New music – Kennebec ft. Hemlock Ernst & Sudan Archives

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You may remember Eric Phillips, otherwise known as Kennebec, from his previous appearance on Arcana. We were rather taken by his debut album Departure, released on Night Time Stories back in 2020 – and now he returns with a sequel.

The press release paints an intriguing picture. Phillips has clearly been busy, completing second album Without Star Or Compass, due for release on 7 October. It is a collaborative piece, made with and for friends – with guests including Sudan Archives, Yazz Ahmed and Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring, aka Hemlock Ernst.

Hemlock Ernst and Sudan Archives front the album’s lead single, the urgent stream of consciousness Tall Tales, which you can experience here:

We look forward to welcoming Kennebec back with a full album review nearer release date, but for now enjoy the prequel to what should be a very fine piece of work!

Playlist: Herbert Blomstedt at 95

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by Ben Hogwood

To mark the 95th birthday of the great Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt on Monday just gone, Arcana has put together a playlist including a snapshot of some of his greatest and most enduring recordings.

They include the Fifth Symphony of Nielsen, part of a landmark cycle of the composer’s symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for Decca. Blomstedt’s recordings with that orchestra in the 1990s were notable for their sonic prowess but left some critics cold; however on revisiting his Sibelius cycle, for instance, they stand up very well. The Third Symphony is included here, as is the first Peer Gynt Suite of Grieg.

Also in the 1990s came a trio of fascinating discs lending weight to the cause of Paul Hindemith. A disc of the Mathis der Maler Symphony, the Symphonic Metamorphoses and Trauermusik was to be expected, perhaps, but the follow-ups were even more valuable – a disc of the music for Nobilissima Visione, the Konzertmusik for Brass and Strings and Der Schwanendreher, and a pairing of the Symphonia Serena and symphony from the opera Die Harmonie der Welt, included here.

Blomstedt has more recently recorded a well-received Brahms cycle with the Leipzig Gewandhaus, though prior to that recorded a fine disc of the composer’s choral works in San Francisco. With the Gewandhaus, however, he has completed his most recent release, that of Schubert’s Unfinished and Great symphonies. The former is included here. Enjoy this selection of wonderful recordings!

Switched On – A Lily: Nocturne Thunder EP (Bytes)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

James Vella returns with a companion piece to his 2020 album as A Lily, Sleep Through The Storm. Where that record was about loneliness and coming to terms with the challenges of the modern world, Nocturne Thunder is built as a more celebratory affair, dancing in the face of adversity. Its five tracks are linked, lasting around 25 minutes in all.

What’s the music like?

Ambient, but active at the same time. Vella’s music is full of primary musical colour, the dappled textures dancing on the surface as the opening track, Like Rising Smoke, takes shape. Its stately bass progression is offset by the figures up above which circle like birds in the half light. There are no drums, but still movement aplenty.

The mid and lower ranges take over for Unnatural Animals, which pulses with movement, driving forward more obviously even though still operating without the influence of a kick drum. This sonorous section promises deeper blues and more nocturnal activity, whereas To Seek Ecstasy In The Dawn brings us to the first light itself. The music gains a deeper and more obvious warmth, shimmering again in the heat haze.

Balafon Heart is an imperious sequence, beautifully judged as a slow bass and gradually shifting treble operate together, before Like A Hymn picks up momentum, light on its feet as we seem to take to the air. Consonant harmonic loops bounce off each other in Vella’s working.

The songs were built live by Vella, and it shows in their instinctive execution. His ear for structure is just right, knowing when to make the most of a mood and when to switch forwards to the next.

Does it all work?

It does. Ideally Nocturne Thunder should be experienced in one sitting, as it is effectively a short DJ set by one person on a bank of synthesizers. It is a descriptive and involving whole.

Is it recommended?

Yes – warmly so. If you have not yet heard Sleep Through The Storm then you should rectify that immediately, and by contrast if you are already familiar with Vella’s work then you will lap this one up too.

Listen and Buy

In appreciation – Monty Norman

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Today brings the sad news that the great Monty Norman has passed away, at the age of 94. His greatest gift to us, of course, will always be the James Bond theme, later arranged (but crucially not composed) by John Barry. It remains one of the most evocative and distinctive pieces of 20th century music. Here it is in all its glory:

Here, too, is the music Norman wrote for the famous scene in the Dr No film where Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) emerges from the sea, sung by Cibelle:

Switched On – Awamu Together festival

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A nod in the direction of the Awamu Together festival, due to take place over the long weekend of 29-31 July 2022. All profits from the festival go directly to the Awamu charity’s work with vulnerable women and children in Kampala, Uganda, which explains the festival hashtag, #fundraving!

Together 2022 will once again be set on a farm surrounded by the Chiltern hills, with the location made available to ticket holders nearer the time.

The line-up is tempting to say the least, with – among many others – Echaskech, BUNKR, Steve Cobby and Alucidnation all confirmed. The instruction on the festival website is to take Monday off, with appearances from Bunty & Jomotopia, The Mauskovich Dance Band, Bill Brewster, Yidah and Tom Blip all scheduled on the Sunday.

For more information, and to buy tickets, head to the festival website