21/01/2001
Posted by: Tony L on 22 January 2001
quote:
Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain - Glorious vocals, whistling and yodelling from Alison Goldfrapp allied to trip-hop oompah funk(no, really!). Totally unique, totally gorgeous. Buy it and find out!
So this week…
Goldfrapp 'Felt mountain' - And it is indeed excellent. Think of the sort of kitsch 60 string arrangements plus dulcimer that cropped up in soundtracks to programs such as Randle & Hopkirk, throw in a little gentle trip hop in places, plus some excellent vocal. Oh, yeah, lets not forget the ompah band track… This album is pretty much what Mono promised a few years ago with 'Formica Blues', but unfortunately delivered very slightly short of the mark (it was almost a great album, but had a couple of real turkeys). Goldfrapp's refinement of this style is far more accomplished, and it comes across as a very consistent and individual album. On the occasional track the style wonders quite close to Portishead, and the whole thing does have a little hint of Air, but without the squelchy analogue contribution. Excellent album.
There should be loads more this week, but the bloody postmen are on some totally illegal strike yet again locally, so are sitting on six CDs from AB Sound. Oi Mick P, sort them out will you.
Tony.
I did however bring home two Sun Ra Cds. After getting the greatest hits a few weeks ago I decided I had to get more. I started off with Sound Sun Pleasure and Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy/Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow.
Most of these Evidence CD contain 2 Saturn LPs. Sound Sun pleasure is fairly early Sun Ra with relatively straightforward big band arrangements, four backing excellent vocalist Hattie Randolph. They do a very good version of Round midnight and an excellent version of Enlightenment, a Sun ra staple. You can just hear the experimentation though especially of Ra himself on keyboards.
Cosmic Tones however is an entirely different kettle of fish, recorded with a huge echo effect it sound like the music the soup dragon plays on the moon. The radio broadcast from another planet effect is similar to the sound of Chris Morris Blue Jam when it was on the radio without the terror. Ive only had a few listens but this is excellent stuff. Predates all 60s psychadelia has early synthesiser effects and as it was recorded in 60,61 some of the more free form playing anticipates Ornette and Coltrane. I was struck by two things 1. The music is extremely funny, one track in particular made me think Tom Waits was about to pipe up and 2. how I seemed to hear all sorts of other later music in the songs. Bizarrely one song is called moondance and I could have sworn I could hear Van Morrison's version in there! More listening required.
Marvellous. Im getting the Singles (singles!) and Jazz in Silhouette next.
John
We travel the spaceways from planet to planet
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