You’ll have to excuse the lateness of this week’s FR5 (although it’s still Friday somewhere), but I’m rediscovering an old band — Scritti Politti. I found a cheap copy of Provision, and I’m remembering how much I enjoyed Green Gartside’s wit, songwriting chops, and obsessive attention to detail. But more of Green another day. On to this week’s songs.
Lady Ice and Mr Hex by Heaven 17 Album: The Luxury Gap
Heaven 17 was an interesting band, but not so much a band as a corporation, or a consortium of like-minded businessmen. The cover for their first album looked more like a brochure. Strange, then, that Heaven 17 was one of the most successful acts to mix electronica, soul, and political sensibility in equal measures. Literary, too — their name comes from A Clockwork Orange.
This song adds lounge jazz for that aura of sophistication. Coming soon to an airport hotel near you.
Nature’s Way by This Mortal Coil Album: Blood
Coil wasn’t really a band either, more of a roll call of artists from the 4AD label getting together. It doesn’t always work, as in this song. TMC probably works best on the album level, which you don’t get with the tyranny of shuffle. Oh, and it probably works even better if you have a time machine and you can zip back to 1991 when 4AD was cool, and you can say, “Yeah, I’m really into This Mortal Coil these days,” and people might think, “Wow,” or perhaps even “Who?” instead of “Why am I talking to you?”
Caravansary by Kitaro Album: Silk Road IV: Ten-Jiku
Kitaro’s not a band either, just a talented New Age artist who I used to quite like, but who now makes me glad I’m not listening to Song of the Dolphin or Cosmic Yawn. But only just.
Rutter: What Sweeter Music by The Choir of New College Oxford Album: Bluebird: Voices from Heaven
This really isn’t a band. But the music is really gorgeous. That John Rutter really knows his way around a tune. I’ve noticed that some classical songs have a ‘payoff’ moment — that part of the song with the perfect harmony, and no matter how many times you listen to that song, you always look forward to that part because it’s always sublime. The ‘In Paradisum’ from Fauré’s Requiem has a huge payoff: the first time the men come in with ‘Jerusalem’. It always works; I don’t care who does it. The payoff for Rutter’s What Sweeter Music happens at 3:44 as the soprano and tenor parts dissonate against each other. Worth listening to.
Sex Born Poison by Air Album: 10,000 Hz Legend
Air’s a band, but not a band so much as two purveyors of a kind of music that doesn’t fit under one genre. We need to make a new genre for Air, and it should suggest something kind of chill, kind of house. And French, because they’re French. ‘French chill house’ it is. Watch for Air in the French chill house section of your nearby record store. You can also find Zero 7 in there since they’re honourary members.
Great song, too. It starts out acoustic and orchestral, but quickly turns b-movie horror. SEX BORN POISON!
Bonus sixth
Lighthouse by The Waifs Album: Up All Night
A Perth band, very popular in Australia. See if you can’t check some sound samples out and start your own folk renaissance.
27 August 2006 at 5:55 am
I love John Rutter, my favourite (cause we used to sing in primary school) is ‘for the beauty of the earth’. Lately I’ve been listening to “and so it goes” sund by Kings Singers and there’s this bit (at 2.25) where the tenor goes up really high and it’s awesome and I listen to the whole song (which is beautiful) for that bit 🙂
Tenors have to do a lot to impress me (high pure and ringing)… sorry daniel but basses rock… like in my favourite bit in Les Miserables during the conflict where Javert does this low swipe.
I could go on but perhaps it’s suffice to say that I know exactly what you mean by a ‘payoff’ moment, but I don’t reckon it’s just classical music.
27 August 2006 at 12:08 pm
Hi Daniel,
PUCS is very much looking forward to your arrival on Monday night. We had our annual dinner on Saturday night and I made a speech (about other things) followed by an announcement that we very likely have a new tenor. The announcement was very well received with clinks and high jinks all round.
I hang around the music common room from about 5:30pm to 7pm (when choir starts) eating my dinner (Japanese from Broadway) and watching the news or doing music prep. Feel free to drop by early and say hullo!
– Ash
27 August 2006 at 7:34 pm
It makes me smile that you are still singing Dan. Do you still fill in baritone or are you stricktly tenor now? Have you done anything I should know about or are you just doing it for the joy?