Deep, throaty synth voices open the E.P. in a monastery of sound, melodic bottle-necked blips rain in pattering flow before a lead melodic wave snakes its way through the amalgam of the mix. The build up brews further, pressure is added to the already racing monotonous voice sound from the very beginning, now a wavering backdrop to the pitch-bending dynamics of subtle arpeggio and whistling electronic sound shafts. Calm shifts over the soundscape as the rain shower seems to cease, leaving only the representation of sparkles on the soaked surfaces of our eardrums. It's haunting, and organic in flow despite the electronic instruments, and then the sun rises.


Cutting the distortive quality out of the idea yet carrying the theme of flowy melodics, more experimental sounds make an intro for the next track. The use of rhythm begins its purpose after this abstractly joined intro, and the rain begins again but this time with a great beat behind it. The pace is upped for this punchy number, it moves around with frills of repeating melody, synthetic notations in jumpy pulses that make full use of the scale. The dancey element of Nibana comes through towards the end of this second piece, preparing us for the whole.


Echoing chimes resemble a strange clock tower in a ghost town, or maybe anywhere at the specific witching hour, and the eerie sensations drag into strange howling winds that ride some kind of digital pressure wave. The use of electronics has been taken to full advantage, it sounds as if they spent a long time choosing exactly how they wanted their notations to manifest. Slower rhythms make way for a drudge march through some thick and bass ridden sludge that eventually curls over to reveal a high pitched melody that slots between the cubist beat.


Strings make an appearance, a plucked instrument pokes through the beautiful sub-tones produced by a pipe, then the beat adds the layer of sugar that helps the flavours to fuse. More tempo is layering on as a digital repeating melody begins to float in from the calm waves to the shore-line, laden with little shells. Mysterious melodics become the focus point in the following number and some powerful pitch sweeps symbol the entrance to a high energy track. The pace remains slow but the force of the melody is substantial, pieced together from several elements, the combination is like a pounding of many intents in unison.


As an E.P. Fireside Tales is less dance orientated than the last offering, Ask The Universe, but the music has some really interesting depth which hasn't been achieved before. A listen to work of art rather than a get up and keep busy album of choice, we're treated to the musical side of this psychedelic electronic project.

​A funky jazzed up click track opens with a fruity keyboard and some worming pitches that linger for around half a minute. It warm us up, as listeners, and sets a tone of cool relaxation with a subtle kick to keep us interested. Brass fills the spaces left by anticipation and we undergo a slight transformation of sound as it swings into the intense section before falling back into itself, with a little more meat than before.


A jam session of electronic mastery means we get the old time feel with the modern benefits of studio magic. That's what this work is all about, it wants us to take it easy and let the floodgates down, it's a pleasant river of energy that tranquilly sparkles as it laps at our feet. As the second track pulls some more ethnic sounding notes from the silence, a musical laser zap pulls us to the other extreme. A bi-linear approach continues as some reggae rhythms and dub style vocal lines give another perspective to the sound experience.


The progression works into higher tempos, and the swagger is turned up to melting point as some classic brush stroke drumming matches the tone with a saxophone, including some rattles and shakers that give another exotic edge. We're in the upbeat zone but we're leaning backwards. Further into the album and the reggae styling is left to fill the mix and the sounds of other parts of the world are given a chance to lead the mix. An eastern flavour gives a layer of mysterious energy to the sway, as it dances us along with its own time, for a while.


Some acoustic guitar begins a new section and the relentlessly happy energy of the drumbeat feels like it's holding everything in place, the jam feel returns and gives the sonic library a chance to flick its pages. It means that we're entranced and kept afloat by the power of the drum, the waves of music wash over us gently. More bassy numbers end the album, and a rally of worldwide musical extravagance lends its ambient fusion as the music journeys on. We never hit the point of high energy, but the piece as a whole is full of it. A good hour long, the music continually shifts and builds on itself, without ever being the same thing twice.   

Down-tempo ambient drones craft their way around warmed up birdsong and spoken word to introduce this expedition of sound. The slow pace makes listening a pleasure, but leaves our focus available for other things. Rather than taking hold of our senses and chucking them in a room of their design we're quietly (or loudly depending) ushered along a gentle path of notation and atmosphere. Pressing down the keys of the synth for as long as possible before adapting the scope to fit something else can be boring. Luckily, that's only the half of it for Cousin Silas, as the work produced makes us pay attention and it keeps us on track.


The space-age and nouveau voice effects merge with warm fuzz to create something a little over static heavy, however this causes the music to fill out at the sides making what would be a simple note fill the space of a band. Harmonics make full use of this too, as the additions come in from different sonic perspectives, creating a dualistic layering effect that crunches through the silence in a relentless slow dance.


The unwavering push of this album could have us hypnotised and sitting staring into our coffee for the duration if we allow it, but it can also happily sit beside us while we get on with things. It takes a while for evolution of the music to make a noticeable change, and perhaps more like nature than we give it credit for, there's nothing rock and roll about this sound. WE are made to sit and wait, relax and enjoy. No discernible rhythm allows us to work and listen at a pace that sits outside the realms of music, but within the soundtrack zone.


Voice synth and eerie strings meld with each other alongside various feedback whistles that creep in from the sides. There are no missing pieces in the minimalist sound, everything is adapted to flesh out the places in which the drums or a moving melody may want to sit. Rather than the busy city, this is a placid country. In total, the room still feels naturally musical but the hectic bustle of more energetic music is left at the door.