Category Archives: On record

Various Artists – Ready Or Not: Thom Bell’s Philly Soul Arrangements & Productions 1965-1978 (Ace Records)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Ace Records’ Producer Series is looking to recognise the people behind some of the landmark records in pop music – arguing along the way that music studio personnel are not recognised in the way film directors are. They have a particularly strong point in the case of Thom Bell, whose arrangements have helped enhance a good number of Philadelphia soul hits from the 1960s and 1970s. A lot of them are still household regulars, and this compilation takes the stance of a greatest hits set in its quest to recognise Bell’s genius.

Bell, a classically trained musician, became bored with his initial three-chord efforts at songwriting – and was soon looking to bring more of his musical education into his work, with increasingly adventurous techniques and tricks. He often worked in tandem with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, but has tended to languish in the background when it comes to recognition alongside their contributions. With reference to his musical training, hiss scoring became more imaginative, transforming the songs of some of the biggest names in soul – The Stylistics, The O’Jays, Johnny Mathis and The Delfonics all beneficiaries of his touch.

What’s the music like?

Invigorating and inspiring – and a real pick me up in the current times. The fact that this series of songs is paying tribute to an arranger and orchestrator means the listener is compelled to listen beyond the lyrics – and once you do that a whole host of treasures await. The songs themselves are instantly recognisable in many cases – The O’Jays’ peerless Backstabbers, The Stylistics’ People Make The World Go Round, New York City’s I’m Doin’ Fine Now. But where would The O’Jays’ be without that distinctive rumbling on the piano that starts the track, or New York City without the punchy block brass chords – or The Stylistics without their shimmering strings?

Bell can take credit for all and more besides. Among the many highlights here are the airy orchestration to the winsome Connie Stevens song Tick Tock, the brilliant matching up of violins and bass guitar on Archie Bell & The Drells’ Here I Go Again, and the brassy Delfonics classic Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love).
Topping even these moments is the atmospheric introduction to Johnny Matthis’ Life Is A Song Worth Singing, which tells a story in itself with a swirling wind and grainy strings, the music up close and vividly personal. Meanwhile the other Delfonics inclusion, You’ve Been Untrue, benefits from Bell’s imaginative use of harpsichord and zither.

Does it all work?

Very much so. The only slight regret here is that The O’Jays’ Love Train – which Bell appears to have had a hand in – is not included. One of the finest soul songs around, it is notable for its brilliant string arrangement. To be honest, though, that is a minor quibble as all of the 23 songs chosen here are examples of how to boost a song with imaginative orchestral writing.

Is it recommended?

Yes, on several levels. Producers like Thom Bell deserve all the recognition they get and more, for what they bring to soul and pop music is so much more than mere window dressing. They are able to elevate a song from merely good to fantastic, providing those extra touches that we latch on to when the songs appear on the radio. Bell does all that and more, an imaginative mind whose rewards are rich and varied, and who enhances all of these songs.

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You can hear all the songs on this compilation in this pre-created Spotify playlist from Timo Kangas:

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You can buy Ready or Not from the Ace Records website

Switched On – Daniel Avery: Love + Light (Phantasy)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

A surprise release from Daniel Avery, Love + Light started out as an EP – but as he worked on it under lockdown it soon became clear the piece of work was flourishing into something much more substantial – which become his third album. It is an ambitious piece of work, with 14 tracks split into two distinct halves.

What’s the music like?

Every bit as mesmerising as Song For Alpha, Avery’s previous album from 2018. It doesn’t matter that he put this one together so quickly, as his mastering of an album structure is on the money, treating it like a DJ set of his own music. He nails the ebb and flow of the work, moving between full bodied dance tracks like Dusting For Smoke and the metallic textures of Dream Distortion, which complement each other, and broad brushes of ambience that we see more of in the second half, where tracks like A Story In E5 have a magical quality.

The first half is into its stride quickly with the two big hitters referred to above, before Avery creates a blissful open air secen on the brief Katana. This acts as a prelude to the bubbling, classic techno of Darlinnn, before Searing Light, Forward Motion provides an absolute blast of sound to end the first half, Avery following up the opening salvo with a heavy breakbeat.

The second half could hardly start in a better vein, with the stunning Infinite Future, which is several tracks in itself, beautifully voiced and structured. Avery explores cathedral-like resonance in the thick textures of After The Fire, before panning even further out for the remote standpoint of Into The Arms Of Stillness. Fuzzwar offers greater intimacy and comfort, as does the warm and hazy Pure Life, before A Story In E5, the jewel in the album’s crown, a majestic piece of ambience. After that, One More Morning offers a postlude with its clock-like chimes and featherweight beat, which hints at Aphex Twin in its textures.

Does it all work?

Yes – and if anything Love + Light improves with repeated hearings. Although the album was put together quickly it has a cool intensity throughout, is carefully structured and brings out several wonderful soundscapes. Avery’s take on techno is wholly individual, spacious and unusually emotive.

Is it recommended?

Without hesitation. One of the best electronic albums you’ll hear this year.

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Switched on – Bibio: Sleep On The Wing (Warp Records)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Bibio has timed this release rather well. Sleep On The Wing is essentially a short album or a long EP, depending on your view – but it is an exploration of life in the wake of a loss, as well as a study of escaping the city to find peace in the countryside. In that sense Bibio – real name Stephen WIlkinson – is uncannily reflecting what many city commuters have found during the Coronavirus lockdown period, that an extended period in the country can shift the patterns of the mind considerably.

