Bleep

Folklore Tapes’ Tales Of The Monstone takes the listener on an aural journey through the folk legends of Rochdale and the Vale of Whitworth. Using inspiration from two legends local to the Monstone, a storied stone in the area, contributors David Chatton Barker and Sam McLoughlin construct two side-long pieces of wiccan psychedelia here.

McLoughlin’s A-side ‘Tales of the Baum Rabbit’ is inspired by a ghostly rabbit who was feared by many in and around Rochdale. The music McLoughlin creates here is hugely atmospheric, a mix of earthy folk tones and uncanny sonics that befits the legend. From an eerie opening passage of flute and plucked strings, the rest of the side moves out to take in everything from murky field recording and musique concrete to shimmering drone. ‘The Tale Of Mother Red Cap’, Chatton Barker’s B-side offering, is even more brooding. Barker delivers a deep, murky sonic collage here, one which marries further twisted found sounds with moody ambiences, industrial scrapings and a general air of restless unease. It makes for a fitting soundtrack to a story which is believed to be an earthier, darker predecessor to the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale.

Droning ambiences, unsettling folk pieces and post-industrial sound collages can all be found on Folklore Tapes’ brilliantly eerie Tales Of The Monstone.