Jazz

The Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftops (1985)

20/08/2010
By Chris Wright
The Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftops (1985)

From the days when waistbands were high and trousers voluminous; as close to perfection as a debut album has ever been, ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’ launched one of the most meticulous recording careers in rock. Not uncommon for ten years or more to elapse between releases, yet each album maintains the implausibly high...
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Posted in Blue Nile, Funk, Hipsway, Jazz, Prefab Sprout, Rock, Scritti Politti, The Associates, The The | Comments Off

Serge Gainsbourg – L’Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

26/07/2010
By Chris Wright
Serge Gainsbourg – L’Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

Concocted by Serge Gainsbourg, the most exalted potentate of lust, this bizarre fantasy detailing a (the?) middle aged lothario’s affair with a teenager oozes priapic zeal, laced with a sense of humour that can only be described as goblinesque. Unusually for a concept album from this era the music has dated astonishingly well; produced...
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Posted in Air, Beck, Exotica, Jane Birkin, Jarvis Cocker, Jazz, Jeane-Claude Vannier, Nick Cave, Psychedelic, Serge Gainsbourg, alternative | Comments Off

Ólafur Arnalds – …And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness (2010)

23/06/2010
By Chris Wright
Ólafur Arnalds – …And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness (2010)

….And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness represents an extraordinary leap forward from the potential of earlier works by Olafur Arnalds, which threatened at times to collapse under the weight of the melancholia dominating the emotional range, particularly in last years ‘Found Songs’. A broader musical palette, even introducing drums to the mix,...
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Posted in Brian Eno, Eric Satie, Jazz, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, Modern Classical, Olafur Arnalds, ambient | Comments Off

Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)

23/05/2010
By Chris Wright
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)

The coolest band in rock, absolutely no question. Of all their impeccable albums, Countdown to Ecstasy, along with Gaucho is the one I return to most. In retrospect, the most staggering thing about Steely Dan was the fact that year on year they released album after album, each one building on the achievements of...
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Posted in Donald Fagen, Fusion, Horace Silver, Jazz, Larry Carlton, Little Feat, Rock, Steely Dan, Uncategorized, Walter Becker, alternative, art rock | Comments Off

Brighton Festival: This is Afrobeat! – Tony Allen

15/05/2010
By Chris Wright
Brighton Festival: This is Afrobeat! – Tony Allen

At £20 per ticket, this event deserved a better sound system, but overhearing an earnest debate on who performed the original “Burning Down The House” – Talking Heads or Tom Jones? was worth the price of admission alone. Tony Allen of course played on neither version, but as Brian Eno pointed out in his...
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Posted in Africa 70, Afrobeat, Brian Eno, Brighton Festival, Egypt 80, Fela Kuti, Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Talking Heads, Tom Jones, Tony Allen | Comments Off