Freddie B’s May selection
May 3rd, 2004 by freddie96
S M I L E
The Real Tuesday Weld: I, Lucifer (PIAS CD)
Inspired by Glen Duncan’s novel of the same name – in which the Devil discovers what it’s like to be human – this compact and witty album announces the arrival of a distinctive new talent.
That said, I know very little about Tuesday Weld aka the Clerkenwell Kid. Listening to his record, however, I can tell he’s steeped in the traditions of cabaret, torch song and musical hall, and has created a self-consciously theatrical album that sings of love, loss, hope and damnation. Weaving together romantic, melodic songs with uplifting instrumentals with a great line in early jazz samples (think Django Reinhardt), ‘I, Lucifer’ unashamedly strives to be entertaining – and succeeds.
Its signature tune is ‘The Ugly and the Beautiful’ – ‘love’s the only drug which turns the ugly into beautiful’ – which here appears twice: once in world-weary English, later in jaunty French. If you can’t stand the idea of a philosophical French ballad, this album just isn’t for you; but for my money this is a refreshingly offbeat and enjoyable record that most certainly has its heart in the right place. Heartbreak has never been more fun.
Tom Middleton: The Trip (Family Recordings, 2 x CD / 3 x LP)
A mix album is rarely a musical event these days – unless it’s a Jedi master behind the decks. Ransacking Universal’s back catalogue, with a few choice contemporary cuts thrown in for good measure, the two and a half hours of expertly sequenced music compiled here showcase Tom Middleton at his most eclectic and entertaining.
In his own words, CD1 is ‘a quick-fire house-party mash up’ that will annoy the hell out of purists. Rammed with madcap cover versions – a Latin version of ‘Smooth Operator’, an electro remix of ‘Roxanne’, Bollywood meets Michael Jackson – plus some old gems from the likes of Pigbag, Level 42 and Tom Tom Club, it sticks two fingers up at fashion in favour of stupid dancing and lots of laughs.
Those in no mood for this kind of Tomfoolery will be reassured to find that CD2 is a much more measured affair. Kicking off with a superb Ulrich Schnauss tune (‘If You’ve Never Been Away’), it travels slowly through soulful, smoochy vibes into the light jazz of easy listening – the Dudley Moore Trio and an extraordinary version of ‘Dear Prudence’ are highlights – and back out again into contemporary electronica (Shur-I-Kan, AMBA). Suffice to say it’s every bit as abundant with warmth, light, love and positive energy as only Tom can be. A truly heart-warming compilation.
R E L A X
Lambchop: Awcmon / Noyoucmon (City Slang)
It’s taken me ages to get to grips with this double album, but my belated verdict is that it contains some of Lambchop’s finest material. A lot more uptempo in parts than the ambient country of ‘Is A Woman’, this showcases Lambchop on hugely confident, comfortable form. A slimmed-down single version would be a complete knockout, but there’s much to be said for the long voyage of discovery this takes you on. As beautiful as it’s brilliant.
Victor Malloy: Lions and Tigers and Bears (Inertia CD)
An intriguing album in which lo-fi songwriting meets meticulous, offbeat production. One moment you’re listening to a bouncing ping pong ball for a beat, the next, vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Bees, Beta Band or Brian Wilson. Indeed, like those three, Victor Malloy make an art form out of self-indulgence, in which the flashes of genius make up for the lapses into inconsequence.
D A N C E
Black Grass: Black Grass (Catskills LP)
Catskills specialise in acts that effortlessly cross the dance / downtempo divide, and in Black Grass they’ve made one of their strongest discoveries yet. Ranging from the blissful basslines of ‘Going Home’ – one of my favourite downtempo anthems of recent memory – to the self-explanatory ‘Bang’, Black Grass’ s debut throws a bit of everything into its hugely energetic mix. These guys do a great line in fresh and funky tunes and here deliver some of the finest homegrown hip hop outside of Grand Central.
Normal Position: Rave Killed The Romance (Deep Water Recordings CD)
We have Deep Water to thank for Hint, and in Normal Position they’ve unearthed another eccentric English talent. Mixing lo-fi folktronica with electronic beats, ‘Rave Killed The Romance’ is wacky and whimsical, with a constant thread of schoolboyish humour running through it. The kind of thing, in other words, to be enjoyed in the afternoon sun rather than on the late-night dancefloor or quiet Sunday mornings.
T H I N K
Schneider TM: Reconfigures (Earsugar CD)
Dirk Dresselhaus, the Berliner famous for versioning The Smiths’ classic ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’, here indulges his love of reconfiguring other people’s music by producing a whole LP of such versions.
Many of the originals, however, remain pretty obscure, so thankfully this isn’t some cheesy covers project. On the contrary, all twelve tracks are united by Schneider TM’s electro-pop sound that brings together the delicacy and complexity of glitch with the squelchiness and warmth of, variously, deep house, indie, techno and R&B with a good deal of vocoder thrown in. Yes, it’s that varied.
When it’s good, it’s outstanding: his versions of Lamb’s ‘Wonder’ and Lambchop’s ‘New Cobweb Summer’ are both tremendous – indeed, his ‘Lanzarote remix’ of the latter deserves to become as well-known as Zero 7′s take on ‘Up With People’. When it’s less successful, it’s usually a case of too much intensity and not enough melody, although not knowing the originals makes this a little hard to judge. Either way, this eccentric, wilfully offbeat LP is clear evidence of a distinctive pop sensibility at work. Good fun.
Fennesz: Venice (Touch CD)
Delicately textured ambient electronica from one of pre-eminent practitioners of the genre. Don’t be fooled by the gorgeous pack-shots of Venice, though; this has a dark edge and a strong taste of melancholia. Cold and hard much of it might be, but at its best – especially ‘Transit’, with David Sylvian on vocals – its rigour and austerity is thrillingly beautiful.
S I N G L E S E L E C T I O N
Gilles Peterson Worldwide Exclusives: The Cinematic Orchestra / Nicola Conte (Talkin’ Loud 10)
For my money, no-one does pure emotion as well as the Cinematics. This beautiful, building version of ‘A Wheel Within A Wheel’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the Movie Camera LP – which is to say it will melt your heart. I’m in love.
TY: Oh You Want More (Big Dada 12) feat. Roots Manuva
What a dream package – the two Big Dadas together boosting one of TY’s big tunes into the superleague, thanks to a Bollywood-meets-Timbaland ‘refix’. The true UK urban sound: sharp lyrics, fierce production and lashings of bass.
Sia: Breathe Me / Numb (Go Beat! 10) Ulrich Schnauss / Leila mixes
Ulrich Schnauss and Leila meet Sia – definitely a brave move. Personally I feel Ulrich’s epic, icy arrangement and Leila’s spiky electronica overwhelm the vulnerability of Sia’s emotion on both tracks but there is nonetheless something oddly compelling about the transformations being wrought here. Oddity of the month.
Sketchie: Rifles of the 1900s (Lumenessence 12)
An intense fusion of electronic, cinematic and indie sensibilities – elements of Sigur Ros, Ulrich Schnauss and Slowdive are all in here somewhere – creating the soundtrack to bittersweet late night introspection and profound melancholia. Titles ‘Loner Bay Blue’ and ‘Salute to Alone’ say it all.
