by Ben Hogwood, with text lifted from the press release
Pye Corner Audio has announced a forthcoming new album, More Songs About The Sun, due for release on June 19. His second studio album for Sonic Cathedral is a sequel of sorts to 2022’s acclaimed Let’s Emerge!
The first single, Cycle, is out now on all digital platforms and you can watch the video here:
“Cycle is probably the most direct ‘pop’ song that I’ve written,” explains Pye Corner Audio, aka Martin Jenkins, of the track, which was teased on last week’s vernal equinox and is released today, just ahead of the start of British Summer Time this weekend.
It’s an instant hit of sunshine, the portentous synth intro soon giving way to an indie-dance banger with a rare outing on vocals by Martin and added shoegaze / psych guitars from his sometime Sonic Cathedral labelmate (and Ride / Oasis member) Andy Bell.
You can watch the video below, and also listen / purchase on Bandcamp:
In which the Hot Chip frontman and vocalist Alexis Taylor completes his seventh solo album, this time casting the musical net far and wide with the help of good friend Nicolas Godin, one half of Air.
Nicolas and son Pablo share studio duties on an album whose collaborators also include The Avalanches and Étienne de Crécy, Lola Kirke and, perhaps most strikingly, Scritti Politti mastermind Green Gartside.
What’s the music like?
Given Taylor’s distinctive voice, a lot of the music is instantly recognisable when it comes to the author, but the stylistic departures from Hot Chip’s successful blueprint of soulful club house are frequent and on occasion daring.
These are some of the most emotive songs yet that Alexis has committed to record, especially Colombia, where he moves through bitter regret, and For A Toy, where he asks, “Why do I keep on fucking up the only thing I have ever loved?” There is always wry humour within arm’s reach, though, and in this particular song he is helped by the pure tones of Pale Blue’s Elizabeth Wright.
Elswhere the mood is much more positive, and mp3s Can Make You Cry, On A Whim, the successful hook-up with Gartside, and the outstanding Out Of Phase, with Lola Kirke, all hit the spot. A brave and wholly successful cover of The Rolling Stones‘ Wild Horses shows a vulnerable side, while The Avalanches and Étienne de Crécy fuel dancefloor happiness on I Can Feel Your Love.
Does it all work?
Mostly – and very enjoyably. Taylor really pushes himself creatively, and clearly enjoys doing so.
Is it recommended?
Yes, very much so – Hot Chip fans will love it, and the way in which Alexis Taylor crosses stylistic boundaries with creative freedom is a cause for celebration. Not many vocalists would be this brave, or this successful in their endeavours!
Mike Cadoo returns as Dryft with his fifth album under the moniker, a mere 26 years after he started with Cell.
This is a follow up to From Stasis, released five years ago, and in the words of the press release we find Cadoo “presenting crisper, more immediate compositions”.
What’s the music like?
A compelling mixture of bold beats and dense yet beautifully ambient musical material.
Cadoo has a really strong sense of timing, knowing when to push forward with energetic rhythm tracks and equally when to introduce a weightless keyboard breakdown, without compromising forward momentum.
There is a great deal going on throughout Particle, but with Cadoo’s pacing the likes of Actacrume work especially well, this track dropping a piledriving rhythm just over two and a half minutes in.
Bentithrum is superb, adding weighty beats of concrete to its floated keyboard lines, while Particle itself is a magnificently brooding track, its big beats and expansive soundscape the ideal match. Low Fixture is great, too, with big musical boots on the ground.
Does it all work?
It does – Cadoo’s music evolves consistently and readily, with free inspiration, but remains an ambient listen in spite of some of its sharply pointed beats.
Is it recommended?
Yes, enthusiastically – with the caveat that you really should investigate the other four Dryft albums. This spacey treat goes a long way.
Recorded 17-19 April 2024 at St Silas’ Church, Kentish Town, London
Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse
What’s the story?
Toccata Classics continues its exploration of Naresh Sohal (1939-2018) with this release of four of his string quartets, admirably rendered by the Piatti Quartet to make an illuminating overview of Sohal’s musical language from across the greater part of his composing career.
What’s the music like?
Although he attracted most attention in his lifetime for his often expansive orchestral works, Sohal wrote widely for chamber media and not least string quartet. This medium brought his intended amalgam of Indian and European facets into acute focus though, typical of one who from the start approached the Western Tradition head on, there is nothing anecdotal let alone tokenistic about Sohal’s idiom which, as these quartets amply confirm, is unified stylistically and remains consistent as it heads toward the formal and expressive clarity of his final pieces.
At the time of his first quartet, Chiaroscuro II (its predecessor for brass quintet is on Heritage HTGCD122-3 – review to follow), Sohal was exploring an overtly avant-garde idiom evident through diverse and starkly contrasted techniques given focus by climactic cadenzas on cello then first violin – prior to its final evanescing into silence. Likewise in a single movement of 15 minutes, the Third Quartet could not be more different in aesthetic. Initially heard against an insistent drone from second violin and viola, its ideas emerge as demonstrable variants on what went before such that its animated central section then its inward continuation are made part of an indivisible process. This only makes those over-emphatic closing chords the more jarring, as though the work’s ultimate resolution had to be stated rather than just insinuated.
