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the only criticism being that it never really leaves this comfort zone with any success. Hopefully, though, this is ground that will be explored in a second album sometime soon. (Niki Boyle) CLASSICAL CONCERTO LYELL CRESSWELL The Voice Inside (Naxos) ●●●●●
Quirky, atmospheric, funny, intense, dramatic are all adjectives which can be used to describe Edinburgh adoptee but New Zealand-born composer Lyell Cresswell’s concerto for violin, soprano and orchestra, The Voice Inside. Settings of seven poems by contemporary writer Ron Butlin, the movements are hugely varied – with influence of Britten in their lyrical flow – in how they explore the ways in which the relationships between the two soloists and orchestra develop. Under British conductor James Judd, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s playing is tautly expressive with mezzo Madeleine Pierard and violinist Vesa-Matti Leppänen both persuasive voices in the solo roles. (Carol Main) INDIE POP BADLY DRAWN BOY Is There Nothing We Could Do? (Big Life) ●●●●●
Pedestrian versifier Badly Drawn Boy – aka Manchester's Damon Gough – has long been a daft-hatted poster boy for fans of ambling pop psalms and prosaic surveillance.
This is his second soundtrack endeavour – the first being 2002's About a Boy – and it
WONKY POP ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Fall Be Kind (Domino) ●●●●● This year’s Merriweather Post Pavilion left a lot of Animal Collective fans thirsty for more. All those summery, melted hooks, the warped beats and echoey vocals, not forgetting the shimmery awesomeness of ‘My Girls’ – it was no wonder it made its way onto a lot of people’s lists of favourite albums of 2009 (including The List’s, for that matter). So, riding high on the wave that saw them crash into mainstream popularity this year (they’ve been on the go all decade long, but 2009 definitely seems to have been their moment for a
breakthrough) – they return, with another release before the year’s over. Fall Be Kind is a ‘leftovers’ EP, containing five tracks that didn’t make it onto MPP. Those who didn’t like them before won’t be converted by the wonky, dreamy electronica, but for fans it’s another solid chunk of goodness. Play it on iTunes, and it comes up with the genre ‘unclassifiable’, which is a good summary of the sublime, bleached out haze of stand-out track, ‘What Would I Want? Sky’ and the demented Disney lullaby of ‘Graze’.
An ethereal, trippy treat. And something to keep fans happy until the band premiere their first film, the ‘visual album’ ODDSAC in late January at Sundance. (Claire Sawers)
offers a fittingly droll aural backdrop to the forthcoming Timothy Spall parody, The Fattest Man in Britain.
Gough’s characteristic melodic economy and lyrical understatement prevail – conducted, as ever, via wry electronics, sparse piano and acoustic guitar – but the overall outcome, (on record at least), serves to remind that there’s a fine line between jubilantly humdrum and plain unremarkable. (Nicola Meighan)
JAZZ RALPH TOWNER & PAOLO FRESU Chiaroscuro (ECM Records) ●●●●●
Label veteran Ralph Towner teams up with ECM debutant Paolo Fresu in this quietly refined guitar and trumpet duo. The pair
prove well-matched in musical sensibility on a collection of Towner’s tunes, both new and revisited, and a fascinating reading of the Miles Davis-Bill Evans classic ‘Blue In Green’ (Fresu is also co- credited with the guitarist on the pair of freer, more abstract improvisations that end the album).
The airy, spacious textures and intricate interplay of the musicians is captured in ECM’s usual crystal- clear sound, and is often absorbing. The Italian’s plangent, pure-
toned trumpet and flugelhorn are a fine foil for Towner’s acoustic guitar meditations, played on nylon-string classical guitar, 12- string guitar and the baritone guitar – tuned a fifth below the classical instrument – that he has added to his repertoire, and demonstrates to good effect on ‘Doubled Up’. (Kenny Mathieson) RETRO POP CODEINE VELVET CLUB Codeine Velvet Club (Island) ●●●●●
Different people have a different idea about what makes for glamour. Those who are into a bit of monochromatic 60s chic will go ape for the breathy duo behind Codeine Velvet Club, perhaps realising only
too late that this is largely a victory of style over any kind of substance. Jon Lawler has taken time out from his anthemic duties as Fratellis boss man to hook up with singer- songwriter Lou Hickey for a trip down nostalgia avenue. Unfortunately, this pair are left in the wake of another offshoot to tackle the same period – but The Last Shadow Puppets made a record with much more verve, wit and grace than this lumpen, cliché-riddled affair. (Brian Donaldson)
ALSO RELEASED
Various Artists
AlternativeChristmas (Avalanche Records) A steal at only a fiver (with proceeds going to charity too) the Cockburn St record shop has asked local artists X-Lion Tamer, eagleowl, Zoey Van Goey, Broken Records and others for fresh festive tracks – to break that tired Slade Christmas mould. And they sure do.
Blockhead
The Music Scene (Ninja Tune)
Hip hop beats that ‘tell stories without words’ – this was Blockhead’s ambition, and he’s surpassed it admirably. Highlights include the swampy opening beats of ‘It’s Raining Clouds’, and hypnotic Spanish guitar in ‘The Daily Routine’ (from a recording of drug addicts arguing). Lawrence Arabia
Chant Darling (Bella Union)
James Milne (aka Lawrence Arabia) obviously likes his Beatles a lot, and it shows here. There’s some Beach Boys and ‘Village Green Preservation Society’–Kinks in there too.
Various Artists It’s Christmas Time (Universal)
A 3-CD collection of Xmas hits: including alternative classics (Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Waitresses), brand new efforts (Lady Gaga and The Pussycat Dolls) and oldies-but-goodies (Bing Crosby
and Judy Garland). Avatar Soundtrack (Atlantic) Classical tracks from James Cameron’s 3D epic – featuring eco-warrior panpipes, the tinkling and sparkling percussion of space travel, the trumpets of war . . . And Leona Lewis, steering a course just this side of Celine Dion territory.
17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010 THE LIST 75