The music of Part Timer has a rare kind of stillness and beauty, an ambientpastoral folk that evokes sunshine glistening through dew on a cold wintersmorning. His music is the antidote to bluster, an opportunity to step away fromthe noise and freneticism of daily life and sink into a world of stately simplicity. Itmoves along like a gentle exhale of breath, a lush, sublime, shimmering beauty,evolving slowly, the gentle strumming of guitar, low organ drones, melodica,glockenspiel, ukulele or tin whistles, allowing together like a hushed whisperdesigned solely for your ears. Then there's these understated electronic flourishesthat skitter around the edges, an earthy organic form of digitalia thatoccasionally provides a certain textural density to the tunes, like a frequencybeamed in from afar.Part Timer is the alias of John McCaffrey, a Northern Englander now based inMelbourne Australia. He's amassed a slew of releases for UK's Moteer & Mobeerlabel, Under the Spire, and Japan's Flau respectively, whilst also releasing twoalbums of electronica in his duo Clickits with Jonny Russell. Yet Real to Reel is anunmistakable progression in his craft. Recorded over the last few years it's lessbeat orientated than it's predecessors, a suite of loose rustling electro organicsoundscapes, over which the likes of Nicola Hodgkinson from Leeds three pieceEmpress, Melbourne songstress Heidi Elva (who also contributes harp), andJohn's wife Danielle intone gracefully. In fact there's a greater balance of vocalto instrumental pieces than ever before. He also enlists extraordinary Kansasbased artist Aaron Martin who contributes mournful cello, providing additionalgravity to McCaffrey's introspective musings.Using Spanish field recordings, a bass drum sound from a battered water tank,and what sounds like the signature arsenal of house hold contraptions we cometo expect from Part Timer, Real to Reel actively plays upon the process ofcapturing the real world on a recording medium. McCaffrey talks of the role ofrecorded media in supplanting 'real' memories. Like having a memory fromwhen you're a kid, but being unsure whether you actually remember it, orwhether it's because you've always seen that photo in your parents album.Ultimately Real to Reel is music for waiting, for opening up time and creatingspace, allowing the listener to enjoy each delicate gesture, each subtle movement.It's gorgeous drifting music, thirteen mesmerizing pieces that offer agentle emotion laden respite from the bustle and bluster of daily life.