RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Raw Stylus: Pushing Against The Flow (Wired Recordings) London‘s fittest funk otttfit's‘ debut album is a classy affair. ()ne time Steely Dan producer (iary Kat/ is at the control panel and you can easily sense that Ata- esque quality on this tasty slice of ia//y soul. (check the '37 hours. track for the cheeky .loste
lL'lik'lL‘llL'L' l, 'lillL‘ gl‘IIIy sound of London street- soul hooking tip with lltis New York all-slat studio line-up t Bernard l’urdie. Randy Brecker and Lou \Iarttn) has resulted in some real examples of musical synergy with cuts yary ing from the antltemic force of the title track ‘I’ushing Against The How. It) the stiplllsllcalt‘tl gtoo\e of 'lltgher I.o\ e". tNeil (iladstottel
I 800 Hewerdine: Baptist Hospital (Blanco Y Negro) Boo llewerdine has an annoying habit. llis recording career has almost entirely been spent skirting around the fringes of greatness. With The lill‘lt‘. he was responsible for late .\()s pop gems such as '(it'acelattd and 'lloney lie (iood. yet also culpable of some searily anaemic driyel. llaying had tnore than a passing influence on (iary (‘lark's
King I. project. the trend persisted. With his new solo
l
release tlte old codger is at
it again. The swirly acoustics of ‘C'andylloss‘
may leaye you gasping in awe while tlte t'cpelitiye
nonsense of ‘I .ast (‘igarette' will haye yott
scratching your eyes to a
pulp. (Brian Donaldson)
I The Style Council
i Collection (Polydor) .lusl
I
I when you thought Paul
Weller had proved ltimsell the fot'e\‘et‘ solid gold sottl tnan we always knew he was. l’olydor go atid
release this album to
remind us of The Style Council. ’l’wenty tracks charting those faintly embarrassing cappuctno-
drinking days from ‘Speak Like A (‘liild' to '\\'hy l Went Missing' (one of seyeral tracks preyiously unayailable on CD).
The ironed-out mods had their moments. Songs like ‘Speak Like A ('hiEd‘ and ‘Iiyer Changing Moods' still strike otit as natural precursors to \\'ellet"s meteoric ‘)()s musical renaissance. 'I'wenty tracks later though and Weller and Talbol's lightweight. trenchcoat-wearittg liuro- pop sounds very much like the dodgy bit in between The Jam and Weller solo. My advice. take a trip up Stun/er Rlitltl. tlillie Carr)
Raw Stylus: ‘real musical synergy’
[amm-
I Judith Weir: Distance and Enchantment (Collins) (‘ollitts foliaw their e\cellent recording of \\'eit“s opera lilo/til
lit Until w 1th a splendid collection of chamber works. They show off the yariety within. and also suggest the eyolutton of. lter music. \\ III] the spiky piano piece 'The .-\t't ()f 'l‘ouchzag The ls‘eyboat'd' eyoktng her earlier epigrammatie manner.
\\ htle ‘l lil'ttlct‘ ( )II ‘lillL‘ (iolden Branch or ‘l)istance .-\nd l-Iuchantment‘ emerge tn the longer-breathed. more nuear style other recent \\Utk The {Hill} “The Bagpiper's String Trto' attd ‘.-\rdnamurcltan l’omt‘. another piano solo. underline her continuing fascination with her homeland and its music. Recommended.
I Davin Bryars: The Last Days (Argo) The lialanescu Quattet play liryars's two string quartets m ewmplary fashion. bringing ottt the gentle. elcgiac qualities of the first. ‘lietwcen The National And The Bristol'. and pointing tip the more dynatnically \aried writing in the second in fine style. The title piece. the most recent til. the llll'L‘L‘ \\'Ut'ls'.\. Is
Gavin Bryars: ‘haunting’
sandwiched between the two quartets. Richly written for two ytolitts. and e\pres.siye|y played by Alex Balanescu and (‘lare ('onnors. this moying. occasionally enigmatic music captures Bryars at his most haunting.
I Tavener: Innocence (Sony) lest the listener nod off to the ethereal. static choral singing of the opening track. a setting of Blake's ‘The Lamb. 'l‘ayener jerks any such reprobates back into real time with the enormous organ chords which open 'lnnocence. the major piece on this disc. It‘s typical Tayener territory. with Patricia Ro/ario a suitably angelic high soprano. set against bass and tenor Voices. cello. and those apocalyptic organ peals. The substantial fillers include another Blake setting. ‘The 'l‘yger'. and a ‘l.ittlc Requiem‘ which actually contains some untypical
fast bits. possibly echoing the rapidity of its composition. I Dutilleux: Sonata (harmonia mundi) The young lirench pianist Marie-Josephe Jude is a new name to me. but on the eyidenee of her finely- tudijerl touch and espressiye playing on this disc of contemporary music by l)utilleu.\ and one of her distinguished teachers. Maurice ()hana. she is worth keeping an eye on. The music is also well worth hearing. with l)utilIeus's attractive Sonata accompanied by a skillftil set of six studies by the less familiar ()hana. I Prokoliev, Janacek, Debussy: Violin Sonatas (Phillips) \'iktoria .\Iul|oya and l’iotr .»\nders/ewski tnarch confidently into a crowded ftcld it) this repertoire. but don't quite do enough to shift the balance away from the existing front-rutniet's. Their reading of l’rokofiey's hefty 'Sonata No I' is the highlight here. with .\lulloya iti fine. lyrical. umnannered form. while her partner produces a strong. confident characterisation of the piano writing. The Janacek is also good. but the Debussy is a shade less convincing. (Kenny Mathiesonl
GLASGOW ARCHES THURSDAY 1 4th MARCH
GLASGOW GARAGE FRIDAY
22nd MARCH WWW definition oi sound
marton
+T|NY MONROE +SYNDICATE
D the fat neck tour
TICKETS: VIRGIN RECORDS GLASGOW & EDINBURGH, TOWER GLASGOW, RIPPING EDINBURGH & TOCTA AGENTS AROUND SCOTLAND (0131-557 6969) / BY CREDIT CARD ON 0141-5565555.
THE ARCHES, GLASGOW THURSDAY 7th MARCH
sna per
+DJ Dean Thaher
world
+BANDA LU +DJ'8
DARREN PRICE DEAN EMERSON
visuals & decor by megadog productions
BARROWLAND FRIDAY 15th MARCH
8pm-2am
film steam
GLASGOW GARAGE SUNDAY
24th MARCH
plus guests MM GLASGOW BARBOWLAND SUNDAY 14th APRIL
The List 33 Feb—7 Mar NW) 47