The name under which Melbourne singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paddy Mann records and performs, Grand Salvo has quietly and unassumingly developed a body of work that has inspired both hardcore devotion and more recently, wider recognition, stemming from his previous album, Death. The ambitious fairytale orchestration received rave reviews from all over the country. With Soil Creatures, Grand Salvo has returned with no less scope but sits within quieter surroundings. This gorgeous set of songs revolves around delicate guitar, strings and harp along with other added nuances that confirms Mann’s master touch in arranging. By turns whimsical, wistful and wanting, Soil Creatures beds down in the elemental things of life – the physical and spiritual – that play on memory as well as time’s fading ways and what grows in place of what’s lost in its cycle. It has a filmic sensibility with lyrics that border on free-association with its imagery, ultimately forming crystal clear connections between the everyday and the divine. Featured on Soil Creatures is the long-time vocal foil in Grand Salvo, Luluc’s Zoe Randell, and cellist Jessica Venables (Jessica Says, Sly Hats). Yet again with Soil Creatures, Grand Salvo has engaged a depth of feeling to a most unique and affecting level. It’s another affirmation of a true talent in Australia. (Label info)