LEICESTER BANGS

 As enigmatic titles go, “Follow The Dark As If It Were Light” is up there with the best. A Dancing Beggar is 
 Brighton based James Simmons and his latest release is a meditative collection of shimmering drones, yielding 
 piano loops, field recordings and whispered, ambient vocals. Decidedly rural, yet very modern, listening to this 
 delicate set isn’t unlike sitting in a field, absorbing the sounds of nature and life, yet effortlessly tuning into the 
 soporific buzz of overhead wires as they travel from pylon to pylon. A contemporary English landscape 
 idealized in sound.

 FUTURE SEQUENCE

 A Dancing Beggar is the moniker of Brighton based artist James Simmons. Having released a six track EP - 'How 
 They Grow', full length LP 'What We Left Behind', as well as collaborations with Franz Kirmann and Codes in the 
 Cloud, Simmons now comes to Audiobulb.

 'Follow the Dark as if it were Light' is what can be called a classic Post-Rock album, it has all the necessary 
 ingredients to be so; the prominence of a repeating guitar, the ever increasing tension brought about by the 
 rhythmic structure, even the name of the tracks and album. References such as Mogwai and Sigur Rós fit 
 perfectly. Simmons achieves a very interesting album, where he explores with sonic landscapes with a subtlety 
 and maturity. What is noticeable however, and certainly different from previous works, is the artist's focus on 
 classical drone and ambient stylings.

 There is something about the first track 'Creeping into dusk' that instantly grabbed my attention with its haunted 
 voices and string section that submerges the listener completely. This song was sounding very familiar, at first I 
 thought it could be because it reminded me of Arvo Pärt’s work, but then I made the connection and finally came 
 to the conclusion that this song could be included in Gavin Bryars' 'Sinking of the Titanic' masterpiece. Indeed, I 
 would say Creeping into Dusk is the stand-out song of the album. 'Stars Bring Us Closer', 'There is Hope Here' 
 and 'Returning' feature warming bass lines like strong undercurrents, full of euphoria and slowly resolving 
 phrases. And this is where I think Follow the Dark as if it were Light adds up to a very interesting release. The
 combination of the contemporary classical and ambient elements with the tradition of Post-Rock delivers subtle 
 treasures buried below the sonic guitar barriers, and this will, with added listenings provide a very pleasant 
 discovery of a world underneath the surface.

 FLUID RADIO

 “Follow the Dark As If It Were Light” is the second full-length for James Simmons under the A Dancing Beggar 
 moniker. Across the seven songs that make up the album Simmons resists the verse chorus structure in 
 favour of what he calls ‘adventures’…

 The album seems firmly rooted in the post-rock tradition, a tough genre to get right. But Simmons knows the 
 formula and has enough conviction in his songwriting to keep it fresh and relevant. And as far as evolution of 
 an artist goes, this one could be a contender for revelation of the year as Simmons shows growth in leaps 
 and bounds and delivers an album that lingers with the listener long after the music stops.

 From note one of “Follow the Dark…” it’s clear that this is an album of nuance and texture. Often the songs
 seem to move in layers; A layer may consist of, say, guitar and piano, rather than a single instrument. Each 
 layer seems to build on a particular melody. As a result, it’s as if each melody is a voice adding to a choir. 
 To talk about the album in terms of individual songs is near pointless as this is an album that will have you 
 listening from beginning to end each time you hit play. And in return what Simmons delivers is a moving album 
 where quality never waivers. Now, in fairness, the album does take a slight detour with “Empty Boats” which 
 doesn’t quite evolve the same way the other songs do. It has the most prominent vocal track on the album and 
 seems unsure whether it wants to be a traditional A-B pop-song or an instrumental post-rock composition. As 
 a result, what we get is something that’s stuck in between the two approaches and thus lacks direction. But 
 even that is not enough to slow the album down. 

 “Returning” and “Here Come the Wolves” are probably the best contenders for singles from the album as both 
 work as stand-alones but also serve well as microcosms of the album as a whole. Both songs are just note-
 perfect and seem to know exactly when to evolve. And each evolution, each new layer, seems to add weight 
 to the emotional thrust of the songs.

