Category Archives: On record

On Record – Hayden Thorpe – Ness (Domino)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

For his third solo album, Hayden Thorpe has relocated. Until now the former Wild Beasts singer has been closely linked with his home town of Kendal, but, having fallen under the spell of Robert Macfarlane’s book Ness, he felt compelled to write an album about it.

Ness is effectively a portrait of Orford Ness, just down the Suffolk coast from Aldeburgh. A deeply mysterious place, it is a shingle spit used by the Ministry of Defence for weapons development during both World Wars and the Cold War. As the work died out so the place has returned to the wild, and was acquired by the National Trust to aid that very purpose.

It remains a deeply mysterious place, and Macfarlane’s book, aided by the illustrations of Stanley Donwood, brought it to eerie life in print form. Thorpe aims to do the same in music, using a process of redaction to bring Macfarlane’s text to life.

What’s the music like?

In a word, striking.

Thorpe’s voice continues to be the main instrument in his music, a versatile tenor capable of a full-bodied falsetto but also with a soft lower range. Yet here it is joined by an imaginative body of instruments led by Jack McNeill’s clarinet, with which the voice often dovetails, and beautiful choral arrangements from Kerry Andrew. Added to these are instruments fashioned from Orford Ness itself, including the ominous sound of an orchestral bass drum, whose tread brings dread to The Green Chapel.

Robert Macfarlane’s words are gripping. “Listen. Listen now. Listen to Ness!”, goes the text at the start of They, one of several gender-themed songs at the album’s heart, along with She and He. All three are perfectly suited to Thorpe’s voice, which effectively removes the separation between the human and natural worlds, while channelling the half light so effectively found by bands such as Talk Talk.

Does it all work?

It does – and rewards greater time spent with the music, as every contour of the area is brought to life.

Is it recommended?

It is. Hayden Thorpe’s portrait of Ness is a fascinating and compelling experience, one to hear in the context of Benjamin Britten’s music that profiles Aldeburgh in such a vivid way. Thorpe brings every fascinating and ghastly element of Ness to the table, in music of great presence and character.

For fans of… Talk Talk, Brian Eno, Erland Cooper, Benjamin Britten

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,343 – Saturday 26 October 2024

On Record – Various Artists: Shapes 25 (Tru Thoughts)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Since 1999, Brighton’s Tru Thoughts label have produced an annual Shapes compilation, showcasing the best of the label while offering rarities and remixes. As a way in to their output it has been consistently rewarding, while fans have the chance to expand their collections with the new music on offer.

The 25th instalment from label head Robert Luis stays true to the program, split into two parts. The first offers a taste of soul, downtempo and jazz releases, while part two heads to the club for some dancefloor action.

What’s the music like?

Typically varied and vibrant.

It feels right for Luis to start with Bonobo, the zither adding colour to Terrapin – taken from his debut album Animal Magic that the label released in 2001. Quantic is another essential inclusion, and Look Around The Corner has the irresistible combination his production quality and Alice Russell’s wonderful vocals. Nostalgia 77’s Cheney Lane is a highlight, as are The Bamboos, Kylie Auldist a guest on their breezy I Don’t Wanna Stop. Meanwhile Steven Bamidele’s enchanting Kaleidoscope is complemented by a smoky groove from the Hidden Orchestra’s Spoken.

Two extended mixes in the centre of the compilation are both winners – Obas Nenor’s loping dub remix of Sefi Zisling’s The Sky Sings, and Hot 8 Brass Band’s Sexual Healing cover, a triumph that you surely will have heard by now.

Quantic whips up another treat with Furthest Moment, before Omar & Zed Bias’s irresistible Dancing, featuring Fox. Tiawa’s Soldiers is a lovely bit of funk, while hazy sunshine pokes through in STR4TA’s warm remix of Anushka’s Bad Weather. Magic Drum Orchestra bring the carnival with Ragga Samba, Ebi Soda goes left field with Yoshi Orange, then the king of dubstep Zed Bias saves one of the best cuts until last with his remix of Sandunes’ Follow Me.

Does it all work?

It does – Shapes 25 catches the essence of Tru Thoughts, a huge range of colourful music.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. If by some freak of nature you’ve not heard the music of Tru Thoughts yet, this is the ideal place to start. Be prepared for a long journey of wonderful discoveries!

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,335 – Friday 18 October 2024

On Record – Neil Cowley Trio – Entity (Hide Inside Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After seven years of solo work, Neil Cowley has reunited with his trio. The motivation was a need for ‘connection’ in the digital age, for while Cowley has enjoyed a good deal of success in his solo ventures, collaborating with the likes of Ben Lukas Boysen, Maribou State and Rival Consoles, he missed the personal and musical synchronization with his partners, bassist Rex Horan and drummer Evan Jenkins.

Their live reunion in June was met with great acclaim – but Entity is the result of a week-long studio reunion. Cowley prepared for this with pre recorded synth and drum parts to play along too, but those were soon jettisoned, in the name of what he describes as ‘some kind of human push back’.

The week-long session took place at Real World, with production from Ethan Johns.

What’s the music like?

Instinctive and vibrant, just as Cowley would surely have wanted. The musicianship here is remarkable, but all the more satisfying for the chemistry between the members of the trio, who know when to press forward musically but also – crucially – when to pull back and allow room for development.

