Tag Archives: Domino

On Record – Julia Holter: Something In The Room She Moves (Domino)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The title of Julia Holter’s sixth album appears to be a play on words from The Beatles’ song Sometimes…but there is no reason to suggest that in the accompanying press release.

Instead the title could be more a reference to motherhood, and the birth of her daughter – as well as the presence of loved ones lost. What is certainly present is Holter’s physical connection with music, and a sense of being in the moment – rather than looking back in a dreamlike state as some of her work has done. As she says, “It’s about being in the passionate state of making something: being in that moment, and what is that moment?”

What’s the music like?

Something…has an experimental feel, and does on occasional feel like a dream sequence, experienced out of the body. This being Holter, there is melody at its core – and a strong inner power, experienced on the heady opening trio. Sun Girl, These Morning and the title track are rich in colour, Holter’s soft vocal matched by dappled textures, an agile flute part and – on the latter – a moving saxophone solo.

Most striking of all is the song Spinning, which starts like a misfiring record turntable, but establishes itself as a highly distinctive track. The backing is a kind of oblique waltz, the foil for Holter’s vocal, a mixture of powerful singing and conversational asides.

Ocean is both beatless and bottomless, as its title suggests it should be – with upper melodic lines bringing a new age feel to the surface. Talking To The Whisper has similar depths but with beats added – and connections that feel primal, in and around the flurries of flute and percussion. Who Brings Me offers calm and contemplation, closing thoughts in the company of clarinet and rich synthesized sound.

Does it all work?

It does – but because this is complex music, several listens are recommended to get the most from Holter’s music, revealing more of its extraordinary layers.

Is it recommended?

It is – a characteristically intense addition to Julia Holter’s output, music that makes strong physical and emotional connections with its listener.

For fans of… Julianna Barwick, Laurel Halo, Joanna Newsom

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Published post no.2,140 – Saturday 6 April 2024

Switched On – Austra: Swan Song (Original Score) (Domino)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

It comes as no surprise to learn that Katie ‘Austra’ Stelmanis had her first experience performing in the orchestra pit for Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, performed by the National Ballet of Canada in 1990.

Since then her distinctive voice has been one of the standout elements in the music of her band, Austra, who have made a name for their distinctive electronica, a satisfying mix of pop and 80s-inspired electronica.

Now, though, she turns her attention to solo concerns with a lo-fi set-up. Tasked with setting the musical scene to Swan Song, a feature documentary immersing viewers inside The National Ballet of Canada in its new production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, she decided to use a single synth, a mellotron and – of course – her voice.

What’s the music like?

‘Ethereal’ is an overused word in writing about music, but it really does apply to Katie Stelmanis and her voice, which she uses to great effect here. It floats on the air in the opening Karen’s Theme, accompanied by the graceful synth lines, responding to the ebb and flow of the dancers. The themes are beautifully characterised, and Stelmanis often uses softly voiced arpeggios on the synth (a Juno-106) to depict the rise and fall of the dancers.

Genevieve’s Theme and Shae’s Theme are relatively muffled but attractively scored, while Siphe’s Theme has a lovely mottled presentation. Robart gives contrast, with gurgling electronics, as do Move To The Theatre and Curtain Call, each dressed with a beautiful vocalise.

The mellotron comes into its own for Corps de Ballet, and with its twisting line gives a good representation of a dancer maintaining their poise. The main number is Bow, whose minimal ideas and probing motif are subtly moving.

Stelmanis’ use of the Tchaikovsky themes is subtle and very clever, leaving an original score whose inspiration sits beneath the surface but has a lasting impact.

Does it all work?

It does. By their nature these soundtracks can be quite fragmented but the sequence here is very satisfying, with some lovely sounds and colours.

Is it recommended?

It is. If you like Austra as a band you won’t need any persuading, though you might be surprised at the extent to which Katie Stelmanis allows her imagination to blossom in what is a striking piece of work.

For fans of… Gazelle Twin, Julia Holter, Laurel Halo

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Published post no.2,103 – Thursday 29 February 2024

Switched On: Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset in Dub (Domino)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom revisit their 2022 album Reset in the company of dub royalty, producer Adrian Sherwood. Sherwood took the album through his On-U Sound studios in the company of musicians Doug Wimbisch and Skip McDonald.

Panda Bear (aka Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox) and Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) wrote the original downtempo album with strong Caribbean influences, and Kember spoke of how Jamaican rocksteady played a big part in his thinking for the original Reset album. When the opportunity for a dub album arose he immediately thought of Sherwood.

The artistic respect is mutual, as Sherwood himself is a fan of Animal Collective. He describes how they wanted to keep “all the elements of trippy fun, but with added menace, groove and an ultra-active mix for the ‘heads’.

What’s the music like?

Rather special – and in some cases it transports the listener overseas almost immediately. That much is clear from the lead single Edge Of The Edge, where the sighing motif sounds like the tide lapping gently at the shore. Elsewhere Sherwood gives us a mind-expanding treat, whether attending to the saxophone sound on Gettin’ To The Point Dub or overseeing a healthy dose of funk to the mix for Everyday Dub. There is a lovely breezy disposition to this music, especially in the likes of In My Body Dub and the dreamy piano of Go On Dub, where the wide open textures complement Panda Bear’s rounded tones.

