MARC ALMOND – SHADOWS AND REFLECTIONS (BMG)
In his 60th year, Almond brings us a collection of covers, various musical styles and personas, all set to a grand orchestra. There’s a flamboyency about this record that brings out the theatricality of the man but at times it can be a little unoriginal, flat and over the top.
The album opens with the instrumental composition, ‘Overture’; surreal, dreamy strings and harps with sirenic female vocals, which introduce the jumpy title track but which unfortunately doesn’t live up to expectation. However, the following song, Billy Fury’s ‘I’m Lost Without You’, recovers things slightly, forming part of a brokenhearted theme running through the album. Burt Bacharach song ‘Blue On Blue’ has a mesmerising, serene halluginogenic catchiness.
After the equally sirenic ‘Interlude’, the second half of the album resumes featuring ‘Not For Me’ – which starts minimally with keyboard beats and ends multi-instrumentally – ‘All Thoughts Of Time’ and the lounge styled ‘The Shadow Of Your Smile’. This record isn’t Almond’s finest work and could appear a bit lazy, but there’s still an applaudable amount of musicianship on it worth listening to.
‘Shadows and Reflections’ is available now on CD and digitally.
© Ayisha Khan.
BARRY ADAMSON – LOVE SICK DICK EP (CENTRAL CONTROL)
arry Adamson returns with his eighth extended play, his first since 1998’s ‘Can’t Get Loose’ and following on from last year’s studio album , ‘Know Where To Run’.
A departure from last year’s record, ‘Love Sick Dick’ opens on ‘I Got Clothes’; an electro-jazz fusion with heavy, rumbling drum beats. Then the throbbing, cybertronic lament of ‘Sweet Misery’ is contrasted by the more typical Adamson soulful keyboard blues of ‘People Like Us’.
The second half of the release contains the stripped down ‘On Golden Square’, which allows Adamson’s vocals to excel amongst cautious, pacey self-reassurance. ‘They Walk Among Us’ brings electronic distinction to the forefront, providing a backdrop to Adamson’s ominous voiceover that differs from previous darker tracks like last year’s ‘Cine City’. The release ends on the thickly pasted keys and electronic manipulations of ‘One Hot Mess’.
‘Love Sick Dick’ is available now on CD, vinyl and digitally.
© Ayisha Khan.
WIRE – SILVER/LEAD (PINKFLAG)
In the 40th year of the release of their debut album ‘Pink Flag’ and to coincide with their first ever live show, Wire return with their 15th studio album following on from 2015’s eponymous record. ‘Playing Harp For The Fishes’ is a slow churning, quiet noise track sung by bass player Graham Lewis, who performs lead vocals on a total of three tracks on the album. It makes way for the contrasting ‘Short Elevated Period’; more typical high paced Wire, reminiscent of their last album and extremely catchy. Third track ‘Diamonds In Cups’ features lead guitarist Colin Newman’s layering effects.
The rhythmic ‘Sonic Lens’ has a neon fusion of sound as the title suggests, while ‘This Time’ has a slowed down guitar element of ‘Short Elevated Period’, sung by Lewis. The album ends on the lucid calm of ‘Sleep On The Wing’ and short title track ‘Silver/Lead’, with its metallic string plucking. The record showcases a forward thinking Wire; not too quick to over-exert themselves and establishing more dimensional depth and pace than ever before.
‘Silver/Lead’ is available now on CD, vinyl and digitally.
© Ayisha Khan.