Lotte Kestner - Bluebird of Happiness

There's a moment, a few short seconds into the first listen to, it seems, any release Anna-Lynne Williams is involved in, in which a comfortable sense of peace and calm descends. Yes, that voice, that voice is still intact. If anything, it is improving as time goes by. No, I didn't think it was possible either. More than this though, Bluebird of Happiness finds Lotte Kestner confidently hitting her stride, consistently knocking song after song out of the park, equal parts direct and fragile, stretching the bounds of her sound and showcasing a bravery in the mix which marks the album out as surely one of the best singer-songwriter releases of 2013.

China Mountain and Stolen, the albums to precede this one, have both spent considerable amounts of time being kind to my ears, and Bluebird of Happiness is a welcome addition to that wonderful canon of work. I know I often say this when writing about an album, but really, to pick out individual songs for praise or comment is to miss the point somewhat. This collection of 12 songs, which includes an interesting cover of Halo, works best when listened to in one sitting, as a whole piece of work. That way the journey through Wrestler, via Turn the Wolves' deliciously eery minor progression, via When It's Time and Sweetheart, all the way to closers Cliff and Little Things can take its fullest effect. It's all very well having a great voice, but you can't live on that alone, and each of the songs listed here bring something. Williams has always been a strong writer, with a great ear for a melody and a poetic lyric, but this is her strongest, most cohesive collection of songs to date. The atmosphere which is established with opener String is largely maintained throughout the album, as Anna-Lynne transports the listener in to songs of lost and broken love, sorrow, as well as physical and emotional suffering. I really don't think there's anyone who is putting out better music of this type than Lotte Kestner at this point, nor has there been for quite some time. The ability she has to wear her heart on her sleeve whilst simultaneously remaining cryptic and artistic in her exploration of the good and bad of life marks her out as one of the 21st century's great artists. If only more people would sit up and pay attention....

Elle Macho - Import

"Elle Macho is the most powerful band of noise in the world today. Combining elements of the melody, aggression and sexiness, they triumphs each time and gains the multiple contests throughout the world."

Beginning your press release with the above quote, citing your genres as:
Indie/French Pop/Very Rock and including Serge Gainsbourg and Gilgamesh in your list of influences are all very brave (some would say bizarre) moves to make. The great thing about Import, though, is that Elle Macho somehow manages to deliver on each and every of their lofty claims and promises about their own greatness. The band consists of Butterfly Boucher, David Mead and Lindsay Jamieson. Butterfly's previous solo record was something of a hit with me. Here, the melodic nous of that album is augmented with a solid slab of attitude and aggression. Boucher is joined by the creative guitar of David Mead, and by Ben Folds alumni Lindsay Jamieson on drums. Jamieson also twirled the sticks for the much-feted (by me at least) Astronaut Pushers back in the day, so this is a Nashvillian supergroup of sorts.

What we have here is a collection of 10 flat-out great songs. Allez La Danse and This Is Not a Love Song stick out on first listen, but over time, each and every song has sunk into my psyche and forced its way out in the form of humming, air drumming, jiving (I do jive, but only privately) to the stops, starts and twitches, and generally marvelling at the balance between intelligent, pop songwriting, and creativity in structuring and progression. There isn't a song here you won't tap your feet to. Fact. There isn't a song here which is lacking a nifty twist in the rhythm section (Glow in the Dark), or a tag section which goes somewhere unexpected (Conquistador). At the same time, however, these are the kind of pop songs that should be invading your radio, interrupting your restaurant dinner because you have to work out the drum pattern with spoons, and leading you to make it your life's ambition to see the band in a small, sweaty room. 

If we lived in a fair world, Elle Macho would be huge. Make it happen

Trichotomy - Fact Finding Mission

Sometimes a band, an album, can take you by surprise. Trichotomy, who must be Australia's best jazz band, have made such an album with the captivating Fact Finding Mission.

I must admit, I'm not as "up" on my jazz trios as I should be. I first stumbled in to the genre with the brilliant, and often written about here, Neil Cowley Trio, sometime in early 2009, and ever since have been trying to find anything comparable, in terms of scope, compositional nous and downright energy. Finally, with Trichotomy, I may have got somewhere close. Certainly, with their new album, the band have crafted something which should aid them, should they seek to "crossover" in the kind of way that Neil Cowley's increasingly popular trio seem to be able to.

The album is full of twists and turns, sprightly rhythmic flourishes, from the muscular opening of "Strom" and the rock solid groove of the title track on the one hand (featuring some cleverly and liberally sprinkled samples from some of the political "heroes" of recent times) on the one hand, to gentler pieces such as "Song for Ev" on the other. The synergy between the core trio of Sean Foran's flowing and enigmatic piano, John Parker's otherworldly drumming, and Patrick Marchisella's driving bass tones is startling throughout. Where on previous releases Trichotomy seemed to lack focus slightly, here everything seems to fit, to matter, to draw the listener in to a world where these pieces of music are the only ones you dare to listen to in this moment. No small achievement.

Witnessed live, at the nicely appointed Lakeside Arts centre in Nottingham last week, my thoughts on the album were only crystallised and strengthened. Here is a trio in perfect synergy with one another musically, as an evening of perfectly fused grooves and improvisational sections flew by in a heartbeat. The use of technology in sound manipulation and backing tracks was a particularly intelligent touch for me, adding to the already not inconsiderable quality on show to produce a special evening. Seeing that the band so clearly loved what they were doing (even with the telling of somewhat dodgy Aussie jokes and other "banter") makes it all the more special. This is serious music, played by men who have mastered their crafts, without losing the joy of playing live and working off one another. A real privilege to witness and to enjoy.

