Gwyneth Herbert (vocals,
piano, ukulele); Fiona Bevan (vocals, guitar, piano); Dave Price (percussion,
strings, piano, programming, backing vocals); Al Cherry (guitar, backing
vocals); Sam Burgess (bass, backing vocals); Harry Bird (guitar, clarinet,
piano, strings, backing vocals); Christophe Capewell (fiddle, accordion, piano,
melodica, backing vocals); Tom Allen (trumpets); Ollie Parfitt (Moog); Jack
Carr, Alex Carr, Robert Harder (additional mob chorus); Will Mcvay (chain);
Brian Herbert (gramophone operator)
(Review
by Ann Alex)
This show was recently
performed at the Sage (see Lance’s review), so it is interesting for me to
compare the CD with the live performance. This is not a jazz CD, but rather a
concept album, all about a woman collecting debris from the seashore which
arouses memories from her life and experience.
The music has elements of folk, jazz, music hall, and pop. It’s obvious from the musical instruments and
effects listed above that the sounds are cleverly constructed, especially those
portraying the sea, sounds of waves and underwater mystery. The live performance had the added attraction
of an effective light show with lots of blue and green. The songs have a strong narrative element,
exploring different aspects of the sea and seaside life.
The
Regal gives
us the sound of an old-fashioned tea shop;
Alderney portrays the German
invasion of the Channel Islands in WW2, jackboots and all, and a mournful cry
of ‘Alderney, remember me’; there are the bells and echoes from the drowned
village of Dunwich; a pirate song; a drunken song from a tavern; an exploration
of the story of red-petticoated women frightening away soldiers; beautiful
singing on the track about the Lorelei myth; The King’s Shilling, about soldiers and sailors being
press-ganged. Thirteen tracks in all.
With the CD you are given lots of explanation of what the album is about, which
was missing from the live show, which must surely have confused some of the
audience. But with the CD you don’t get
the benefit of the light show, and some of the drama is missed, such as the
voice of the woman herself, talking about the objects which stimulate her
memories. The general ‘feel’ of the
piece is mostly light-hearted and sometimes funny, a portrayal of a lonely but
optimistic woman.
Gwyneth Herbert wrote
this work as part of an artistic residency with Aldeburgh Music, during a week
spent living in a cottage in Suffolk, whilst nursing a broken heart, so the CD
insert tells us, which seemed to fit with the mood of some of the songs. An enjoyable and interesting piece of work.
Released on 15th
July 2013 on Monkeywood Records (Monkeywood002)
Ann Alex.
No comments :
Post a Comment