Finnish label Harha-askel lays some fingerpicked acoustic steel string action on us, courtesy Andy Futreal. Not being familiar with his previous work, the nicely packaged cdr serves as a fine introduction to the Cambridge UK-based guitarist. Futreal lists guitar third in his instruments played, following field recordings and wind chimes. Upon reading this and listening to the opening track, I was excited to see what tricks were up his sleeve and held high hope for a seamless integration of acoustic explorations with ?the attendant sounds of place and time?. Turns out the field recordings are mostly held at bay, occupying separate tracks, with only one brief exception. Yet no disappointments ensued following my initial discovery. Instead, this is a rather pleasing set of highly skilled (but not overly flashy) guitar work.

Futreal notes that all of his tracks are improvisations, and it?s tough not to be impressed. He clearly draws on the definition of improvisation as spontaneous composition, as the pieces here follow narrative arcs, have recurring themes, and hold together structurally quite well. His ability to take the kernel of an idea and toss it around playfully is what makes this cd mostly successful. Echoes of Jansch, Fahey and others are all present of course, but Futreal escapes the pressure of mimicry and follows his own style to its logical end. At fifteen tracks long, it?s a bit long, but he?s got something to say and it?s hard to begrudge that.

Futreal?s preferred mode on this disc is the short form, with most tracks hovering around 2 to 3 minutes, simple sketches around a basic idea. Wind chimes and field recordings emerge in the too brief track 5, but again I found myself wanting to hear the guitar brought into the mix. The great strength of Futreal lies in his ability to compose on the spot and to mine the depth of a singular idea in sketch format. Some of the melodies haunt and the playing is certainly impeccable throughout. Rather than succumbing to the need to prove himself alongside fellow travelers Harris Newman, Jack Rose, Rick Bishop, etc, Futreal seems confident enough to play simple melodies and figures without much filigree. He has an ear for the song form and his fingers convey that understanding without trying to impress through dazzling skills of proficiency. Why use more when you can achieve the same results with less?

The disc can feel like an endurance test in spots, but patience is well rewarded, as the last track, ?In the falling light?, may hold the most promise here. A near 12 minute excursion, it tips the deck to show that Futreal may have more cards in store next time around. Unlike the sketch-based approach, this is a fully realized and satisfying whole piece of music. Small plates leading up to the final course perhaps? Whatever the intent, it works. Interestingly, this final track is also the sparsest and least showy of all. It?s imbued however with a lovely resonance in the ringing of the guitar tone, and it carries an emotional weight that can only be developed with the time and space to stretch out. This is the Futreal I hope to hear more of in the future. An album?s worth of longer exploratory tracks in this mode would be a welcome next step. 8/10 -- Eric Hardiman (3 October, 2007)