It’s been six difficult years since 2015’s Vestigium, the last recording from the long-established collaboration of vocalist/songwriter Julie Tippetts and multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer. Despite the practical and emotional struggles of the Covid pandemic and, especially, the passing of Julie’s husband Keith, somehow the pair have managed to create a typically ambitious double album maintaining the high-resolution sonic quality that distinguished their previous work.

Themed around the world of the circus and fairground, the Illusion suite on the first disc is a continuum of linked songs that range from the free-falling 'Chances' to the breezily almost-poppish 'Magic Man' and the gospel-hinting 'Turning It Around'. The latter sparkles with Charlotte Keeffe’s trumpet and Corey Mwamba’s rippling vibes, while poignant lyrics sketch the bewilderment of bereavement. The second album, Circle of Whispers, is even more wide- ranging sonically across its 13 tracks, with two compact vocal/piano duets jointly composed with Laura Cole and a brace of collaborations with Nick Robinson’s acoustic guitar set among sprawling mini-epics like 'Elephant Rider' and the frenetic electronic torrents of 'Blade Juggler'. The crafted way the production draws on the JTMA Ensemble’s large pool of instruments and players recalls Carla Bley’s richly imaginative Escalator Over The Hill and the fulsome ensemble work of the Working Week collective – to both of which Tippetts contributed, of course. The resulting weave of musical texture and atmosphere provides a series of evocative settings to Tippetts’ lyrics, sometimes mystical, sometimes surreal, always poetically theatrical.

The continuity of the whole, however, derives from the strong musical personalities at its core: Archer’s vocabulary of electronics and keyboards and Tippett’s equally eclectic repertoire of vocal style run together through both albums with the respectful sympatico that gave their earlier recordings such character. It comes through in the playfully abstract 'Less', the shape-shifting 'Trapeze' and the swampy coda to 'Movin’ On' but reaches an astonishing pitch for the exquisite 'Between Mountains', a haunting ballad featuring Julie Tippets' voice at its most spine-tinglingly beautiful. This is a big listen, not to be shuffled, but the satisfying richness of the music makes it well deserving of the attention it demands.