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"When I first listened to the music of Spiro, I thought it was really different. The sounds that hit you first are sounds that you are familiar with; they sound folky, but once you start listening to the music and how it's composed you hear elements of systems music - people like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, dance music. All sorts of musical influences are woven into this very contemporary music. I think this is soulful music, passionate music and I love it." - Peter Gabriel
They might bear the tools of the folk musician and be partial to the odd traditional tune, but Spiro have closer affinities to the worlds of contemporary classical and dance music than they do to the folk scene. This four-piece contemporary ensemble take a meticulous approach to composition and performance, creating a sound much greater than their parts (accordion, mandolin, acoustic guitar and violin) would suggest.
Their music - as heard on Lightbox, their new album for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records - is sweeping, majestic and cinematic, marking them out as kindred spirits with Steve Reich, Michael Nyman and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It's a unified but never uniform sound, one made by four virtuosic musicians pulling in the same direction and keen to provoke an emotional response in anyone within earshot.
The number - and calibre - of people queuing to sing the praises of Spiro is surely the envy of any acoustic band going; esteemed personages beguiled by the sound of this Bristol quartet include :-
Melodies that bleed through the warp and weft as on Underland or The White hart can be breathtakingly moving....even if you don't experience them on disc, you should most definitely catch them live. Without a doubt it'll be quite a spectacle. BBC Online
Melodically inventive and emotionally compelling, this is a fantastic record. The Word
The folk scene - or rather, the experimental acoustic folk-influenced scene - is becoming increasingly sophisticated and adventurous, and Spiro are leading exponents of this new genre. The Guardian
An oddly compelling, strangely soulful music of mind and body. The Independent
Rich, moving and cunningly wrought, Lightbox offers up the purest folk. This, their long-awaited second album, will not only ensure that they finally get the attention they deserve, but is already a strong contender for best folk album of the year. Songlines.