Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Fontaines D.C. Romance (XL) Listening to Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.
C.’s latest album feels a lot like watching a movie about a complicated, sometimes painful, love story. That feeling has as much to do with the record’s sonic journey as it does with the lyrics of , the fourth album by the Grammy-nominated group.
begins with its titular and maybe most compelling song, whicht offers glimmers of hope clouded by unnerving fear. A hauntingly atmospheric melody is interrupted by a heavily distorted, almost menacing guitar that captures the frightening sensation of falling in love. , the album’s lead single, takes a hip-hop-infused turn in which lead singer Grian Chatten lusts for “momentary blissness” in the chorus while gasping for air.
A tonal shift hits with the third track, . It’s almost as if whatever afflictions plague the album’s protagonist are finally starting to melt away — or at least be shared and understood — as this newfound lover brings hope and order to chaos. From then on, the album would make a great soundtrack to a moody romantic film, thanks in part to its poignant lyrics and sound, which is evocative of mid-’90s alternative Britpop.
The tracks vacillate between joy and longing or sadness — not unlike the feeling of being in a volatile relationship with an uncertain future. HHH1/2 out of five Stream: Here’s the Thing; Romance — Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press Foster the People Paradise State of Mind (Atlantic) When you put on Foster the People’s new album and you’re happily bopping along to the infectious funk-disco beat of the first track, you might hardly notice the growing sense of dread in the lyrics, as dark as the music is silly-light. Welcome back, Mark Foster.
It’s been seven years since 2017’s and Foster and his bandmates haven’t lost a step, making thoughtful, first-rate pop for a jangled, insecure era with the 11-track Like the last collection, Foster the People has glistening pop beside complex tuners, with many of the songs eventually dipping into experimental territory or heavy distortion, such as the unconventional flute solo on and the hard-to-love , which goes through a half-dozen time signatures, shrieking trumpet and elements of antiseptic Kraftwerk. Highlights include , filled with a falsetto chorus and hand-claps, which sounds like it was designed for a roller rink in the 1970s, and , which starts out like a dreamy blast of positive vibes until the last third, when what can only be described as heavenly robots hijacking the song. The heavily distorted, synthetic-sounding is like a sexy come-on in the digital era, while Foster reveals perhaps his motivation for all this wonderful, creepy weirdness on the last song, .
“I look at myself through a broken lens,” he sings in the song, so spacey that it’s almost a prayer. “Try my best to keep from unravelling.” You and us both, brother.
Along the way, he’s given us another diamond. HHHH out of five Stream: Lost in Space; Let Go — Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press Brian Landrus Plays Ellington & Strayhorn (Palmetto) Perhaps the major audience for this album would be people who already love the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn and can immerse themselves in this fine tribute to that music. However, it would be a wonderful way for those who aren’t familiar with the music to experience contemporary arrangements of some of the best tunes in jazz.
Brian Landrus is known for playing low woodwinds — baritone and bass saxes, bass and contra alto clarinets, C, alto and bass flutes — and also piccolo, which are all evident here. Landrus is joined by Dave Stryker on guitar, Jay Anderson on bass and Billy Hart on drums. This album is like that comfortable sweater that just makes you feel good.
The music is a range of well-known Ellington and Strayhorn classics as well as lesser-known JJHHFLKJFKLJ. The arrangements bring the music into the current mode while always retaining the emotion and meaning of the original. The baritone and bass saxes seem a perfect vehicle for standards such as , and .
The opening track is from the , and and are from the Stratford Festival-inspired . Tempi often vary from the original, as with , while remains a mellow gem. There is no artifice here.
This is pure indulgent pleasure with the music of two dearly beloved jazz composers. Put on that old sweater and enjoy. HHHH out of five Stream: Prelude To A Kiss; Come Sunday Keith Black Mahan Esfahani Bach: Preludes, Inventions & Sinfonias (Hyperion) Mahan Esfahani tackles J.
S. Bach’s preludes, inventions and sinfonias on this new release, his sixth offering in an ongoing series of keyboard works. Originally composed as pedagogic exercises for Bach’s own pupils, including his 10-year old son Wilhelm Friedemann, the baroque works described by Esfahani as “little gems” in his own liner notes have challenged budding players for generations.
The soloist brings his technical prowess to each short piece, clearly articulating each work’s intricate polyphonic lines including gossamer-light ornamentation. After performing three successive books of and , Esafani particularly shines during the 15 three-part , including rapid-fire passagework. Monday mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.
Also offered are the composer’s 15 , with such selections as and , among others, expressive with their darker modalities. The album is capped by a trio of additional works: and lastly, a fragment of chorale landing listeners in the lap of heaven itself. HHHH stars out of five Stream: Sinfonia in C major, BWV 787; Invention No.
13 in A minor, BWV784; Fugue in C major, BWV953 — Holly Harris Advertisement Advertisement.
