Category Archives: On record

Switched On: Shida Shahabi – Living Circle (130701)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

For her second album, the Swedish-Iranian composer Shida Shahabi reaches beyond the intimacy of the piano, looking for bigger surrounds. Homes, her first album in 2018, drew acclaim for its intimacy and storytelling from the solo instrument, but this time the unhurried music has a bigger stage from which to make itself known.

What’s the music like?

Deep and meaningful. This time Shahabi operates within larger structures – two tracks push ten minutes, while two are just shy of seven. With that said, the seven tracks are effectively movements of the same suite.

Living Circle begins in meditative mood. Over a low drone, featuring scrunched up double bass parts for Gus Loxbo, a lone cello (Linnea Olsson) intones a chant of deep resonance for Kinsei. This opens out beautifully into the wide-open textures of Deep Violet Of Gold. The cello is present here too, in its rawest form, but the melodic lines reach for higher points to a backdrop of soft, cloudy textures. Gradually the backdrop cracks under the weight of white noise, and the track becomes a great whoosh of sound through which the low cello can still be heard, before reaching a remarkably powerful coda. The title track brings in softly tolling piano, over which the cello lines soar as though on the wind. The music takes slow twists and turns, telling a deeply spiritual tale.

After these two substantial tracks the music pulls back for a thoughtful meditation, beautifully managed in Aestus, which, like Deep Violet Of Gold, features the pure tones of vocalists Julia Ringdahl and Nina Kinert. Tecum is more of a portrait, shaded by electronics and a cloudy backdrop taking Shahabi’s music closer to the world of science fiction. The increasingly serrated bass tones suggest a threatening presence.

Remain is a calming response, initially with lightly brushed solo piano but with the gradual introduction of touching strings from the back to the front. To close, Tree Mountain is rich with thick ambience, one of those drones the listener can dive into, while the solitary cello intones again, recreating the atmosphere if not the same music as the start.

Does it all work?

It does – but for maximum impact listening to the whole album is recommended. An immersive listening experience is also more rewarding, either on headphones or a surround sound system, allowing Shahabi’s manipulations of perspective to cast their full spell.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Living Circle is an absorbing, compelling album that shows just how far Shida Shahabi is developing as a composer. Her music makes a lasting impression.

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Switched On: Amongst The Pigeons – Embrace The Point Of No Return (Peace & Feathers)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Two years on from Silence Will Be Assumed as Acceptance, Daniel Parsons dons the feathers once more for his fifth album under the pseudonym Amongst The Pigeons. While the excellent 2021 opus railed against the pandemic and its accompanying politics in the UK, this one charts a more personal journey.

Daniel has always been refreshingly open about the anxiety with which he has to battle on a regular basis, and armed with a weighty production arsenal he has come out all guns blazing to take it on. Alongside the writing of this album his discovery of the benefits of running means Embrace The Point Of No Return – its title inspired by a Disclosure song – has a distinctive and regular spring in its step.

What’s the music like?

This is an album that fizzes with kinetic energy, moving with purpose but enjoying the scenery on its journey too. Parsons’ knowledge of electronica past and present informs his musical moves, but that doesn’t mean his writing is derivative in any way – merely that it is economical with its abundance of inspiration. For this is a set of tracks packed with melodic content, busy rhythms and uplifting chord progressions.

Among the many highlights are Nightshade, where an excellent, slightly slower number is spiced up with Caribbean flavouring. Swipe For Latex has a cheery disposition, bright colours and distinctive earworms. The title of This Is More Than I Signed Up For suggests the point in any run where the runner is questioning why they’ve gone out in the wind and the rain, but again it is characteristically shot through with upbeat musical motifs. By contrast Who Do You Have To Go Home For? has a slightly softer centre as it answers the question.

Elswhere tracks like And Then We Dance Again and Shatter To Mend head for the middle of the floor, happy to lose themselves in musical bliss. Trespass, meanwhile, makes a successful and nippy getaway run.

As with previous albums Parsons doesn’t hang around, meaning each track, developed in his garden shed, is finished through economical means while throwing in some nice touches of humour.

Does it all work?

It certainly does. This is a wholly instrumental album, meaning the observations of Acceptance are not so immediate – but if you listen closely Embrace The Point Of No Return still has a lot to say.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. Amongst The Pigeons has proved a consistently rewarding source of beat-driven music, and it delivers in spades again here. If, like Parsons, you want to counteract anxiety or if you are a keen runner, get this as part of your soundtrack. It is a very giving companion!

