Tag Archives: Bella Union

On Record – C Duncan: It’s Only A Love Song (Bella Union)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Glasgow songsmith Chris Duncan moves seamlessly onto his fifth album, his second for Bella Union.

“I love the idea of something being so romantic that it almost hurts”, he says ahead of the modestly-titled opus, which is something of a family affair. Described as a ‘song suite’, it celebrates marriage with his long-term partner, but also reflects on times of stress and loss. The latter is expressed in symbolist terms on Triste Clair de Lune, where Duncan writes a “song about the moon losing a part of itself that floats down to earth, and this exquisite light being found by humans. And all the stars above lamenting the loss of this light.”

The family connection extends to his parents, both classically trained string players, who helped realise most of the lush orchestrations.

What’s the music like?

Once again, C Duncan delivers windswept pop music of the highest quality. Clearly borne of personal experience, his writing tugs at the heart strings with its powerful yearning, expressed through the beautiful soft timbres of his vocals.

This is immediately apparent in the title track, but also Lucky Today, a song of heartfelt sincerity. The sense of loss and hurt can be felt but ultimately these songs are uplifting and reach upwards in wonder, as on Sadness, where the lyric “dry those weary eyes” is set to positive melodic thoughts. Worry is an absolute beauty, softly delivered but far reaching, its harmonic shifts melting the hardest of exteriors and its multilayered vocals a true chorus of angels.

It is amazing how a song like Think About It is not a radio staple, for Duncan harnesses the best of 1980s soft rock while adding some extra twists and turns along the way, with unexpected harmonic sleights and lush orchestration. Delirium brings more urgency to the vocals, while Surface could even be a big Tim Burton show number, with its swirling chorus and textures. Duncan wraps up with iTime And Again, a twilight epilogue of serene beauty and swooning orchestral forces.

Does it all work?

It does – another volume of winsome songs, beautifully delivered.

Is it recommended?

It is, enthusiastically – but with the proviso that if you haven’t heard the music of C Duncan by now, you really should get to know it. Not just this album, but the four before it.

For fans of… The Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout, 10cc, Brian Eno

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Published post no.2,441 – Monday 10 February 2025

On Record – Laura Groves: Radio Red (Bella Union)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the first album Laura Groves has released under her own name. Previously known as Blue Roses, the singer-songwriter marked her move to the Bella Union label with a fresh album of songs recorded with multi-instrumentalist Ben Reed.

The album’s name derives from the two radio transmitting towers near where Groves’s studio is based. The track titles and lyrical content take communication as their theme, providing helpful metaphors for relationship-fuelled feelings with those close by while also noting the interference threatening those connections.

What’s the music like?

There are some beautifully written songs here. The first thing to note is the vocal delivery, for Groves has a naturally appealing voice. To use an old cliché, she could sing the phone book and hold an audience – but when the lyrical content is laden with emotion, as it is here, then the songs are even more meaningful.

Sky At Night sets an airy scene, starlit but with a lingering darkness behind the upward looking melody, which explores the very top of Groves’ range. Good Intention is similarly descriptive, with bittersweet tales of love and vulnerability that extend through the album. This track and D 4 N feature the complementary tones of Sampha, whose rounded timbre is an ideal foil, the latter a lush duet.

At times Groves bursts with positivity, but there is an undercurrent of frustration too, with missed opportunities and misunderstandings. “Can we just get on with it, I’ve got a lot to give!” she sings on I’m Not Crying. There is a strong pull to the yearning Sarah, missing its subject with the line “I hope you’re doing fine”. Time, is irresistible, its winsome melody softly delivered, while in Silver Lining the album has a dreamy coda with underlying resolve.

Does it all work?

It does. The careful shading of the production on this record gives the vocals the ideal platform from which to make maximum expression – which brings parallels with the much-loved Scottish band The Blue Nile to mind. As with them, less is most definitely more.

Is it recommended?

Yes – provided you give it time, Radio Red will have you under its spell by the third listen.

