the singer-sonwriting/psych/folk/pop of
Safe Home

CD (2002), CD (2005)











Now Here Rec.Safe Home : The Wide Wide World and all we know (NL,2005)****

Safe Home is a duo consisting of Esther Sprikkelman and Harry Otten. After release of some 7" singles since 2001, and one other release in 2002, this seems to be their second release. There’s a whispery delicacy and gentleness to be heard here, which usually is found with more psychfolk driven female vocalists. Belle and Sebastian might come in mind here, but this might be even closer to certain musical essences, with some deliberate pure sound and keeping-it-relatively-simpleness of effects. This means the arrangements are equally delicate (guitars, second vocals, bass, some rhythms, the tambura like buzz-e-bee, some moog and mellotron and Arp Odyssey, and occasional odd instruments like underwater guitars and oxygen guitars, electro-burble, viper fang,..). Only one song is in Dutch. Highly recommended !

Audio : "Suspended in Gaffa", "They say it"(or here or here), "After the shock"(or here), "Tell me something good", "Twilight wunderkind", "Stay awake", "Sea splits", "Skates and rays", "Shadowland"(or here), "Leda" (or hereor here or here), "Every other sigh", "Mirrorman", "Sick bones", "Houd de wacht", "Say hello to Spain"
Homepage : http://www.angelsinspace.com & http://profile.myspace.com/safehome
with label page : http://www.now-here-records.com
with entry of this release : http://www.xs4all.nl/~baytree/Angels_In_Space/widewideworld.htm
Info : http://cdbaby.com/cd/safehomeduo
Other review : http://www.wovenwheatwhispers.com/Label-Review-Safe_Home.htm
Dutch review : http://www.kindamuzik.net/artikel/11584
& http://www.fileunder.nl/archives/2006/01/safe_home_the_w.php
Sunday Rec.Safe Home : You can't undo what's already undid (NL,2002)***'

Of course also their debut has similarities with some of the early '70's psychfolk items, especially thanks to the multilayered arrangements of the whispery, heavenly sweet female vocals (which sound often just exactly like Agincourt,..), while the music is more a kind of sweet acid folk pop music arranged by lots of subtle and moody guitar and some keyboard instruments (according to the notes these are Disney keys, Arp Oddesey, acoustic guitar, fender telecaster, wah-wah guitar, Guild M80, cycle guitars, Welsh harmonium, electric organ, mellotron, electric piano, reed organ, grumblebox, spacestepper, electro-burble, Gibson, squisher, violin guitars, space glide guitar, clean guitar, tough guitars, underwater guitar, slide guitar, bass) with a handful of other instruments (egg, African hair-drum, didgeridoo, heartbeats, tape sections, wind sheet, glockenspiel, plonks, plinks, foot and feedback board). All songs are in English except one in Dutch.

Just "Ricket's Revenge" is a bit different, an instrumental with repetitive softpsych pattern. All other tracks are into the original dreamy sweetness.

Recommended !!

Audio : "Travel In Time", "Moortown Bluebay","Slow Girl"(or here), "Birthday","Star Of A Holiday","Boots",
"Next Time On The Back Of A Goose", "Moortown Bluebay"
More audio : http://www.mp3.com/albums/537805/summary.html
Info : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/safehome
Info on group : http://mysticalbeast.blogspot.com/2005/08/so-its-come-to-this.html
Homepage : http://www.angelsinspace.com & http://profile.myspace.com/safehome
Label webpage : http://www.sundayrecords.com/
Other review : http://www.tonevendor.com/item/6053
Dutch review : http://www.thinksmall.nl/recensies.php?id=117
go back to psychfolkpop review page 4
or go back the psychedelicfolk index
or go back to the general index