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On Record – Various Artists: Glücklich VI compiled by Rainer Trüby (Compost Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After a long time on hyetas, Rainer Trüby adds a sixth instalment to his Glücklich series, celebrating Brazilian and Brazilian-flavoured music, old and new.

Trüby is a fanatical collector, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of happiness, scooping up a number of rarities and vinyl-only gems along the way. It may be two decades since the last Glücklich release, but this one draws on all the elements that made the first five volumes essential for collectors and Brazilian music devotees.

What’s the music like?

Smile-inducing. If you have collected the series to date, you will know what to expect, but for the uninitiated the music here gives an instant, uplifting fix.

If Jon Lucien’s Come With Me To Rio doesn’t get you, with its promise of ‘doing the samba when they want’, then Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone‘s breezy Stop Foolin’ Yourself will. Jean-Marc Jafet‘s Offering goes with a swing, as does Marcia Maria’s piano-fuelled Brasil Nativo.

On the cool side sit Midnight Gigolos with Brother Samba and a winsome Portuguese-language cover of Roy Ayers from Swedes A Bossa Elétrica, Sob A Luz Do Sol.

Meanwhile Trüby himself gets in on the act with a sultry remix of the Gilles Peterson project, Sonzeira‘s The Mystery Of Man.

Does it all work?

Yes. The loving attention to detail extends throughout the tracklisting and as far as the artwork, which once again links Germany and Brazil – the car being a Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976.

Is it recommended?

It is great to see Rainer Trüby picking up where he left off with this series, investing a great deal of love and devotion into the music. Because of that we get a winsome collection of music capable of bringing the sunshine to any summer.

On Record – Various Artists: Come Together: Adventures On The Indie Dancefloor 1989-1992 (Cherry Red)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

A generous 4-CD compilation from Cherry Red, billed as a celebration of the Madchester / baggy scene and the Indie-dance crossover.

If you were anywhere near Radio 1 or even Radio 5 in the early 1990s you will have known about the influence this scene had on the singles charts, but Cherry Red are looking at it from the perspective of the clubs. With that in mind the tracks here are presented unmixed and mostly in 12″ form.

What’s the music like?

This is a buoyant collection to raise many smiles among listeners who were there at the time…but will surely serve as the ideal way in to the curious first-timers.

The big hits take care of themselves – Happy Mondays‘ Step On, The Charlatans‘ Indian Rope and Stone Roses‘ Fools Gold are pure Manchester gold. That’s before you consider Inspiral Carpets, James (via the mixing desk of Andrew Weatherall) and Primal Scream (via Terry Farley)

That the scene crossed over to Ibiza is clear from the inclusion of 808 State‘s Pacific State and The Beloved’s The Sun Rising. Shoegaze classics abound too, from Chapterhouse and Spacemen 3 – or leaner, more direct efforts from the likes of Carter USM and Pop Will Eat Itself.

While it’s great to have the well known classics, the bubbles from beneath the surface are even more valuable. Lesser known names such as Paris Angels, The Wendys, Sinister Groove and New Fast Automatic Daffodils prove their worth too.

Does it all work?

It does – and the breadth of styles means that this is a collection to dip into over and over again. It also has the added value of putting overplayed radio hits back in their best context. The Mock Turtles‘ Can You Dig It? is a prime example!

Is it recommended?

Wholeheartedly. As a snapshot of a euphoric time in British music history, Come Together works an absolute treat.

Let’s Dance – Joyhauser: In Memoro (Terminal M)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After three well-received singles in Wasted, Liberty and Bassdrone, Joyhauser release their debut album. The Belgian duo have spent three years honing their craft, building a strong following underground – but now is the time to put their heads above the parapet and show their true worth.

What’s the music like?

There is some thrilling dancefloor action on In Memoro.

Leben is a powerful opening track, a brooding slower number that catches light halfway through as synth lines flicker like lightning. The coiled spring energy is emphatically released in the quickly paced LXR02, a dark chocolate number with tough beats and a strong workout for the synths.

Elsewhere the combination of minimal but probing synth lines and sharply edged beats yields plenty of rewards. Bassdrone and Liberty are both dancefloor thrillers, and each track brings something to the table.

Does it all work?

Yes. Excitement levels remain high throughout!

Is it recommended?

It is. An excellent debut that bodes well for the future.

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