Category Archives: On record

Switched On – Penguin Cafe: Rain Before Seven… (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the fifth album for Penguin Cafe in their second incarnation under Arthur Jeffes. As its title perhaps implies, Rain Before Seven… is looking to reassert the band’s Englishness, while simultaneously looking to recapture the slightly whimsical and humourous approach Arthur’s dad Simon made so natural in the group’s first period. There is also a concerted effort to use more of Jeffes’ considerable percussion arsenal, drawing on objects from around the globe to give the music a cosmopolitan edge.

What’s the music like?

Arthur wholeheartedly succeeds in his aims, for Rain Before Seven…is a fine piece of work and one that will frequently make its listener smile.

There is a wide-eyed innocence to the strings that come into Galahad, while Re Budd relocates to the Caribbean with an accurate evocation of steelpans. Goldfinch Yodel takes on the air of a country dance, while the more serious Might Be Something becomes a heartfelt reflection.

Does it all work?

Yes. Richly scored and packed with melodic content, this is an album with a great deal for the listener to enjoy.

Is it recommended?

It is – and while the other four albums under Arthur Jeffes have been successful, this goes the extra mile for colour and flair. The best modern Penguin Cafe album yet.

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Switched On – Rone: L(oo)ping (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Rone has always been an artist keen to try new things, but even he baulked slightly at the prospect of working with an orchestra. This was in part due to an inferiority complex that he felt, ‘in relation to scholarly music’.

Helping him bridge the perceived divide was arranger Romain Allender, a fan of Rone’s music and a skilled accomplice with composer Alexandre Desplat. The two started working together in 2017, a partnership that culminated with this project enlisting the Orchestre national de Lyon and conductor Dirk Brossé

On it they reimagine carefully chosen parts of Rone’s electronic discography for orchestra, discovering the transition between the two to be surprisingly seamless.

What’s the music like?

Full of drama. This is a really impressive project, one that retains the immediate thrill of Rone’s music but does a great job in bringing out its previously unheard orchestral elements.

The arrangements are imaginative, using the orchestra to their full potential, in a way that brings out all the melodies but also generates impressive momentum.

New track Ghosts is very atmospheric, a piece of big screen imagination brought to life, while (OO) gains really impressive power, its orchestral concept fully realised. Room With A View goes a step further, incisive strings driving forward to thrilling effect before a piano comes through to lead the melody. Chaos reigns towards the end as all the forces gather.

Does it all work?

It does. A consistently imaginative partnership that reaps rewards and presents a new side to Rone’s music. No tired re-hashes here!

Is it recommended?

Yes – and it rewards repeated listening.

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Switched On – Arthur Oskan: Generation Loss EP (Endurance Asteroid)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After a number of years away from music, Arthur Oskan is getting his hands warm again. This is the second EP to mark his return, a duo of extended tracks that mark something of a change in direction.

Under the restrictions of the pandemic, Oskan took a deep dive into modular synthesis, putting together a carefully constructed sound reflecting his response to isolation.

What’s the music like?

This is music that takes the listener somewhere else. The first track, Adult Themes, has a hypnotic figure that starts at a measured pace and timbre. Gradually the tones sharpen and the energy heightens, a controlled piece of moody instrumental music that proves highly effective in setting the scene. Balancing this is the reflective Maybe Tomorrow, its softly pulsing undercarriage supporting the brighter tones above, which become lighter and float away like wisps of cloud.

Both pieces are instrumentals without drums, but the cross-rhythmic currents create plenty of interest.

Does it all work?

It does. Oskan has made two subtle pieces of ambient music here that calm the head but also provide it with positive energy.

Is it recommended?

It is – with hopefully more to come in this vein of writing from Oskan.

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On Record – M-Ward: Supernatural Thing (ANTI-)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Portland singer-songwriter Matthew Ward is not yet 50, yet he has already racked up 12 solo albums in a prolific musical career. These are alongside his work as part of She & Him (with Zooey Deschanel), not to mention his Monsters Of Folk project.

The spirit of collaboration is prominent here too, for Supernatural Thing includes two tracks made with Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit, and a track each with Scott McMicken, Neko Case and Gabriel Kahane, Jim James and Kelly Pratt, and last but not least Shovels and Rope).

The album title is inspired by a childhood thought that radio airwaves are also used by messages from the supernatural – with music caught up in the crossfire. Ultimately the radio element is the crucial factor, celebrated here.

What’s the music like?

Winsome. Ward puts his listener at ease right from the amiable guitar strumming of Lifeline, the mood enhanced by his sotto voce delivery.

That’s not to say there is a lack of emotion here, however, and in the collaborations especially he finds poignant lyrical couplets and yearning harmonies. The husk of his tone fuses rather beautifully with First Aid Kit’s sharper insights, and in Too Young To Die they have made a song to stop the listener in their tracks. The more upbeat Engine 5 taps into the album’s theme, entreating the listener to “stay with me on the radio”.

Jim James and Kelly Pratt join for a late Bowie cover, I Can’t Give Everything Away taken from the Blackstar album, and fashioned with an appropriately doleful saxophone solo. Meanwhile Scott McMicken joins for a breezy, upbeat New Kerrang. Dedication Hour, with Neko Case and Gabriel Kahane, is enjoyably woozy.

It’s easy to sing along with or harmonise the solo songs, too, with the title track a prime example. Story Of An Artist, with which the album closes, is a reflective, softly voiced crooner.

Does it all work?

It does – the album hangs together really well, and its changing perspectives give it the feel of a radio program, which was almost certainly the intention.

Is it recommended?

It is. M. Ward’s output is remarkably consistent, and this is a strong addition to the discography. A breezy summer album, too!

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Switched On – Seelenluft: Magic Never Dies (Champion Bunny Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Seelenluft is the name by which the Swiss producer Beat Solèr is known to legions of electronic music listeners. The Zurich-born artist has a discography tracing back to the 1990s.

Solèr’s piano is the instrument taking centre stage for Magic Never Dies, though he is keen to surround it with a rich production of analogue instruments as well as electronics. With that in mind he has revisited his film music legacy and sourced string arrangements with the SIF309 Symphony Orchestra of Sofia.

What’s the music like?

Warm and inviting. The opening strains of the title track beckon the listener in, the live arrangements giving extra life to the subtle grooves teased out by Solèr. There are persuasive piano lines, mellow flute textures and curvy string figures – all in accompaniment to Lou Vahou’s vocal.

Vahou shares vocals with Komi Togbonou, who brings sonorous layered harmonies to Come Holy Spirit, a smoky cut with its roots in the jazz club. Toys Toys Toys is another story entirely, Togbonou flexing his vocals over a springy piano riff. The instrumental tracks are if anything even more appealing. Why Is Everybody So Full Of Love is beautifully arranged, textures seemingly glinting in the late sunshine – but Ride The Pram and Nest suggest that Solèr has been listening to and enjoying the music of Debussy, but adding his own slant to things. Homecoming has a lovely, slightly nostalgic feel for signing off.

Does it all work?

Mostly. The vocals might be an acquired taste for some, but Solèr’s arrangements are consistently fresh and rewarding, and invite the mind to wander.

Is it recommended?

Yes – something different for a summer evening’s listening.

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