Abiding
infatuations with Folk Rock, electronic sounds and music from my youth still
dominate my current listening.
This month’s highlights included two pink things, a prince and the next
stage of human evolution.
‘Espers
III’, Espers
This is not
as intense and inward looking as the majestic ‘Espers II’ but not much else is really. There’s more light and air in these
songs and, if that one evoked candle-lit stone chambers; this is more like a
stroll through woods and meadows.
As before, these slow to medium paced pieces feature gorgeous
melancholic folk melodies of a dying fall and Meg Baird’s tender vocals combine
beautifully with layers of predominantly acoustic instrumentation.
Whereas songs on ‘II’ tended to climax in passages of acid meltdown, here
the psychedelic element comes from fuzzy, distorted electric guitar runs
threaded throughout each piece.
Reviewers habitually liken contemporary Acid Folk bands to Fairport
Convention and it’s probably fair to say that, amongst their peers, Espers come
closest to the spirit of that band in its prime.
‘The
Marble Downs’,
Trembling Bells & Bonnie Prince Billy
I can live
without Will Oldham’s work as BPB but have a lot of time for Alt. Folk,
improvising song wranglers - Trembling Bells. Actually, this recent collaboration makes loads of
sense. If Espers epitomise grace
and poise, The Bells can tend more towards the ramshackle, uproarious and
declamatory. Their ‘more is more’
aesthetic easily absorbs Oldham’s tuneless warbling and portentousness into a
big, barmy stew. Lavinia
Blackwall’s vocal chops challenge him to raise his game in their duets whilst
Alex Neilson’s song writing reaches new levels of frankness and eccentricity.
Although TB
generally work out of a North Country folk idiom, often referring to hymns and
brass bands, this album confirms that their wider project is to discover just
what song as a form can get away with.
‘Wonky’, Orbital
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| Orbital, - Still Illuminating The Dance Floor |
It seems
that, of any musical interest group, the electronic/dance music constituency
are least tolerant of any act deemed behind the cutting edge of
fashion. After their 90s heyday,
Orbital fell foul of the apparent Moore’s Law of accelerating novelty and
diversifying sub-genres dominating the field; making this year’s enjoyable
comeback album ‘Wonky’ a brave move.
Despite
clear intentions to claim contemporary relevance, the album is misnamed. There’s little of the genuine
off-centre wonky aesthetic that held sway a couple of years ago and reworking
old favourite ‘Satan’ into the dubstepping
‘Beelzedub’ feels
like an attempt to jump the last bandwagon but one. The manic Dancehall style female vocal on the title track
also feels like mere bolt-on street cred.
What are present, however, are the things Orbital did so well
originally. ‘Wonky’ has plenty of their trademark lush,
complex, rave-friendly techno constructed from entwined layers of rhythm and
melody. If not a new blueprint,
it’s still a joy. ‘New France’ is a trancey tonic for anyone who
remembers that brief period when smiles ruled the dance floor.
‘Pink’, Four Tet
Prolific
laptop maestro Keiran Hebden’s back catalogue includes work with the band
Fridge and collaborations with Jazz drummer Steve Reid and Burial amongst
others. This latest bulletin under
his solo Four Tet alias continues his recent move away from the hideously
labelled ‘folktronic’ style toward a more dance-orientated sound. Actually, it’s a compilation of
twelve-inch releases from the last two years but works fine as an extended
listen. There is an increased
functionality to these rhythms but Hebden can still make programmed music sound
warmly hand crafted and incorporates plenty of his favourite chimes and woody
percussion. ‘Pinnacles’ is built around a jazz sample
whilst a track entitled ‘128 Harps’ will come as no surprise to Four Tet connoisseurs.
‘Ringer
EP’, Four
Tet
 |
| Kieran Hebden, Aka Four Tet |
Here’s
where Kieran Hebden’s progression towards the dance floor first became apparent in
2008. These four tracks are his most Techno releases and possibly his best
work. With a cleaner, more
polished sound than we’re used to; they refer to the ambient tradition,
Kosmische sounds and glitchy minimalism by turns. I have an impression of light dancing on water and moments
of sheer limpid beauty whilst listening to them.
‘The
Tomorrow People Theme’, Dudley Simpson
‘The
Tomorrow People’ was a sort of ITV youth rival to ‘Doctor Who’ and a favourite show of my early
teenage years. The acting was
terrible and the budget apparently very low, but I loved its weird futurism and 70s
grooviness. It had a great title
sequence with a synthesized theme second only to The Doctor’s own in my
view. This kind of stuff tends to
be appreciated by enthusiasts of the Ghost Box and Trunk labels and all
things hauntological.
'Here's Little Richard', Little Richard
 |
| The Artist Still Known As Little Richard |
You don’t
need me to tell you this is great, do you? Recorded in 1957, it includes ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’ and proves that everything we ever
really needed from Rock & Roll was there from the get-go.
‘Careful
With That Axe Eugene’, Pink Floyd
We’re so used
to associating Pink Floyd with huge spectacles, epic internal schisms and a
license to print money, that it’s easy to forget how pioneering they once were, -
and how high their standards. This
is what happens when middle class white boys get right out there. There are various recorded incarnations
of ‘CWTAE’ but I
always return to a clip of them doing it live in 1973. It’s full of atmospheric tension,
Waters sounds downright psychotic and the old cigarette in the strings stunt
and oversized Perspex drum kit just add to the magic. That's a perfect title too.
‘Procol
Harum’,
Procol Harum
 |
Procol Harum. You Just Couldn't Get Away with This Today
|
Richard Wright’s keyboard work was a vital component of early Pink Floyd and hearing it reminded me of this other band of the period with a terrific organ sound. It’s all over Procol Harum’s eponymous first album and, of course, ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, - the debut single that made their name. Although it’s totally over-played, I still love that particular anthem and it’s now packaged on the re-release of the ‘PH’, as is the equally stately ‘Homburg’.
That neither single was originally included speaks both of the band’s song writing confidence and the importance of stand-alone singles in the late 60s. The album itself is full of good stuff and demonstrates that their range included bluesy guitar work, and concert party pastiche as well as the arty solemnity they’re usually remembered for.
‘Trio
Sonatas For Organ’, J.S. Bach (Performed By Robert Quinney)
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| Johann Sebastian Pulls Out The Stops |
After all
that proggy organ work it seemed only right to revisit a possible source. Certainly, Procol Harum openly
constructed ‘AWSOP’ around a piece by Bach and many of their contemporaries had at least a
modicum of classical training.
Bach’s organ pieces sometimes sound a bit flashy and bombastic but these
are far more reflective. I
generally prefer Baroque music to that of the Classical or Romantic periods and
while Bach is sometimes disparaged for imposing Equal Temperament and a sense of
order on Western music, I always respond to the formal architecture of his
compositions.
