Hold Onto I.D.

Description

With Hold Onto I.D., recorded between 1996 and 1997, The Shadow Ring delivered the most accessible album of their discography, while remaining true to their radical strangeness. The last vestige of a "band" format before their shift towards total abstraction, this fourth opus blends impassive spoken word, dissonant guitars, and lo-fi tinkering with unexpected bureaucratic poetry, ranging from ID cards to insurance numbers. Settled at Coombe House, Lambkin and Harris revisited their drafts with the help of Tim Goss, layering plaintive keyboards and homemade sound collages. Originally released on CD and supported by a tour with Idea Fire Company, Hold Onto I.D. remains the band's most well-known entry, mentioned by The Guardian among "Spotify's strangest albums." Reissued for the first time on vinyl, the album is part of the extensive retrospective that Blank Forms is dedicating to this cult British underground trio, active until 2002. An ideal gateway to discover one of the most singular projects on the experimental scene.