Snow Ghosts - A Small Murmuration CD

Crafted from a shared interest of the odd folk nature of Britain and the resultant dark strangeness, Throwing Snow and Augustus Ghost pool their individual inspirations, ideas and styles on ‘A Small Murmuration’, the first full-length album under their collaborative Snow Ghosts moniker.

Throwing Snow, aka Ross Tones, first started working with Augustus Ghost, aka Hannah Cartwright, after she first arrived in England five years ago. Hannah comes from a songwriting background, having previously collaborated with Phaeleh as well as singing in the band Masakichi, while Ross possesses more electronic influences - his work as Throwing Snow has gained plaudits from all sides, manifested most recently through invitations to support Bonobo on his forthcoming tour, as well as Thom Yorke’s Atoms For Peace project. Together, the pair shared a mutual influence of the shadowy elements of folk and metal, and it is through these reference points that Snow Ghosts began to take shape.

They first found an outlet for their music through Black Acre Records in 2011 on the ‘Lost At Sea’ EP, and the pair have spent the subsequent two years compiling their debut album through short bursts of writing. In that time everything was done together, from field recording (everything from desperately hanging a mic out the window to record a thunder storm on 'And The World Was Gone', to recording leaves rustling in Tower Hamlets graveyard, to an ancient zither and bowed fretless acoustic bass), to reading the same literature - Mark Z Danielewski’s ‘House of Leaves’ left a particularly strong impression on their shared head-space.

"'A Small Murmuration' is a shared world that we have created to encompass the middle ground between our love of darkness and the emotions that music can make you feel." Snow Ghosts

The music itself is brooding and at times imposing, yet sweepingly majestic throughout - Augustus Ghost’s rich vocals balance perfectly on Throwing Snow’s sombre sonic creations, as hints of industry and mechanism are married with the organic, natural world. The album’s title - ‘A Small Murmuration’ - combines Ross’ love of chaos theory and Hannah’s earthy propensity for nature. The theme is reflected in the imagery surrounding the album - the artwork and photographs come from Hannah's grandfather in the 1930s, and form a special attachment to each of the tracks. Additional illustration was done by Matthew Ellwood, one of Ross' oldest and closest friends, who also provided the art for the Black Acre EP. The album as a whole feels little need or desire to fit alongside any current trends, instead focusing on a fundamental formula: of close collaboration, shared interests, and strong friendship.