Bark Press Reviews
CD Of The Month - Bark
Home
Bark are singer Angeline Conaghan and programmer Terje Evensen. Their album Home is something of a rarity: an LP that defies classification, without sounding as though every song was written by a different person. The definition they give is 'glitch-pop', which covers some of the bases, but there are too many influences here to single them all out — Björk is one of the more obvious ones, but there's a bit of pretty much everything, from polished, glossy pop to downright weird ambient electro, via rock, trip-hop, breakbeat, jazz and God knows what else.
What's really weird, though, is just how much sense the album makes as a whole. I think this is partly down to Angeline's very distinctive singing voice, but Terje has a unique production style and an ear for pleasant surprises, which this album is full of. Just as you're trying to make head or tail of a frankly bizarre, almost abstract intro, you'll be overwhelmed with easy, laid-back guitars and drums of the sort you'd expect to hear on a pop record. Let your guard down, however, and you'll be plunged straight back into Angeline's eerie, disjunct stream of consciousness, set to a backdrop of dark pads, uneasy electro beats and other sounds so odd that I couldn't begin to guess their origin.
Home is intriguing, original and refreshingly different. Good work, Bark.
Sound on sound - Chris Korff
Bark
Home
These experimental soundscapes from international outfit Bark – a creative partnership between singer Angeline conaghan and Norwegian keys, drums, electronics expert Terje Evensen – feature sparse dynamics with enterprising samples of white noise and percussive loops, which dominatet the title track and the second track, Exume. Each cut is intriguing, hypnotic and fulfilling. Lyrics in the naturalistic Dream seem to merge effortlessly with the swooping backing. Quality contemporary music-making of an exceptional nature.
Musician Union – Keith Ames
Bark
Home
Sehr eigenwilligen, atmospharisch schagen aternative-Pop bieten BARK auf ihrem Album Home (www.barkmusic.com). Die Band um die neuseelandsche sangerin angeline Conaghan spielt sensible songs mit relativ einfachen Electro-beats, aber um so abgefahreneren soundscapes. Auch diese Produktion klingt nach dem sehsuchtigen Trademark-Sound des hohen Nordens Europas. Und wenn dann hier und da ein paar brat- oder Steel-Gitarren durch den Raum schweben, dann ist der orginelle Soundtrack fur den Sommerabendfilm prefekt.
Gitarre & Bass- It
Bark – Home
Angeline Conaghan's hauntingly erotic vocals lay delicately along side Terje Evensen organic melodies and dark sophisticated beats. Home is in fact so organic and natural you could easily imagine this to be a live performance, growing and changing before you. It is virtually impossible to fence this album into a already established category.
Is it a chill out album? Is it Jazz, maybe it's Trance? maybe it's ground breaking. Although Home has a fluid feel to it, each track is individual, and clearly shows the depth of talent these composers have founded together. The individual merits of each artist is not to be shunned here, as both artist are well established & respected for their solo projects, however in the form of Home their unmistakable genius is clearly amplified. From the slightly soft rock over tones of Skin, the tribal rhythm's of Light, the hypnotic passion of Dare to the coffee shop pop of Talk, Home carries you safety onwards and upwards, without ever being cheesy or overly ' hippy' in it's approach. Over all Home is an album that would easily sit along side such classics's as Portishead's Dummy & Death in Vegas's Dirge. What we have here is a timeless classic, and an album that every discerning muso should own.
The waiting Room vote this album as 10/10.
Hope Eternal
The Waiting Room
www.errorfm.com
Every wed
10pm - Midnight BMT
BARK
Home
NZ meets Norway and ´home´is the result, an album of edgy ´glitch pop´very much reminiscent of the early 90s Bristol trip-hop/downbeat. The backing is provided by Norwegian drummer/programmer Terje Evensen in collaboration with several guest musicians such as guitarist Bjorn Charles Dreyer. The icing on the musical cake is the vocals provided be NZ-born singer Angeline Conaghan. From my perspective as a devoted classic trip-hop and downbeat enthusiast, this is trip-hop, albeit with a slight dance/rock touch. The artist have perhaps chosen to use their new term ´glitch pop´to give it a fresh edge. Whateever, ´home´ doesn´t really break enough new ground to earn its own genre. The musicians all play well, the programming is clean and professional and everything is well recorded and engineered. Conaghan´s vocals have a nice ethereal quality to them and are great lyrically, she could do well with the right direction.
For fans of trip-hop who are looking for new sounds in that style BARK could well serve as a good fix for the addiction.
Martyn Pepperell – NZM
BARK
Home
Was weht den da an merkwürdigen Tönen aus Norwegen herüber? ”Bark” heißt das im Wesentlichen aus der Sängerin Angeline Conaghan und dem schlagzeugenden Elektrofrickler Terje Evensen bestehende duo. Futuristische Klänge mit bizarren melodischen Wendungen und erstaunlichen Klangflächen sind das, die sie auf ihrem Album ”Home” (Barkmusic) in schön unterkühlter Manier präsentieren. Manchmal wähnt man sich fast auf einer Raumstation – und zwar im kommenden Jahrhundert.
Musikk-szene nrz am sonntag
BARK
Home
Bark ist ein Projekt der in London lebenden Nauseeländischen Sängerin Angeline Conaghan und dem norwegischen Drummer und Produzenten Terje Evensen.
Gemeinsam hat man sich dem so genannten “Glitch-Pop” verschrieben (Laptop sei Dank).
Björk ist sicher nicth nur in dieser Hinsicht eine Ideenstifterin auch von Bark.
Nun ergänzen dei beiden Soundtüftler das Ganze aber auch hier und da mit Livedrumming,
was dem Ganzen eine zugängliche und angenehm menschliche Note verpasst.
Abegrundet wird “Home” von der leicht weltentrückten, zerbrelichen, immer aber faszinierenden Stimme von Angeline Conaghan, die hier und da fast ein wenig an Beth Gibbons und ähnliche Kaliber erinnert.
Eine überaus interessant Platte!
German Drum & Percusion
Bark: Bjeffer opp det digre treet
Bak artistnavnet Bark skjuler det seg én stk dyktig trommis/tangentmann/programmerer/komponist opprinnelig fra Skien og hans vokalførende kvinnelige medspiller. Terje Evensen og Angeline Conaghan er navnene.
"Home" er albumtittelen. Samhandlingen duoen legger for dagen på sin debutplate er av den høyst vellykkede sorten. I Barks knitrepopverden boltrer dissonansene seg side om side med sjelssitrende sanglinjer og ruvende elektronika forankret i stemningsførende loops, samples og pads. Det handler om pop i en utforskende sidegate der de vindfylte strømningene kjennes både fra samtidsmusikkens og jazzens bydeler. Leken tonalitet og viril skaperevne er to av de massive bærebjelkene som denne gjennomført kvalitetstunge utgivelsen hviler på.
Andreas Soltvedt
Review from Musician Magazine(UK) July 2007
Bark – Home
These experimental soundscapes from international outfit Bark – a creative partnership between singer Angeline Conaghan and Norwegian keys, drums, electronics expert Terje Evensen – feature sparse dynamics with enterprising samples of white noise and percussive loops, which dominate the title track and the second track, Exume. Each cut is intriguing, hypnotic and fulfilling. Lyrics in the naturalistic Dream seem to merge effortlessly with the swooping backing. Quality contemporary music-making of an exceptional nature.