 “Follow the Dark As If It Were Light” wears its influences on its sleeve, particularly Sigur Ros and Epic45. 
 However, Simmons has a firm grasp of what he is trying to achieve with this album and has such a strong 
 sense of melody that he really does offer up something special here. As an artist Simmons has such a deep 
 well of great melodies to draw from; nonetheless, he deserves credit for being brave enough to invest so 
 many into each song. Presumably, the mastering work done by Ludovic Morin (Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes) can’t be 
 underestimated in its contribution to the evolution of the artist’s sound. None of this is to write-off Simmons 
 previous work as A Dancing Beggar, but simply to acknowledge that the scope of his vision has expanded 
 greatly. Thankfully though, his work feels as deeply personal as ever.

 HEADPHONE COMMUTE

 For my first official review in Headphone Commute’s new headquarters, I set up my gear, treated the room 
 with some books and some rugs, closed all doors, tunnels and mouths, and slipped into my meditative listening 
 place of pressure levels, frequencies, and vibrations. I used to believe in pure luck, in coincidence and in 
 serendipity. Now I just flow… I pick up my next album to review not because of this or that, but because I just 
 simply pick it up. In this spirit of unfolding events I arrive at a new album by A Dancing Beggar. Or so the story 
 goes… 

 Follow The Dark As If It Were Light is the sophomore release from James Simmons. Previously self-releasing 
 What We Left Behind (2009), the seven track followup lands on David Newman’s Audiobulb Records. Words 
 like “lush”, “ethereal”, and “atmospheric” bubble on the surface of my cranium, but instead they are subdued and
 let to rest beyond these structures known as words. Genres like “ambient”, “shoegaze”, and “post-rock” want to 
 suffocate the listener’s perceptions, slot the album in a bin, and file under a plastic label, but instead they melt 
 away, and let the music simply stream, from Simmons’ consciousness to yours.

 But if I had to classify the album, or rather add it to the playlist of my favorites, it would certainly play nicely along
 with Hammock, Slow Dancing Society, The Ideal Setback, and Bitcrush. The tracks on the album (as does the 
 output from the artists mentioned above) approach each passage with a soft palette of acoustic loops, field 
 recordings and harmony rich soundscapes, often executed with the aid of a guitar, a few effects pedals, and 
 perhaps distant soaring vocal couplet. Crashing waves, epic synths and reverberated strings – each evoke a 
 feeling of euphoric bliss, a sun ray’s kiss, a late night summer breeze. Musical poetry in the making, unfolding on 
 the stage of life. And through these notes a deep and profound connection is made between a messenger and a 
 receiver. That is the power of music.

 LOOP

 The forest and the sea on the art cover are two landscapes that fit perfectly with the music of A Dancing Beggar
 aka James Simmons, a UK-based artist who releases his second album after “What We Left Behind” LP and the 
 six-track EP “How They Grow”. “Follow the Dark As If It Were Light” display soundscapes made out of shimmering 
 guitars, field recordings, piano loops, soft vocals and drones. This is the structure for an ambient composition 
 which spreads a delicate atmosphere.

 WHISPERIN & HOLLERIN

 This is a record had me reaching for my Thesaurus to look up synonyms for the word 'shimmering'. I found 
 'glimmery'; 'glistening' and 'glowing' which would also fit as alternative words to describe the luminous effect 
 of the album's drone based ambience. Anyone who reveres the music of artists such as Grouper, Stars of 
 the Lid and Ólafur Arnalds will know the everywhere and nowhere place these sounds come from.

 A Dancing Beggar is the solo project of UK based James Simmons who uses homemade samples, wordless 
 vocals and treated guitar or piano but who allows none of these sounds to dominate.

 The record was mixed and mastered at the Sound Dept. London by Ludovic Morin whose track record includes 
 work with artists like Beirut, Fleet Foxes and Sigur Rós.

 The album title suggests an affirmative 'feel the fear but do it anyway' message perhaps mindful of the fact that, 
 all too often, these kinds of meandering instrumentals unjustly dismissed as melancholic downers. The title of 
 one of the tracks - There Is Hope Here - supports this theory.

 Simmons' previous releases, an EP How They Grow and an LP What We Left Behind, featured more traditional 
 guitar or piano based pieces. 'Follow the Dark' album takes a more ambitious course in that it contains longer, 
 more abstract tunes.

 There is no obvious unifying themes. The front and back covers respectively present photographs of an 
 anonymous country scene and a stretch of stony beach. Both locations could be anywhere and they are the 
 type of snapshots most would be tempted to discard as containing nothing of interest. You could perhaps read 
 into this that beauty is always a relative concept and that the significance of places is equally personal.

