Paiva River Songs
Gold Bolus Recordings, 2026
9/10
Phil Niblock, William Hooker, Dave Soldier and David First come together for this incredible, collaborative listen where each player brings an inimitable spirit to these experimental tracks.
“Guitar, Banjo, Drums, River” opens with the sounds water alongside First’s warm guitar playing, before the well timed banjo from Solider enters amid Hooker’s frisky drums.
After a quick river solo, “Harmonica, Violin, Drums, River” recruits First's animated harmonica that suits the atmospheric violin by Solider, while “Jews Harp, Banjo, Drums, River” benefits from First’s harp prowess and a strategic meshing of banjo, drums, and river.
Further along, “Drums, River” pairs Hooker’s unpredictable drumming with the meditative sounds of running water, and “Drums, Harmonica, Violin, River” exits with the 4 noisemakers interacting with grace, exploration and wonder.
The field recordings stem from the Paiva River in Portugal in 2010 and were captured by Niblock, and they blend in superbly with the organic instruments, where a self-described “Free-Improv Americana” was fleshed out in “one take without any interruption and no overdubs”.