Album Review: LTO – The Number From Which All Things Come

Bristol based musician LTO has released his debut album ‘The Number From Which All Things Come’ the title refers to the numerology of the number 10, 10 was described by Agrippa (an ancient Roman occult writer) as a complete figure marking the full course of life, he also attributed the number to a sense of totality and end achievement……for those who were wondering…..ok……let’s move on

If like me you’re always up for a bit of info behind the sound production on the album LTO has a few surprises beyond the norm of what we have come to expect from many producers, Hardware, software, real instruments and found sounds, just a few elements included are the sound of an old MIDI controller’s sliding faders, the Berlin subway, degraded modular synths, a trampoline, a traditional Celtic Bodhran, the 2012 Olympics construction site, a trumpet, the strings of a dilapidated piano and an 808 beat augmented with………crumpling paper, intrigued? you’d be a fool not to be.

It’s one of those albums I’m a sucker for, between the rhythmic sections and melodies are an array of captivating sounds both abstract and experimental. Lets not label the music but it leans more towards listeners who seek out audio experiences and not just straight forward compositions and presets dominating the music. A very organic feel runs throughout the album, the use of found and twisted sounds help take any synthetic edge down leaving a natural home grown sound.

Track to check: Ninth – Like a beautiful memory on loop

Also interesting to note is the album contains tracks which were created recently while others have been developed from early sketches from as far back as a decade ago when LTO was part of Old Apparatus (a collaboration with Asher Levitas)

Enough from me, have a listen..

Digital track listing:

1. Again
2. Revive
3. Bodhran
4. One Girl
5. Awaken
6. One Again
7. Tweleven
8. Nights
9. Ninth
10. Nimal

Vinyl tracklisting vinyl (7 tracks on vinyl + free dl code of full 10 tracks):

1. Again
2. Revive
3. Bodhran
4. One Girl
5. Awaken
6. One Again
7. Ninth

Out now on Sullen Tone records: Vinyl and download

The Sullen Tone back catalogue is now available at sullentone.bandcamp.com, including both digital and vinyl formats, as well as limited edition prints and T-shirts.