Ellis Island Sound
| Ellis Island Sound | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres |
Electronic Acoustic Folk Alternative |
| Labels | The Leaf Label |
| Associated acts |
State River Widening Phelan Sheppard The Weather Prophets Continental Film Night Balloon |
| Website | Official Website |
| Members |
Peter Astor David Sheppard |
Ellis Island Sound are an instrumental band from London, England, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Peter Astor (formerly of The Loft, The Weather Prophets) and David Sheppard (of State River Widening).
The band formed in 1996, and their music varies from electronic-tinged soundscapes to neo-Krautrock and folk and African-tinged reveries.
Astor and Sheppard have also recorded and toured together with Matador recording artists The Wisdom Of Harry, while Sheppard makes records with State River Widening and in partnership with SRW's Keiron Phelan (for The Leaf Label) and for Anglo-Spanish group, Continental Film Night (Tinhorn/Dock) amongst others.
As a duo, EIS recorded for labels including All City Chicago, Faux-Lux, Static Caravan, Warp and Island and EMI, as well as remixing for other bands, including the Manic Street Preachers single "Ocean Spray". The band released their debut album, in 2002, which was compiled from these recordings and released by Heavenly/EMI.
This was followed by a limited edition, vinyl-only mini album (Home Service released by Static Caravan in 2003). EIS regrouped to record a self-styled 'agrarian' album, The Good Seed, in 2005. Released in February 2007 on the Peacefrog Records label, it was recorded in a tiny, deconsecrated chapel in the Waveney Valley on the Suffolk/Norfolk border. The Good Seed features twenty rustic-yet-sophisticated new recordings concocted from acoustic instruments that range from parlour guitars and ukuleles to pump harmoniums, dulcimers, goat skin drums and washboards. Recorded on an arcane 8-track tape recorder, it presented a stripped down EIS, though still finds room for such instruments as stylophones, a mini-sampler, a Bentley Rhythm Ace drum machine and miscellaneous noise making devices. Josh Hillman (of the Willard Grant Conspiracy) contributed violin, viola and pedal steel.
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