Here is a bookmark for your diary – the next release from celebrated ‘archive band’ Public Service Broadcasting will be an official vehicle for their centenary tribute to the BBC, first heard at the 2022 BBC Proms.
This New Noise will be released on 8 September, a celebration of the power of radio led by the band but with a key role for the corporation’s flagship ensemble, the BBC Symphony Orchestra. They appear under the guise of arranger and conductor Jules Buckley, their Creative Artist in Association. He has an impeccable record for bringing orchestras into contact with other genres in a totally natural way, as seen in the Pete Tong Ibiza Proms and a number of excellent soul collaborations.
Here is a taster for the release, the elegant and rather moving Broadcasting House:
The enigmatic title of this EP hints at a thoughtful period in Tristan Arp’s musical output. Currently based in Mexico City, he has produced this set of five tracks that, in the words of his press release, ‘hints at timelines, lifecycles, and the shifting perspectives that come with zooming out from a human lens.’
What’sthemusiclike?
Rich in colour and detail – and almost entirely percussive. Every sound at the start of the title track originates from something being struck, either delicately – as in the hi hats – or with strong expression, as in the bongos, tuned percussion and bass. Gradually wordless voices come into view towards the end, bringing much to reward the exploratory ear.
Arp continues with his intricate, syncopated rhythm tracks, the percussion making their own melodies above fragments from elsewhere. Branching Streams definitely suggests a more watery picture,
Panspecies Rights is a busy track, a really evocative vision of ‘every life form rising up in protest’ with its urgent percussion lines. A Livable Earth works as a response, panning out for a more spacious look at things but still with the forensic, insect-like detail in the foreground.
Finally, The Language Change suggests a new language for non-human communication and does so initially with a series of short phrases and clipped sounds, before sweeping cello-like phrases suggest more expressive thoughts.
Does it all work?
It does, though you need the right environment to get the most out of Arp’s music. Make sure you are somewhere that can cover all the frequencies.
Is it recommended?
It is, as an imaginative concept and set of tunes. Once again Tristan Arp has made electronic music with both eyes on the future.
Fredfades is the name under which the versatile and well-travelled Norwegian producer Fredrik Øverlie records. With hip hop and rap on his CV, Øverlie – also an accomplished DJ – is using this album as a way of documenting his travels and some of the many musical styles he has encountered, showing off his versatility at the same time.
Caviar is his second Fredfades album, following six years after the release of Warmth. It features a number of guest vocalists.
What’sthemusiclike?
Caviar is a really strong album, packed with durable riffs, feelgood vibes and strong beats, knitted together to make a strong album that has the ideal ebb and flow.
The title track gets us underway, an accomplished poolside jam that sets the scene for a record that proves willing to look back as much as it looks forward. That much is clear in the rolling ‘90s beat of Winner, one of Øverlie’s finest moments, with its catchy vocal snippet giving it the ideal club vibe. Well, Well, Well does brilliantly in this respect too, using a riff on the glockenspiel that really stays put!
The vocal tracks are on point, too. Bendik HK brings the heat to Summer Of Love in tandem with a peak time piano riff, while Kristian Hamilton lends smokey tones to My Heart Is On The Edge. Tenerife 1994 goes deeper, Krushed Ice joining for a well-worked tribute to Pharoah Sanders that would please the likes of Kevin Yost – while the Balearic vibe is strong on Intuition, where MoRuf’s ‘you are one of a kind’ vocal makes a strong impact.
Does it all work?
It does – the proportions of each track are just right, meaning the album flows really well.
Is it recommended?
Definitely. This is an album to keep close to your ears as the summer warms up!
Gothenburg band Little Dragon have reached their seventh album, which is an extraordinary statement to make about a band who still feel so new. It only feels five minutes since their songs Twice and Test were marking them out as the next band to watch, but those songs are now fifteen years old.
Slugs Of Love finds the band in a good place, however, with Yukimi Nagano leading them in a clutch of assured new songs.
What’sthemusiclike?
There are some excellent songs on this album – some of the band’s finest, in fact. The title track finds Nagano on playful form but also shows how distinctive the band have remained in their fifteen years. Contrasting this is Glow, a profound utterance with guest Damon Albarn, a longer song that works really well and hits the emotional depths.
The band hit the heights through a number of songs. The influence of Price comes through on Frisco and Disco Dangerous, while Gold leans heavily on Whitney Houston’s Million Dollar Bill for its material. Meanwhile Kenneth is an airy yet poignant tribute to a childhood friend.
Does it all work?
Yes, thanks to consistent and inventive songwriting and music making. This is Little Dragon making excellent, left of centre pop music that knits together really well.
Is it recommended?
It is – album number seven being one of the band’s best to date.
Yesterday saw the start of the biggest festival in British classical music, the BBC Proms – broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall.
Dalia Stasevska, guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, led passionate Nordic music from Sibelius (the choral version of Finlandia with the BBC Singersand BBC Symphony Chorus, and a new arrangement of Snöfrid, narrated by actress Lesley Manville) and Grieg, whose evergreen Piano Concerto was given a new lick of paint by a wonderful interpretation from Paul Lewis.
Also featured was a Sibelian new work, Let There Be Light, from Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak – a composer definitely worth seeking out in this evidence – and the concert closed with Britten‘s Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra, with its triumphant fugal finale.
Arcana.fm 