 We are told that the track 'Empty Boats' is dedicated to sailors who have lost their lives at sea and that 
 'Returning' was inspired by an experience of driving home during a storm but this information hardly seems 
 crucial to the enjoyment of the music. Instead, the calm, abstract drift of the seven tracks takes you on a sonic 
 journey where the destination seems a secondary consideration. 

 The result is frequently magical and constantly shimmering.

.

 IGLOO MAGAZINE
 With a rather un-dramatic poise, this second album from A Dancing Beggar offers a shifting pattern of tranquility 
 that produces both a calming and sophisticated landscape – indefinitely mapped out and driven exclusively from an
 undercurrent of well thought out arrangements – hitting on sensitive touches, and compelling attention to detail.

 A name set to offer up a certain amount of intrigue, A Dancing Beggar is in fact the brainchild of a young UK based
 musician named James Simmons. This particular album has the added expertise of Ludovic Morin (Sigur Ros, Fleet 
 Foxes, Beirut) who is credited with the mixing and mastering of the final product. The album is fittingly titled Follow 
 Dark as if it were light quite apt for a body of work that takes a strong lead in edging towards a gentle heart 
 warming glow.

 Branded as ‘journeys rather than standard arrangements of verses and choruses,’ the mood remains serene 
 throughout, deep and reflective, utilising the intensity drawn from expanding towards field recordings, piano loops 
 and touching vocals. “Creeping into Dusk” is ever so dainty in character with a quest to exaggerate its darkened
 landscape – a forest of tranquil movements.

 Gentle piano notes graciously touch upon “Empty Boats,” almost as if it were gentle reflections and stirrings within
 the still waters itself, distant vocal colour infused with a mystic passion and a penchant for wisdom and guidance. 
 “Stars Bring Us Closer” opens out like a flower awakening during spring. With plenty of colour, there’s a closeness 
 and strong intimacy that is evident within the gentle music – blends of emotive strings, the distant like callings – all
 of which leads to a more substantial layering of subtle sounds, working in a splendid way as an effective 
 combination of such delicate emotion. It stands as one of the strongest tracks on the album. With reverb and 
 darkened piano painted in such a way, the next track, “There is Hope Here,” offers up a distinct spellbound 
 ambience. In contrast, “Returning” presents a more distorted feel – affected, with distant echo’s to give the track 
 its illusion of distance. “Forget This Place” runs to similar themes of the previous tracks, with the added feature of 
 vocal works that whisper some magic upon its fabric. “Here Come the Wolves” is the most effective track by far, 
 giving us a nice building of organ like sounds accompanied by an emotive cello and succeeding to deliver the more 
 darker tones, complemented by sacred placement of piano and a brief distant beat lost over a hill side. A beautiful 
 vocal driven melody emerges later in the track along side the piano – now developed further.

 The pace throughout does remain very unvaried – being too similar in places, utilizing only a small margin of sounds 
 and effects. There’s no unexpected drama here, or massive crescendos, and in places it can be slow on the 
 uptake. There’s also a lack of beat magic. What does have an elegant feel is the occasional use of very distant & 
 carefully crafted piano, but then it would seem this album is mainly about soaking up those peaceful moments.

 VITAL WEEKLY

 Behind the oddly named A Dancing Beggar is one twenty-three year old James Simmons. I never heard of him, 
 and despite his young age, this is already his second full length album. From what I gather from the information, 
 he comes from the post-rock background: this album is mixed and mastered by Ludovic Morin, who worked for 
 Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes and Beirut and Simons already played live alongside Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai) and 
 Epic45. Guitars are also a primary interest, it seems, for Simmons. He recorded his album at home, surrounding 
 by a bunch of effect pedals/stomp boxes, his guitar, but also a bit of piano, field recordings and even vocals. In 
 this opening ‘Creeping Into Dusk’, the listener is transported back to the shoegazedaze, staring downwards 
 while Simmons mumbles his lyrics. It kind of sets the tone for the album. The seven lengthy pieces are all of 
 similar introspective layered guitars, bits of piano and lots of the chorus pedal. Shoegazing meets ambient meets
 post rock. I thought it was a pretty fine album, although perhaps the musical genre is not entirely my cup of tea. 
 Its just occasionally listening to Sigur Ros or Mogwai: always nice, but never for too long. That can be said of 
 Simmons work too. These forty some minutes are quite nice, but then the inward staring is already enough. I am 
 not too familiar with all the ins and outs of this kind of music to judge if A Dancing Beggar is the most original 
 voice in this corner of the music world, but I must say it all sounds pretty good. 

