Sudden Voices is a project led by Ben Morris, who is returning to music after a hiatus of more than fifteen years. Ben previously served time in Union Wireless, a London-based post\kraut\experimental-rock band who meandered their way through the late 1990s with a constantly evolving line-up of musicians.
A couple of albums were recorded, the first at London's renowned analogue paradise Toe Rag Studios, the second with Toby Robinson (CAN, Derek Bailey, etc). Both albums were released by Elefant Records, kindly reviewed in the music press of the day, and maybe even listened to by a few people. It was hard to tell back then.
By the early 2000s real life intervened and they had gone their separate ways, some to musical destinations as diverse as noise poetry-mongers Map 71 and folk-rock unit-shifters Bellowhead, others to "proper jobs" and overwhelmed parenthood.
Despite this Ben didn't completely abandon music and spent many of the intervening years tinkering with vintage organs and singing in choirs. This informs much of Sudden Voices' music, where chanted vocals fight for attention with repetitive grooves and acoustic instruments, combining into a warm, organic psychedelia.
Songs are written through improvisation, helping to give the songs an experimental feel without sacrificing a melodic edge or sense of coherence. Influences range from the metronomic groove of krautrock, through to the space jazz of "Bitches Brew", via a clear fondness for The Velvet Underground, Suicide, and The Fall. The results are shot through with a DIY work ethic and low-fi sensibility, as well as an ear for a good tune.
A debut album emerged in the Spring of 2023 with plans for further music in the Autumn.
“Sudden Voices is a delight... there's a depth here, nothing is ever obvious but then again, nothing is too difficult, there's a delightful flow to it all, a delight in the crafted detail, the care taken.”
Organ Thing
“Morris has used his time away from music wisely, developing and stretching out his ideas, and on Sudden Voices' self-titled debut, he executes them to great effect in what is a fine return indeed.”
Sun 13
“A fascinating mash-up of jazz sensibility with Krautrock motorik on an album that mesmerizes with repetition.”
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