Tobias Sarra is a Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based multi-instrumentalist who has just hit my radar thanks to the release of his second solo full-length album. Bringing together the disparate genres of jazz, folk, noise, ambient, art-pop and indie, it’s called (Pictures of) Shells.
By Graeme Smith
If you’re familiar with the LED drumming group Spark! you might already know some of Tobias’s work. He also sometimes makes improvised sounds with John Garner and the Anarchist Reading Group, and performs under the names StrangeDogWoof and Phosforest. In Latvia, he was the lead singer of the metal band Mattergy.
With a rich and eclectic background such as that, it’s no surprise that (Pictures of) Shells is an interesting patchwork of styles. It’s also chock full of improvisations, giving the record a loose feel that always keeps you guessing what will come next.
The album opens with Speculation and its extended intro. The improvisational nature of the collection is immediately apparent in its playful keys and unconventional jazz style. It builds with gentle drums, twinkling highlights and wonderous woodwind before expressive, soaring vocals give us poetic lyrics. It’s a strong start.
Somewhere, Nestled In The Darkness is a slow-burner with some minimal orchestration that steadily grows in complexity, creating a dark and meditative atmosphere. There’s No Place is an ambient and haunting moment with chanting vocals before All I Am (is A Great Illusion) injects some spontaneity through its horns and keys led composition that explodes into bluesy introspection. It’s a highlight.
Gobstoppers For Breakfast is a moody percussive track with lush layers. It Looks Cold From Up Here brings with it some acoustic folk with plucked strings and soulful vocals. All Good Things is bright and philosophical while Hold Me is a lingering, experimental odyssey. In The End There’s Always Silence closes the album with some melancholic piano and barely there vocalisations that slowly grow. It’s the perfect ending to a collection that has it all.
Tobias received funding from Tvibit to finance a studio day in Norway so featuring on (Pictures of) Shells are Norwegian musicians Martin Lien on drums and Jonas Eskeland on woodwind, and the handiwork of studio engineer Ellery Daines. There’s of course a Part 2 on its way, titled Spirals (Are Not For Counting) and set for release in the Spring.
(Pictures of) Shells is out now via Melt The Quilt, Tobias’s new label. You can listen to the album below.
