“heartbreakingly gorgeous vocals like some lost outtake from the soundtrack to Twin Peaks or one of Julee Cruise’s Lynch/Badalamenti classics, and ending things with the titular Tall Trees that feels like the lullaby for the end of a perfect day.”” - Dream Magazine
Reviews
Tall Trees
“An absolutely gorgeous four song EP. ...Most of all this reminds me a bit of Anna Domino and Virginia Astley’s mix of atmospherically chilly cool balladry and more brightly pop-like melodic fare. ..... First a short dreamy instrumental introductory piece, then a second instrumental conjuring a gently swaying summer afternoon in a meadow filled with sunlight and glimpses of a joyful eternity with a hauntingly nostalgic undertow. Then follows a song with heartbreakingly gorgeous vocals like some lost outtake from the soundtrack to Twin Peaks or one of Julee Cruise’s Lynch/Badalamenti classics, and ending things with the titular Tall Trees that feels like the lullaby for the end of a perfect day.”- Dream Magazine #9
"This brings us to Andria's latest offering, the very limited EP "Tall Trees". Mastered by Andrew Liles and produced, recorded and mixed by Degens, the release is only four songs in length but what striking pieces these are! Starting off the proceedings is an instrumental "The Warming". Its hypnotic beauty is amassed in gentle swaying melody that ends much too abruptly. "Dance of the Honey Bees" makes everything alright again. With Michael Tanner on dulcitone, guitar and Nick Palmer on accordion and harmonium, the melody is quickly established, which then serves as the propeller to Degens tender murmurs. "Sing Night Swallow" is a gentle drone piece that features ghostly vocals and generous slabs of harmonium. The release ends much too quickly with "Tall Trees". The only piece on the EP to feature actual decipherable lyrics, the mood is haunting. Yet, there is hope. There is light! Her name is a mystery?Pantaleimon".
- Tom Sekowski
"Andria Degens' in partnership with Michael Tanner and Nick Palmer (Plinth, Directoround). The pieces here were recorded in Dorset and East Sussex, England, during the summer of 2007 and breathe an idyllic air of the summers of our imagination which, in the U.K. at any rate, seldom become reality! A short instrumental called The Warming is the first of four tracks and it features Michael Tanner's vibraphone, almost as a scene-setter to what follows. Dance Of The Honey Bees has wordless vocals, guitar and handclaps, and although Sing Night Swallow third on the disc - clearly has words, it is the sound of Degens voice which conveys meaning, rather than lyric content. Here, the harmonium sounds as though it's played through a cyclic Leslie effect, is quite hypnotic and stands as my personal favourite song of the set. On the closing title track (which does have audible words), a most unusual and lovely instrument surfaces. The dulcitone is a bit like a small version of the celeste, where keyboard action strikes tuning forks. Its chiming tones only add to what is already an utterly charming e.p." 8/10 -- John Cavanagh / FoxyDigitalis