Out Now! WLR020 FragileField – Wing-half

We’ve had an uncharacteristic break these last few weeks but behind the scenes we’ve been working on future material in the Whitelabrecs catalog. We’ve a huge announcement lined up and loads of new ideas but first, we’d like to present our 20th release, back in our home country, the UK. ‘Wing-half‘ is the debut album by Lancashire-born Londoner FragileField or Lawrence Berry to his mother (who features in the cover artwork, by the way). Wing-half really pushes the boundaries in terms of genre in general, and certainly for Whitelabrecs. Lawrence skillfully blends notes of Jazz, Modern Classical, Ambient and Post Rock music with the assistance of several musicians and the studio space at Huddersfield University. This one should cross over and appeal to fans of several different experimental styles so it’s difficult to pin-point similar artists. But if we’re pressed, we’d have to say Hood, Sam Prekop or Tape. It’s available now on Whitelabrecs in a very low run of just 50 CDrs.

At time of writing copies of this album are still available – to find out more or grab a copy, you can click the link below or on the image above to listen. To avoid missing out on future releases, you can join our mailing list HERE

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/wing-half

press release
“Wing-half is the debut album from FragileField and was recorded using the facilities available whilst studying at Huddersfield University, UK. Lawrence Berry, originally from Lancashire has been writing and composing music for as long as he can remember and has been playing guitar since the age of six. Towards the end of his studies, Lawrence established the FragileField project as he made use of the wealth of musical equipment available at the university. With the aid of studios kitted with top quality hardware and a range of instruments including grand pianos, double basses, trumpets and saxophones, the varying but musical sound of FragileField developed.

Lawrence adopts a free-thinking approach to composition, incorporating his myriad influences of William Walton, Wayne Shorter, Talk Talk, Burial and Tim Hecker as Modern Classical sounds meet Ambient, Post-Rock and Jazz. With the cover artwork scanned from an old photograph of his mother, Lawrence’s chosen theme for this mini album is in part family. The album’s title ‘Wing-half’ was the position his grandfather Walter Whitehurst played for Manchester United in the 1950’s, a brilliant man that he got to know well up until the first year of college when he passed away suddenly.

Wing-half is comprised of five tracks that are all inter-related, sequenced to allow the off-kilter moments chance to evolve. This is perhaps the most melodic record we have released on Whitelabrecs so far and marks a departure for the warmer months that lie ahead. There is a real vibrancy as the wealth of musical genres blend together yet the sound ebbs and flows as quieter, more reflective moments are overlapped by drums, jazz and rock inspired passages. Clocking in at 28 minutes, you’ll find that the album can easily be listened to in one sitting as it flits between moods and themes, as if reflecting on a life well-lived.
At the end, thoughts return to Mr Whitehurst as this colourful journey curtails suddenly – on reflection you’ll be left breathless as you
contemplate the ups and downs of the constantly evolving Wing-Half.”