 CYCLIC DEFROST

 Sometimes music that doesn’t adhere to a pop structure can be surprising in it’s own movements, creating in 
 itself a loose skeleton in which to support unguided passages. Others rely on their use of melody and tones to 
 create a sense of distinction between section. Then there’s others who simply drift and sprawl, paying little 
 attention to boundaries of any sort. UK native James Simmons errs to the latter on this his sophomore release, 
 offering up 7 gentle ambient based compositions which either head here nor there, loosely floating as if by their 
 own accord.

 ‘Creeping Into Dusk’ does indeed, as the name suggests, creep in, and gently casts the album adrift across its 
 expanse. From here, much of the album continues as it begins; soft, floaty, and at times in need of direction. 
 Ghostly vocals float in and out on ‘Empty Boats’, seemingly a sirens’ call adrift the oceans breeze. Wisps of 
 cymbal rolls quietly hiss, almost like the piece itself is slowly breathing. Faint morse code bleeps away in the 
 distance. There’s a deft undercurrent at play throughout, both sonically and structurally. It owes more than a 
 little to Riceboy Sleeps/Sigur Ros (in their vocal-less moments) in terms of instrumentation, and also sonically 
 taking into account the album was mixed and mastered by Ludovic Morin (Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes). Structure 
 wise, there are times when things get a little dull, as Simmons has a tendency to introduce most all melodic 
 ideas within the first 2 minutes of a piece and then lets it loop for another 5 minutes, without removing or 
 introducing any other components. That isn’t to say all is lost; the songs themselves sound beautiful, aided no 
 doubt by skillful hands in production. ‘There Is Hope Here’ sees a steady piano loop enshrouded by guitar 
 drones and loops, building up then deconstructing softly into itself. Sprawling bass tones carry much of the 
 weight on ‘Forget This Place’. Distorted wails of guitar echo through the space, but never threaten to come to
 the forefront. Everything is combined in closer ‘Here Come The Wolves’, as whirling organ tones drone, piano 
 gently tinkers, and a soft guitar plucks through a transparent choir. Strangely, upon it’s completion, I felt 
 somehow curious, as if I’d missed something. 

 Follow the Dark…… is and interesting listen, neither too safe or too dangerous. Fans of Riceboy Sleeps and 
 the like will find plenty of joy here. Everything feels very comfortable. Therein lies the problem. It’s a little TOO 
 safe. However, as his work evolves and matures in the future, I’d like to see A Dancing Beggar push further 
 into the unknown, as this feels a bit too safe. From many of the sonic ideas he presents here, I feel he has 
 more to offer. Certainly one to watch.

 SLOUCHER

 You can tell a lot of things from the artwork of A dancing beggar‘s new album, Follow the dark as if it were 
 light. Even if it looks like a peaceful meadow, the absence of wildlife (or any other colours besides green) 
 gives it a slight sense of isolation. 

 Isolation eventually leads into melancholy and through 7 tracks, we get many a different shade of melancholy. 
 Ambient sequences with synths and playful piano notes full of longing with the odd guitar thrown in for extra 
 feeling are A dancing beggar’s modus operandi.

 Some tracks even include sparse vocals, but they are processed and a little buried in the back, so they sound 
 more like the faraway lamentations of a thousand ghosts passing in the distance (‘Empty boats’). Instead of 
 rattling chains, it’s the sound of a rapidly picked guitar string that envelops those spectres, with a lonely morse 
 code S.O.S. adding to the haunting sounds.

 But let’s not be a Gloomy Gus, as there are a few rays of happiness in all these flushes of wistfulness and 
 longing. ‘There is hope here’ feels very, very optimistic, like a long warm hug that makes you feel just right after 
 a horrible day has pulled its tricks on you.

 Reverse echoes, reverberated guitars and a lot of banshee-like electronic sounds swarm us in a track as 
 innocent as ‘Returning’, a long journey that is like catching an old photograph of friends in days long gone and 
 letting the memories run like wild horses (over the hills). It’s simply amazing how the song builds layer upon layer, 
 warm as a duvet in a bitterly cold night, refreshing as a watering hole jump in a deadly hot summer night. It’s full 
 of longing, but optimistic. Optimistic would be the world to a lot of the tracks, yes.