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New music – Modern Nature

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Here’s a calming video for a Saturday morning – the visual accompaniment to new music from Jack Cooper’s project Modern Nature. Enjoy Cascade, the second cut from forthcoming album No Fixed Point In Space on Bella Union next month.

Jack Cooper had this to say about the single: “Cascade is a link between the abstract colours of this record and the rhythms of the last one Island Of Noise. The imagery is an attempt to convey how overwhelming the world can be when you make the time to really observe it. Beautiful, intricate and infinite. I was honoured to be able to sing this round a microphone with the great Julie Tippetts… something I’ll never forget.”

Switched On – Creep Show: Yawning Abyss (Bella Union)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The second album from Creep Show follows five years after their debut – in which time a great deal has changed. The line-up remains the same, with John Grant the charismatic vocalist to beats and soundscapes fashioned by Wrangler – who are synth and electronics wizard Benge (Ben Edwards), Cabaret Voltaire frontman Stephen Mallinder and Phil Winter, creator of many weird and wonderful sounds for Tunng. Their 2018 debut, Mr Dynamite, is described by the four protagonists as ‘a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender’.

With so much source material for the follow-up, Yawning Abyss would seem to be all about the impending disasters seemingly awaiting the world, as well as the one big disaster – Covid – which has been with us during the period of composition.

And yet, the quartet make room for optimism. Mallinder and Grant headed to Iceland to make some unfiltered vocals, while Winter and Edwards were given the task of bringing it all together for the final cut.

What’s the music like?

Creep Show make some incredibly varied music! At times this album feels like a reflection of the times in which we live, being wildly unpreditable and disfunctional, but then at other turns with an elegance and poise that shows the craft with which it was made.

The two immediate stand-out tracks are Moneyback, with a brilliant couplet from John Grant (“You want your money back? I don’t think so!”) and then the madcap Yahtzee!, which pretty much sums up the state of play in the media at the moment! Sitting on the more elegant side is Bungalow with a mellifluous and stately vocal, while Stephen Mallinder excels up front on Matinee.

Does it all work?

It does – assuming you have the bandwidth to accommodate the wide range of styles on offer!

Is it recommended?

Yes. While sometimes far from easy listening, Yawning Abyss is very much an album for our times.

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Switched On – Liela Moss: Internal Working Model (Bella Union)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Former Duke Spirit vocalist Liela Moss has big plans for her third solo album. Co-written with her partner Toby Butler, Internal Working Model sees her ‘imagining a tribe, navigating away from our very centralized culture, dismantling it and revising the way I think things work’.

Central to her principles are the idea of cooperation rather than competition, and the idea that we should be speaking out more against global manipulators, greed and corruption. To that end, her and Butler chose a more upfront, electronic sound than she has used previously, and also some notable guests – Gary Numan, The Savages’ Jehnny Beth and Dhani Harrison.

What’s the music like?

Sticking to its brief, Internal Working Model presents a bold musical language. Moss is a compelling vocalist, taking charge from the outset and making her points with poise and conviction.

Empathy Files is a very strong opener, both musically and lyrically, with a sinister undertone as the chorus notes, “We’ve got data for miles on you”. Another standout song is Vanishing Shadows, where Moss and Gary Numan have a compelling frisson between the voices, not to mention a standout chorus. Ache In The Middle presents stronger tones of regret (“I could have been so happy, there would have been peace”), while the preceding The Wall From The Floor also speaks with anguished tones. “I can’t tell the wall from the floor any more”, she sings.

The drums play a bit part on Internal Working Model, adding power to Come And Find Me and ballast to the final call to arms, Love As Hard As You Can. With guest Dhani Harrison, Moss signs off on a high, looking to the future with renewed optimism and a steely gaze.

Does it all work?

Largely. Moss has a powerful message to bring, and delivers it with wholly convincing vocals. The electro production has bags of attitude too. On occasion more distinctive melodies would be welcome in the songs, to match the fine production.

Is it recommended?

Yes. As a statement of intent, and a rousing call for the start of a new year, Internal Working Model is a resolute piece of work. Moss is a compelling singer, a voice pushing to be heard.

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