Danger Dub is especially good, firing up a quicker tempo, while Whirlpool Dub is full of cleverly worked sonic displacements. Livin’ In The After Dub has a folksy melody with a harmonica which gets the Sherwood reverb treatment, the drums setting us in a woozy fireside spot. Perhaps the best is saved for last, Everything’s Been Leading To This Dub an epic production, booming low vocals twinned with glittering guitar and bright brass.

Does it all work?

It does – effortlessly so. This is music that creates its own hot weather, and the stripped back approach works a treat. So too does Sherwood’s instinct on when to throw the perspectives wide open or bring them up close, using Lennox’s voice to its full potential.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically – but only on the assumption that you’ve already purchased the original album!

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On Record – Shirley Collins: Archangel Hill (Domino)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

At the age of 87, one of Britain’s national musical treasures continues her 21st century renaissance. Folk music queen Shirley Collins lost the use of her voice to the condition of dysphonia for 37 years, haunted by the end of her marriage to Ashley Hutchings.

In the last eight years her recovery has been crowned by the release of two fine albums for the Domino label – Lodestar and Heart’s Ease – and renewed interest in her writing. She has literally rediscovered her voice – and Archangel Hill continues that convalescence as a love letter to her home county of Sussex.

What’s the music like?

This is folk music as it is meant to function – simple yet deeply moving, music that tells the story of a deep-rooted tradition. Collins is a reverent custodian of the music she has chosen here, and even the new compositions sound as if they have been around for a long time.

As a vocalist, she is in her best shape ever. Collins’ voice is like a beautifully aged tree, proud to show its age and revealing all the different layers of a life which, while difficult, can still be said to have been well-lived.

Along the way she pays tribute to her late sister Dolly, with a profound rendition of Fare Thee Well My Dearest Dear and Lost In A Wood. Her storytelling is peerless, able to shade the pictures exquisitely as she moves from the outward looking The Captain With The Whiskers to the relative darkness of Oakham Poachers.

Along the way she has sterling support from her regular troupe of musical collaborators, who have the chance to come into their own for the sparky instrumentals June Apple and Swaggering Boney. Offering a contrast to these are some moments of deeply strange and enchanting music, such as those found in High And Away, a new song telling the story of Collins’ meeting with Arkansas singer Almeda Riddle.

Does it all work?

It does. Collins sings with great instinct and subtle power, bringing her message across with great clarity. The cover picture, a painting of the local landmark Archangel Hill – otherwise known as Caburn – is the icing on the cake.

Is it recommended?

Yes, wholeheartedly. Shirley Collins is an artist we should treasure, one who holds the key to some incredibly important British musical traditions. The glint she still has in her eye would suggest that even now she has more to give.

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You can listen to clips from Archangel Hill and explore purchase options on the Domino website

On Record – James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Second Hand Orchestra: The Great White Sea Eagle

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

James Yorkston had no plans for a sequel to his 2021 album with The Second Hand Orchestra – but on writing new songs on his piano, and sharing them with the orchestra’s leader Karl-Jonas Winqvist, they realised the opportunity was ripe for a guest singer to enhance the music – and Winqvist suggested The Cardigans’ singer Nina Persson.

The pairing operated in relatively relaxed conditions, with no overriding concept other than the wish to sing a collection of folk-based songs. The orchestral parts are fresh, semi-improvised by the players on the day of recording.

What’s the music like?

This is a joyous collaboration, one that finds the singers and musicians finishing each other’s sentences as though they have been working together all their lives.

Both Yorkston and Persson are natural storytellers, and from Nina’s first verse on Sam and Jeanie McGreagor, the listener hangs on each tale and musical nuance. As the album progresses we get to know their vulnerable sides, but also some touches of light humour, the two singers bouncing off each other’s musical qualities. Try Mary and you will see how well their voices are matched.

There are singalong refrains in a lot of the songs, with the communal Peter Paulo Van Der Heyden a favourite, and in Keeping Up With The Grandchildren an extended guitar soliloquy to complement the vulnerable vocals. Most of the songs have the sort of childlike simplicity you might associate with folk music at its most raw, but the arrangements can propel these through unexpectedly complex forms, as they do in The Heavy Lyric Police.

As for The Second Hand Orchestra, their fresh contributions are beautifully delivered – notably the violin in An Upturned Crab, and Karl-Jonas Winqvist ensures total respect for the lyrical material throughout, moving from a single, plaintive instrument to the full force of an orchestra rich with woodwind colour.

“This is the time”, they sing on the winsome Hold Out For Love – the most wonderful, singalong moment, where everything is suddenly right with the world.

Does it all work?

Yes – mostly because the collaboration is so unforced, and the music making relaxed. That shouldn’t, however, be mistaken for complacency, for both singers deliver deeply felt songs, their voices ideally matched. The orchestrations are beautiful and consistently rewarding.

Is it recommended?

It is – an ideal match of musicians from the northern territories, doing what they do best – and clearly enjoying it immensely.

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