 The overall sound of the album is thick in layers upon layers, but never getting as thick as a wall of sound 
 approach that would be more on shoegaze territory. It’s a very noisy type of ambient music (kudos to ‘Stars bring 
 us closer’ -amazing track), with enough post-rock tricks to give it a personality. Check if you want something 
 optimistic but slightly sad and introspective.

 CALEIDOSCOOP

 Bij ons in het dorp heb je een bedelaar die altijd heel vies en heel lang achtereen uit z’n neus eet. Echt alsof er hele 
 boterhammen in geprakt zitten, want hij kauwt er flink op om vervolgens zijn hand op te houden. Als hij nou nog 
 zou dansen, maar nee. Goed, dit is vast het slechtste bruggetje ooit, maar hoe kom je als 21-jarige muzikant ook op 
 een projectnaam A Dancing Beggar? In 2009 debuteert James Simmons onder die naam met zijn in eigen beheer 
 uitgebrachte cd What We Left Behind, voorafgegaan en gevolgd door een ep. Overigens kan je op geen van allen 
 dansen. Wel brengt hij fraaie, broeierige ambientachtige postrock die tot stand komt met gitaargeluiden, elektronica 
 en veldopnames. Nu, twee jaar later, is er de opvolger Follow The Dark As If It Were Light, ditmaal uitgebracht op 
 Audiobulb. De productie is in handen van Ludovic Morin, die zijn diensten eerder al heeft verleend voor Indochine, 
 Sigur Rós, Beirut, Fleet Foxes en vele anderen. Dit komt het geluid van A Dancing Beggar behoorlijk ten goede. De 
 stukken klinken voller en de details komen beter uit de verf, zonder dat de basisingrediënten nu echt gewijzigd zijn. 
 James brengt dromerige, met veldopnames gelardeerde en bovenal droefgeestige klanklandschappen, variërend 
 van 5,5 tot 9,5 minuut, die voor het overgrote deel instrumentaal zijn. Sporadisch brengt hij op de achtergrond zijn 
 falsetzang ten gehore, die de muziek extra mysterieus maakt en wel aan Sigur Rós doet denken. Hij laat op subtiele 
 wijze in zijn ambientcomposities ook shoegaze, glitch, softnoise en postrock elementen doorschemeren. Voor de 
 rest is de melancholische muziek bitterzoet vol 4ad-sferen en van een filmische pracht. Denk daarbij aan een 
 intrigerende cocktail van Yellow6, Epic45, The Boats, Eluvium en Robin Guthrie. Het zou niets voor onze lokale 
 bedelaar zijn, want je hebt bepaald niet de neiging uit je neus te gaan eten. Nee, deze zinnenstrelende muziek is 
 veeleer het neusje van de zalm voor ambient fijnproevers.

 ATTN: Magazine

 This album sounds engrossed in the very sadness it wishes to escape from. There’s a sense of utopian fantasy 
 about James Simmons’ soundscapes – angelic glimmers of guitar and piano, arriving in the most gradual and 
 caressive of tidal surges – yet they constantly feel on the verge of dissolve, threatened by a melancholy that 
 riddles each with heavy nostalgia and heartbreak, arriving in the loops of melody that trap themselves in infinite 
 cycles.

 At times, Follow The Dark As If It Were Light bears an unmistakable resemblance to Eluvium’s Talk Amongst The
 Trees – both build their pieces around the steady ascension and subsidence of gentle organic textures, and both
 seem most appropriate for pensive evening walks along the coast. In fact, my main criticism of Eluvium’s work is 
 also applicable here: A Dancing Beggar’s choices of chord and harmony can often be too obvious, and 
 regardless of their emotional significance on the artist’s part, it’s difficult to become poignantly absorbed by chord 
 sequences that have already been wrung dry by countless artists previous.

 The album’s first two pieces are the strongest of the lot. “Creeping Into Dusk” steadily introduces Simmons’ rich, 
 ambient trademark with the gentle glow of major key drone, while “Empty Boats” provokes an atmosphere that 
 slots perfectly into the desolation and neglect implied by its title – swaying woozily back and forth on gentle cymbal 
 wash, with mournful falsetto howling into infinite, sun-baked seas. Even gorgeous moments such as these are 
 tarnished with unavoidable comparisons to A Dancing Beggar’s multiple sound-alikes, but Follow The Dark As If It 
 Were Light is strong enough to place him above many of these contemporaries.

 Audiobulb Is an exploratory music label designed to support the work of innovative artists. 


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