Underwurld Music: November 2011

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

2011 Music Chart - November

New albums this month from Kate Bush: the wonderful 50 Words For Snow, and the equally beguiling Florence And The Machine's Ceremonials.

Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
A Creature I Don't Know by Laura Marling
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai
Slave Ambient by The War On Drugs
Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams
Last Night On Earth by Noah And The Whale
Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
Belong by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
50 Words For Snow by Kate Bush
Ceremonials by Florence & The Machine
Passenger by Lisa Hannigan
Sky Full Of Holes by Fountains Of Wayne
Virtue by Emmy The Great
The Big Roar by The Joy Formidable
Blood Pressures by The Kills
Velociraptor! by Kasabian
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Diamond Mine by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
Destroyed by Moby
John Wesley Harding by Thea Gilmore
Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
Gracious Tide Take Me Home by Lanterns On The Lake
Close-Up: Volume 3, States Of Being by Suzanne Vega
Bruiser by The Duke Spirit
The King Of Limbs by Radiohead
Silesia by Jeniferever
Ritual by White Lies
Paradise by Slow Club
Fishin' For Woos by Bowling For Soup
The Fool by Warpaint
Buffalo by The Phoenix Foundation
Metals by Feist
Young Pilgrim by Charlie Simpson
Wasting Light by Foo Fighters

Thea Gilmore - Angels In The Abattoir (November 2011)

This month's feast of sound from Thea Gilmore to all her lovely Angels In The Abattoir is a cover of Mark Knopfler's Piper To The End. Thea original had a new song ready but 'technical issues' got in the way so we will have to wait for that. Anyway... this appears on the documentary Victor that was broadcast by the BBC earlier this month.

Thea says "It just so happens that Mark is a very good friend of the guy who wrote the novel 'Victor'.. a lovely man called Rick Stroud.. so imagine the sweat on Nigels brow when he realised that his guitar solo would be under the scrutiny of the Knopfler himself! Luckily, word came back that he loved our version.. and he was also pretty busy playing support to.. err, Bob someone at the time so all was fine!"

It's a great version that is true to the original and Nigel is superb.

Also Thea appeared on The Andrew Marr show... very brief but see it here...

Saturday, 26 November 2011

Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (Album Review 2011)

There has been much talk recently about the death of the album. Kate Bush herself has spoken about this and like many musicians seems willing to accept the changing face of music. But on the evidence of 50 Words For Snow she is not giving up on the format that has shaped the musical world for generations. And six years is an unusually short amount of time to wait for new material. Ignoring the recent Director’s Cut, an album that failed more than it succeeded but Bush deemed necessary to move forward, 2005’s Ariel is still a fascinating and relevant work. It put the blessed songstress back into our hearts.

As you might expect, 50 Words For Snow is a concept album that should, ideally, be listened to in its entirety while allowing individual songs to stand on their own. This is not a continuous narrative set to music. This is not an opera. This is not Mars Volta or Coheed & Cambria. In spite of a theme to bring it all together, this is not bound by it. Kate Bush lets the album breath; to take on a life of its own.

Opener Snowflake is magnificent and easily the best thing Kate Bush has done for decades. A duet with her son Albert, the song explores the concept of coming into a complex world as unique and beautiful object. A subtle and well-judged production provides a gentle touch so that the drama is never overstated. Everything that Kate Bush does has a complexity that isn’t obvious, especially after a first listen. The music surrounding Lake Tahoe is a great example of this. A gorgeous arrangement. To complete a start worthy of any Kate Bush album, Misty is another masterpiece and a modern adult take on The Snowman. Kate’s love affair with the snow is overtly described in lines such as “he is melting in my hand” and “the sheets are soaking”. Bush’s voice moves from naïve innocent to present day earthy rasp over the thirteen-minute duration, right up to the dramatic finale.

Bringing back the concept of the album, Wild Man sounds odd and disjointed as a single but is perfectly placed on the album as the central piece. Snowed In At Wheeler Street brings in Elton John in what is a deliberately showy and over-the-top performance, from both singers. We would expect (and indeed want) nothing else from either performer and the wonderful dramatic piano and crashing cymbals amplify and augment perfectly right to the end. This is pure theatre and a wonderful love song filled with emotion.

The title track, featuring the sublime tones of Stephen Fry, is very reminiscent of Lemon Jelly’s Return To Patagonia. The approach of fusing music and spoken word is not a new idea but Bush has enlisted the very best. And it works, up to a point – with Bush spurning Fry onward through the words; absurd and intriguing, the only criticism being the over-complication. Just Fry reading to a simpler backing may have worked better but everyone is allowed their moments of self-indulgence. And Kate Bush never misses the opportunity.

50 Words For Snow closes with the delicate Among Angels – a straightforward, shapeless and short (at a mere six and half minutes…) lament that is arguably the best vocal and piano on the album. Bush is deliberately sparse, controlled and evocative: “I can see angels, standing around you…They shimmer, like mirrors…”. Simply beautiful.

50 Words For Snow is proof that the album is alive and well. Taking a concept and weaving it through over an hour of music to retain a central theme and message is a fine art. The feel of the album is exquisitely judged, with deep resonant piano and voice taking centre stage and forming the body of many of the songs. This is another reinvention to compliment a changing voice and personality. Ariel may have returned Kate Bush to our hearts but 50 Words For Snow will keep her there. For a very long time.

-- CS