And Also The Trees

And Also The Trees – The Bone Carver (2022/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 45:05 minutes | 493 MB | Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, Art Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AATT

Within the panorama and filmic landscapes that open up from the music, stories and fragments of stories are told, about people, the spaces they occupy, their closeness and the distance that lies between them. Written and recorded over 3 years in London, Switzerland and in an ancient barn not far from their Midland’s roots, founding members Simon and Justin Jones who form the core of ‘And Also ­The Trees’ with maverick drummer Paul Hill are joined for the first time by Grant Gordon on bass guitar and Colin Ozanne on clarinet.

Their inclusion brings a twist to this band’s subtle yet intriguing evolution. ‘And Also ­The Trees’ have been performing live and creatively developing since they formed in rural Worcestershire at the beginning of the post punk era in 1980. Other than a period in their early years when they attracted attention from John Peel, the British music press and The Cure with whom they worked and supported on tours, they have operated mainly under the radar of the media and music industry as a whole, drawing inspiration from the dark underbelly of the British countryside and touring each of their 14 albums across Europe and as far afield as the USA and Japan.

It follows their 2016 release ‘Born Into ­The Waves’ an album that many considered to be their most accomplished. A rare accolade for a band of such longevity.

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And Also The Trees – Born into the Waves (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 45:16 minutes | 464 MB | Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, Art Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AATT

It is the 13th studio album from the influential cult British band. Inspired by the band’s recent concerts in previously unvisited countries – Ukraine, Romania, Lithuania and Japan – Born Into The Waves evolves from four pieces composed by guitarist Justin Jones on the theme of love songs from around the world. This album encompasses a new spirit of optimism and liberation in the lyrics of vocalist Simon Huw Jones.

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And Also The Trees – Mother-of-Pearl Moon (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 41:56 minutes | 414 MB | Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AATT

‘And Also The Trees’ compelling new album, ‘Mother-of-Pearl Moon’, was born from a series of extraordinary electric guitar improvisations created by guitarist Justin Jones in the pre- and postdawn hours during a month of solitude in 2020. Each piece then developed in its own way – the guitar, often left in its raw, unaltered form, is accompanied by the voice of his brother Simon, bringing imagery and narrative, Colin Ozanne’s clarinet and piano adding poise, colour and harmony, Paul Hill’s percussion creating depth… on occasion an autoharp, a Moog… all leading the listener from the depths of the English countryside far out in all directions of the compass. The music is often filmic, reminiscent of various film genres from the ‘50s to the ‘70s. This is most apparent in ‘This path through the meadow’, a song that explores the intertwining of human nature and nature in its animal and botanic form, and in its video where the band appear to be performing to an imaginary screening. Elsewhere, the album title track transports the listener across the oceans to the Far East…and to its exotic gardens, still waters and the ‘Mother-of-pearl moon’. And Also The Trees (AATT) formed during the original post-punk era in rural Worcestershire, an environment that has provided a constant inspiration to a group whose music has often explored the dark underbelly as well as the beauty of the British countryside. They are renowned for their captivating live performances, a unique style of mandolin-like electric guitar, evocative lyrics and dark jazz rhythms – not to mention a creative independence fiercely preserved for over four decades. Founded by singer Simon Jones and his guitarist brother Justin, AATT have maintained a continuous presence on the post-punk, alternative rock and Gothic scenes worldwide. They have released fifteen studio albums.

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And Also The Trees – Virus Meadow (Remastered) (1986/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:07:37 minutes | 749 MB | Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AATT

‘Virus Meadow’ is considered by many to be the classic ‘And Also The Trees’ album. It was recorded in 1986 in Worcestershire, England, not far from the Hamlet where the band were based in an old farmhouse. ‘Virus Meadow’, the title track of the album, is a song inspired by the fields overlooking where a medieval village once stood before being abandoned and left to fall into the ground after being decimated by the bubonic plague.

It was the first time the band took influence from their rural surroundings and where one first hears the distinctive mandolin-like guitar sound, which were the two characteristics that set the band apart from their contemporaries as they created a sound and style of their own.

Restored and remastered for the first time since its release, the original album comes with a second disc featuring the bands first two EP’s and an extra, previously-unreleased, studio re-recording of their single ‘Shantell’.

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