Sleep On The Wing is a deepening of Bibio’s folk connections too, using field recordings to bring the pure sounds of the countryside into the music, but also continuing his love of acoustic instruments. It has ten tracks and lasts just under half an hour.

What’s the music like?

Blissful. If you were indeed looking for music to help you escape the city, or as a distraction from the overwhelm brought on by electronic media in recent times, then this is definitely for you.

The music feels like a carefree celebration of the countryside, respectfully done but beautifully voiced. The pastoral language is soft but never too twee, and feels as green and pleasant as the beautiful cover from Joe Giacomet.

There is a slightly woozy feel about Bibio’s vocals, and when applied to the title track they give an appealing and slightly whimsical air. On Oakmoss they complement the rich acoustic guitar lines and ruminative violin,

The instrumentals are rather lovely. The Milky Way Over Ratlinghope spins a picturesque tale with the silvery tone of a viola and treble lines that include brief reveries for flute and wordless vocal. By contrast Awpockes is led by a softly picked guitar, while A Couple Swim follows the ripples of the water with the lazy lapping of its guitar,

The field recordings add to the charm. With what sounds like a thrush singing over running water, Bibio ensures Lightspout Hollow is bursting with life, while Crocus has a murkier profile.

Does it all work?

Yes, beautifully. Bibio’s songs or instrumental threads never outstay their welcome – if anything they could easily be stretched out for at least half their length, for his compressed way of working means time is never wasted.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Sleep On The Wing gets a strong recommendation, adding to the full to bursting Bibio discography a half-hour of pastoral charm. He is a remarkably consistent producer, but even so this is up there with his best work.

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You can buy Bibio’s new release from the Warp Records website

Switched on – Ellen Allien: AurAA (BPitch Control)

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What’s the story?

Ellen Allien is riding the crest of a creative wave. AurAA is her third album in as many years, and finds her descriptive music exploring the notion of unseen energies controlling Earth.

As with much of her solo work Allien uses every instrument at her disposal, including the voice – though there are no songs as such here.

What’s the music like?

Mysterious but also affirmative. Allien’s music draws strongly from primal energy, so although the subject matter may often be unseen, she gets terrific momentum behind her music through full-bodied, four to the floor productions.

AurAA harnesses this energy quickly. After the mysterious introduction of Hello Planet Earth, In Music I Trust strips back to the basics and cranks up the tempo, hitting the dancefloor and not looking back. The pounding bass drum is a familiar companion through the album, used for strong effect on Walking In The Dark, dfgdf and Auraa itself, though the textures often pan back to reveal darkly mysterious backdrops.

Allien’s vocals are strange and otherworldly, entirely in keeping with the album’s subject matter but also complementing the dark colours from which she paints her electronic pictures. Walking In The Dark is quite creepy, its vocals transposed and used as the melody, while . That said, there are flashes of light too – as the album cover implies. Hello Planet Earth appears in its original form later in the album, and shimmers in the darkness, while Traum dances with enormously positive energy, acidic oscillations lighting up the sky.

AurAA’s nine tracks are linked together seamlessly, written in the form of a DJ set – so that the breaks between each function as dancefloor-friendly breakdowns – and the closing track, Human, offers a brooding coda in which to come down.

Does it all work?

Yes. AurAA leaves a powerful and personal impression, and the way Allien uses her vocals only heightens the intensity. As an album with a concept it works really well.

Is it recommended?

Yes – well up to the high standards Ellen Allien has consistently met in her album career to date.

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Switched on – Baths – Pop Music / False B-Sides II (Basement’s Basement)

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What’s the story?

As its name begins to imply, Pop Music / False B-Sides II is a second chance for those ideas which Will Wiesenfeld has not been able to find a home for. Until now, that is. He has been through this process once before, around the time of release of his first album as Baths, Cerulean, but here he repeats the exercise as the first release on his own new Basement’s Basement label.

The fragments Wiesenfeld has drawn together are from a wider chronological area, but the lyrics – where used – are recent.

What’s the music like?

Soft. That’s not an insult, but Wiesenfeld has a nice set of electronic colours at his disposal, creating tracks that are notable for their dappled shades, their winsome lyrical couplets and some nicely constructed rhythms.

On songs like Mikaela Corridor and Sex, Wiesenfeld sounds like a softer version of Bombay Bicycle Club, especially in the latter’s couplet ‘Is this love or is this focus’. At other times he runs closer to singer / songwriters like James Yuill in his combination of intimate productions and songs that are easy to relate to.

Immerse is a blissful beginning to the album, while Wistful (Fata Morgana) gets a nice combination of busy beats, warm textures and Wiesenfeld’s soothing vocal. Meanwhile Stomach Tile has a dreamy fusion of guitar and piano.

The most meaningful song is The Stones, a substantial piece of work with the added personal reference that Wiesenfeld’s late father loved the line ‘I still trust that men can be lovely, do what you like, but do it to me’. It is softly sung, surrounded by shimmering electronics and calming keyboards. Be That runs it close, with some beautifully layered vocals that typify the warmth of the Baths production experience.

Does it all work?

Yes. Wiesenfeld’s sound world is extremely reassuring, and on headphones the extra musical material in the middle ground brings extra layers to the songs. It is the music of a solitary mind, but looks outwards and upwards. Ultimately Wiesenfeld’s positivity shines through.

Is it recommended?

Yes – although it is not a substantial listening experience, Baths devotees will have no problem in snapping this up. Those looking for blissful late night experiences are also encouraged to follow their instincts.

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