THE CAT BOX QUARTET

is the alias Marc Kellaway uses for his poppier acoustic-oriented electronica. As opposed to the rock/noise he makes with Vinyl Dog Joy, the drone stuff with Exquisite Russian Brides, the folky Tender Buttons, or improv outfit 75 Magic Tricks. Not to mention The President's Heart, or his work as a producer with Jacob Faurholt & Sweetie Pie Wilbur. He's recently scored an animated short, Bernie & Bingo, which is currently making its way through the European festival circuit.

Do not adjust your set. For while the most logical explanation for the curious melange of rhythm and melody emanating from your musical apparatus may appear to be an infestation of insects, the culprits are in fact human; one and all. This delicious blend of thumb piano, viola da gamba and melodica may sound as though it’s orchestrated by a chamber ensemble of centipede, daddy long-legs, grasshopper and locust, but it’s actually the work of Copenhagen-based multi-instrumentalist Marc Kellaway and his cohorts, otherwise known as the Cat Box Quartet.

And what a heady noise they make. Those looking for comparisons may nod towards the childlike, ambient textures of Iceland’s Mum or towards Kieren Hebden’s work with Four Tet and Fridge, but the Cat Box Quartet’s fusion of magnified acoustic sounds and lazy melody is distinctly their own, a warm, organic pleasure.

Further references for rough sketching: toy gamelan, spaghetti ambient, Kim Hiorthøy, Sack & Blumm, early Mouse on Mars, Graeme Revell’s Insect Musicians, Becker & Bates at their most pastoral/psychedelic.