity across its catalogue to date, arguably its collective character has been defined predominantly by a distinctively English sense of mystery, invention, history and eccentricity.  This thankfully has not presented itself in jingoistic small-minded traditionalist forms of course, but more through the exploration of hidden corners and characters that have been less troubled by more mainstream political, aesthetical or cultural concerns.  Capturing these distinctive common traits amongst many of its artists, this newly-compiled box of goodies (quite literally in fact) subtly stitches them together in one combined and cohesive affair.

Adding another enigmatic layer to this release – spread over a CD and a cassette – is the desire of its creators to remain anonymous under the collection’s Tyneham House title.  Close followers of the label can only speculate but not confirm, from analysing the recurring music elements and the conceptual concerns, that members of Plinth, The A. Lords, Dollboy and littlebow might somehow have been involved.  Certainly, the thematic tie-in to this largely instrumental project follows in the lineage of two previous 2L releases – namely Plinth’s Music For Smalls Lighthouse and Dollboy’s Ghost Stations - by unearthing and attaching something peculiar from the past.  In this case, it’s the story of the Dorset village of Tyneham, which was commandeered by the British Government in World War II for never fully disclosed military purposes.  Musically, the provision of an affectionate soundtrack homage to such a strangely lost yet preserved pocket of antiquity undoubtedly feels like an extension of both The A. Lords’ I Lived In Trees collaboration with recovered acid-folk legend Mark Fry and littlebow’s flute-fuelled gem, The Edge Blown Aerophone.

Yet ultimately, from whomever, wherever and whatever it comes from, Tyneham House plays out blissfully and warmly just on its own terms.  Across the 14 brief tracks on the main CD component of the whole deluxe earthy package unfurls a rich tapestry of interwoven pastoral scenes made with woozy accordion and/or harmonium, wistful harmonica, dainty acoustic guitar-picking, flutes, and occasional hushed near-wordless Nick Drake-like vocals.  It’s all impossibly intimate and unhurried stuff, that as well as running with the suspected mutualised muses of The A. Lords and littlebow, also recalls the rural ambience – though not the jazzy virtuosity – of Bert Jansch’s Avocet and the fragile drum-free folk arrangements of Vashti Bunyan’s Just Another Diamond Day.  Intriguingly and somewhat amusingly in places, a less seamless and more perplexing collage of material – featuring found sounds, field recordings, childhood tape experiments sitting in-between extended components from the main album – is contained on the enclosed bonus cassette for those who can still find a functioning tape deck.

Whilst Tyneham House is perhaps one of most deliberately low-key, esoteric and somewhat fleeting releases in the Second Language catalogue, like many of the label’s choicest hand-crafted limited editions it is destined to be cherished by those who can find it now and those who will no doubt (re)discover it later.

Second Language Records / Clay Pipe Music