The remaining works, both with three movements and each lasting around 20 minutes, might be thought even closer to tradition yet, as so often with Sohal, matters are never this concrete. Thus the Fourth Quartet’s initial movement alternates its impetuous and ruminative themes to purposeful effect, then its central Moderato balances eloquence and introspection with a poise as makes this the likely highlight of the album; the final Allegro channelling motifs previously heard towards its satisfying denouement. The Fifth Quartet manipulates form and expression even more deftly, the Allegretto’s incisive yet never unyielding rhythmic verve duly matched by the Adagio’s melodic richness or the final Allegro’s contrapuntal dexterity on the way to a decisive close. Both of these pieces abound in quartet writing as unaffected as it is masterful.
Does it all work?
Indeed it does. Whether conceived as a single span or separate movements, the musical range of these pieces is a constant source of fascination. Even more surprising is that the Fourth and Fifth Quartets are only now receiving their first hearing, but it would be hard to imagine more committed advocacy than from the Piatti Quartet, which has taken this music to its collective heart. Hopefully these pieces will now find greater exposure in recital, as the importance of Sohal’s legacy becomes evident and its relevance to the present more widely acknowledged.
Is it recommended?
Indeed it is. Sound is almost ideal, while Utsyo Charraborty’s overview is complemented by a biographical note from Suddhaseel Sen and Janet Swinney. Hopefully the Second Quartet and the brief Awakening (soprano and string quartet) feature on a further release from this source.
Wexford Festival Opera announces that one of the world’s most acclaimed operatic tenors, Joseph Calleja, will return to the Wexford stage for the Festival’s 75th Anniversary season, running from 15 – 31 October 2026. The Maltese tenor first graced the Wexford stage in 1998 at the age of 20, at the start of his illustrious career. Calleja will perform the role of Osaka in Mascagni’s Iris on 15, 23, 28 and 31 October, and will also feature in the Festival’s fundraising gala on 17 October alongside fellow opera superstars Ermonela Jaho, Daniela Barcellona, and Giorgi Manoshvili.
The fundraising gala concert, Cróí na Féile (The Heart of the Festival) – takes place at the National Opera House, Wexford, on Saturday 17 October. In what is expected to be a highlight of the 75th season, Ermonela Jaho, Daniela Barcellona, Joseph Calleja, and Giorgi Manoshvili will join forces with the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, conducted by Daniele Callegari (who first conducted at Wexford Festival Opera in 1998), to perform music by Puccini, Verdi and more.
In Irish, ‘Croí na Féile’ translates to The Heart of Festival (or The Heart of Generosity). It is a phrase used to describe a place, or a person, with a generous heart and represents the warm and welcoming spirit of Wexford that has always been central to the Festival’s identity.
Here, Ermonela Jaho shares her Wexford Festival Opera story:
Ermonela Jaho said: “My first time in Wexford was in 1999. Performing at the Festival felt truly significant. It was an extraordinary school for me, not only as an artist but also as a human being. Many great opera singers had taken their first steps there. Becoming part of that artistic family was very meaningful to me.”
In this video, Joseph Calleja shares his Wexford story:
Commenting on his return to Wexford Festival Opera Joseph Calleja said: “My Wexford story started in 1998 when I was 20 years old and just one year into my professional career. The impact of Wexford Festival Opera on my career has been massive. It is an incredible platform and has been the launchpad for so many great careers. I’m so looking forward to returning this year for the concert, and also to perform on the main stage in Mascagni’s Iris. Come and watch the stars of the next 10, 20, 30 years. See you there.”
Furthermore, we are delighted to announce 14 distinguished Ambassadors who will champion this landmark year. From legendary singers to visionary directors, these artists represent a ‘who’s who’ of the global opera world and share a connection to the Festival. They will champion this milestone year and celebrate the Festival’s unique mission of presenting forgotten or rarely performed works. The Ambassadors are Juan Diego Flórez, Joseph Calleja, Ermonela Jaho, Sinead Campbell Wallace, Claudia Boyle, Mariangela Sicilia, Celine Byrne, Daniela Barcellona, Aigul Akhmetshina, Paula Murrihy, Giorgi Manoshvili, Michele Mariotti, David Pountney, and Damiano Michieletto. Some Ambassadors credit the Festival as being the springboard for their global careers, having first graced our stages before going on to conquer the world’s greatest opera houses. We are honoured to have their support as they share why this milestone year is simply unmissable.
The 75th Wexford Festival Opera will run from 15 – 31 October 2026. Priority booking opens for Friends of the Festival on 22 April with general booking opening on 6 May. Full programme will be available on wexfordopera.com from 26 March.
Wexford Festival Opera would like to acknowledge and thank The Arts Council, Wexford County Council, Fáilte Ireland/Ireland’s Ancient East and the Festival’s Friends, Sponsors, and Donors for their invaluable and continued support.
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