Cowley’s flowing piano in V&A is particularly beautiful, as it is on Shoot – where Horan and Jenkins add especially persuasive rhythms. Marble begins in serene fashion, an example of how Cowley can bring stately phrasing to his piano work – while at other times it becomes humourous and mischievous.

Father Daughter has a distinctive melody that sticks, while Brood and Photo Box are more conversational, the latter on a more intimate scale. Meanwhile the playful Adam Alphabet, with a lithe rhythm section, is irresistible.

Does it all work?

It does – and joyously so. Sometimes reducing the time you have in the studio brings positive results, and that is definitely the case here – for the innate understanding between Cowley, Horan and Jenkins is clear.

Is it recommended?

It is – no need to hesitate if you have bought the trio’s previous albums, and equally a great place to start if you’re new or know Cowley through his solo work. A timely reminder that while technology is great for music, you can’t beat human interaction.

For fans of… GoGo Penguin, Portico Quartet, Tord Gustavsen Trio

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Published post no.2,322 – Saturday 5 October 2024

On Record – Laurence Pike – The Undreamt-of Centre (The Leaf Label)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The idea of composing a requiem for voices, drums and electronics has sat with Australian percussionist Laurence Pike for some time. Having explored the ‘processes and ecstatic outcomes of rituals’ on the Holy Spring album of 2019, he became more and more interested in applying contemporary instrumentation to an ancient religious form.

The death of his father-in-law in July 2021, in the middle of another Covid lockdown in Sydney, brought a prolonged period of sombre reflection for Pike, along with the well-documented environmental disasters in his homeland. With a new-found appreciation for nature, inspired by his wife’s late father, Pike resolved to write the requiem. For inspiration on the text he turned from the Latin text usually associated with requiem to the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, and in particular his Sonnets to Orpheus – inspired by the classical Greek myth.

What’s the music like?

Both striking and moving. Pike has always shown great invention in his writing, whether in a solo capacity or as a third of the excellent Szun Waves, but here he goes above and beyond.

In his use of percussion the listener can link to Japanese ambient music, while the choral writing is a blend of the ancient – Allegri’s Miserere, perhaps, heard most explicitly in the apex of the Introit – and more modern and rarefied Estonian works for choir.

All these come together on the thrilling Mountains Of The Heart section, a remarkable sequence of energetic drumming and high, held notes from the choir that take the music to the air. This is music of immense power and energy, but it is balanced with thoughtful asides and reflective moments that give the listener space. Universal Forces and All Is Distance are two such sections, intense meditations where Pike also uses the mysterious effect of quarter tones.

Eurydice is a profound, piano-led instrumental, laced with percussive counterpoint and field recordings that complement rather than intrude. This leads to the Requiem Aeternam itself, a combination of stasis (the wordless choir) and movement (percussion), with electronics also intoning a melody of ancient origin. It is an intense song without words.

Does it all work?

It does – and an immense amount of credit should go to the performers, not least the Vox Sydney Philharmonia Choir, the twelve singers who take on any challenge thrown at them. Pike’s drumming has immense power at times

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. Laurence Pike has made something very special here, a piece of music that contrasts moments of great energy and contemplation. The Undreamt-of Centre is very much an album for our times.

For fans of… Tonu Korvits, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, Philip Glass

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Published post no.2,311 – Tuesday 24 September 2024

On Record – Erland Cooper: Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence (Mercury KX)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is no ordinary album. In 2021, having made a recording of his new extended work for violin and string orchestra, Erland Cooper destroyed all digital evidence of its existence, then buried the sole surviving analogue tape in the Orkney soil. The significance of his decision to return the recording to earth lay in its subject matter, for Carve The Runes was written to mark the centenary of Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown. Cooper grew up near Brown’s house, and his voice could be heard on the new recording, giving it a keen sense of time and location.

In 2022, the surviving tape was found, exhumed and restored, the surviving recording transferred – warts and all – to digital. Bearing the indelible imprint of the Orkney soil, it was now a historical relic, and we hear the very earth on the retouched recording, carefully restored and timed for the September equinox.

What’s the music like?

Cooper’s most substantial piece yet is effectively a concerto, beautifully essayed by violinist Daniel Pioro, with support from the Studio Collective. It is bisected by timely interventions from Mackay Brown, his profound verses matched by the intensity of the writing for strings. Pioro commands the piece, which is based on small, folk-based motifs, but grows to become a work of intense meaning.

The earth makes its contribution too, though the music is actually incredibly well preserved. When there are layers of distortion, or the music becomes muffled, the effect is akin to hearing a piece of old vinyl, and creates moments of charm and ruffled appeal.

This is open air music, the violin on the wing for much of the half-hour duration, while the strings – often earthbound – provided an anchor of musical surety and poise.

Does it all work?

It does. Cooper has the measure of this work’s structure, and it peaks at just the right spot – with a phrase whose telling melodic turn burns into the consciousness. It is an ambitious piece, but one that works..

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. Carve The Runes…is a remarkable document of time and place, and with Mackay Brown’s verses it has a great deal of profound meaning within its confines. It is Erland Cooper’s finest work to date, offering further evidence of his ability to communicate through pictorial music – in the way the best classical music can.

For fans of… Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds, Hauschka, Thomas Newman

Listen and Buy

You can explore purchase options at the Mercury KX shop, and you can listen on Tidal below:

Published post no.2,310 – Monday 23 September 2024