Playlouder - Music is the Network

Whether or not Virgin Passages met at a ceramic-painting workshop at a family-oriented folk music festival I may never know, but that's certainly the scenario I have in my head.

On this, their first album (to my knowledge) they come across with all the woozy verve of a group of coincidental acquaintences taking a turn around a slackly-managed garden before the fourth course of an opium feast.

'Distance' is over and done before you've had time to really take notice, but one imagines Virgin Passages don't set much store in 'standout tunes' or 'hits': the songs often have the feeling of electro-acoustic jam sessions that went particularly well - a group of people playing around pre-decided chords and themes with minimalist lyrics sung and/or chanted over the top like mantras.

Occasionally, on 'Who Do You Love?' for example, the basslines and twiddly guitar work begin to sound a bit post-rock, but the pace is never much changed and the quiet-loud dichotomy is lacking on the latter side; "I Want You To Sleep" they sing throughout the track of the name, and that's fortunate, because it's difficult to imagine this little album accompanying any more energetic exercise.

This is mildly frustrating, as one imagines by the often engaging and sometimes quite beautiful aural... erm.... risotto that these fine folk would be capable of concocting musical dishes more challenging (and indeed tasty) than this, which is essentially the musical equivalent of sludgy, rice-based peasant food.

Contrary to the laws of everything, the most song-based track on this album is the adapted Joyce poem, 'Because of Sad Austerities', which, as a lone fact, may not sound encouraging.

Still, if you're stuck for music to fall asleep on your rug to, this'll do nicely.