Ormonde - Machine

Ormonde - the new band from Anna-Lynne Williams (Trespassers William, Lotte Kestner) and Robert Gomez - release their brilliant debut album, Machine, on August 7th. This record has been a long time coming. Released on Hometapes, this is a beautiful record.

Anyone who has followed my writing for a while will know that I have made a point of keeping up with what Anna-Lynne has been up for a number of years now, ever since I discovered the wondrous Trespassers William album Different Stars. I have to report that this, by far and away, is the best release I've ever heard from her. As I've said before, she has one of those voices. The kind that you could die happy listening to, the kind that you'd thank for telling you you needed a tooth extraction because the news would be delivered so lyrically. Here, with Robert Gomez, she has struck the perfect collaborative note. Indie yet immediate, pop. yet dark enough to appear dangerous, retro and vintage, yet incredibly insistent and vital, as the press release attests, every track here could be the opening track, or the first single. This album will deservedly sit atop many end of year best of lists, so completely does it tower over any "opposition" which it may face.

Beginning with the Midlake-like Can't Imagine (hear it below) the album proceeds serenely through ten perfectly formed paeans of poeticism and indie beauty. The temptation to describe the magisterial magnificence of each and every song is immense, but just writing words upon words would not be enough. There are inflections of creativity in the mixing and arrangements here which bely the fact that this was a collaboration between two artists who barely knew each other when they began. Both have their chance to shine, vocally, with Williams' best moment on the organ-infused title track, while Gomez features prominently on Cherry Blossom. Best, though, is where the two magical voices intertwine together, as heard most clearly on Sudden Bright, with it's lilting acoustic riffs and persistent synth flourishes, and the slow build of Hold the Water's woodwind and percussion.

Throughout the interplay between the acoustic and bass guitars is wonderful, as arpeggiating figures of acoustic underpin most songs, weaving in and out of the mix, carried along on beds of probing bass. The attention to detail here is staggering. Every note, every flourish, feels just right, like it had to be just where it is, at just that moment

Previously I cited Midlake as a potential influence influence, and it does seem to me as if the shadow of that brilliant band is cast long over this album. Rhythm section sounds are pleasingly similar, and the almost playful musicality which is at the record's core as a counterpoint to the minor key chord progressions which pulse throughout seems to take the pastoral folk template of an album like The Trials of Van Occupanther, and improve on it ten-fold. Machine is a clearly distilled alt-folk masterpiece, a combining of powerful creative forces and visions which has resulted in the best thing released by either artist in any of their previous incarnations and iterations. A clear must buy and album of the year shoe-in.

Zammuto - Zammuto

Finding new music is one of my passions and greatest joys. Recently, the rather splendid Mr Steve Cowley, aka Camp America, in the midst of remodelling a track for my own band Ghostree, turned me on to the music of Zammuto. One listen through to YAY, the opening track on the project's self-titled debut album, and I was sold.

This is a special album. Nick Zammuto is a genius. Riff and hook-heavy "pop" music for grown ups is the order of the day here. Whereas much of the press from bastions of indie-ness such as Pitchfork have  commented on similarities and differences with Zammuto's former work I, being in the perhaps unfortunate position of unfamiliarity with his former band, Books, was able to approach Zammuto with fresh ears and an uncluttered mind.

I love this record. Layer upon layer of just great creativity seeps out of every pore. Nothing is wasted, nothing is over-done, everything feels just right. Take for instance the jazz-infused Idiom Wind, the first track to feature truly discernible vocals, led by a wandering bass line and off-kilter percussion, this track  follows the pattern of much of the album of being something of a mini pop-symphony. Often, when listening to new bands, I can be churlish and think "I understand that, that's easy to do" or some such. Not so here. The compositional mind at work here is a wonder, a thing of beauty. To not only come up with the ideas here, but also to bring them to fruition on such a beautifully formed record is a sign of greatness. The wonderfully named FU C3PO is another highlight, the most un-single sounding single you're likely to hear all year, but at the same time, a perfect single for a band like Zammuto, it distills all that is brilliant about the band in three and a half minutes and leaves you begging for more. Of particular interest here is the fusion of electronica and processed vocals, which give an unsettling sense, but at the same time feel just right.

This is one of my favourite records of the year so far. A triumph, and a dizzying call to creativity and challenging pop music for the rest of us.

It seems that others agree with me. Zammuto is busy on the road in the USA right now, including forthcoming dates with Gotye. I can only dream of how these songs would transmit live, but I urge you, if you are fortunate enough to live on that side of the pond, to take the opportunity to find out when they roll through your town.

Listen to this wonderful album below.

Lotte Kestner: Stolen (Album Review)

Lotte Kestner, or Anna-Lynne Williams, as she was named by her mother, has one of those voices. You know the sort. It's the kind of voice that stops you in your tracks. The kind of voice that can re-affirm your belief in the existence of a benevolent deity or higher power, one whose sole interest appears to be generously bestowing music of great power and beauty upon His (or her) thankful people. It's one of those voices that could sing the phone book, or a Chinese Takeaway menu, and it would have you swooning. Even the guys. Especially the guys.

After a long period of time providing ever-more haunting vocals for her band Trespassers William, and her exquisite debut solo record, China Mountain from a couple of years back, and while we wait for the debut record of her new project with Robert Gomez, Oromonde, which follows later this year, Anna-Lynne has released Stolen.

Stolen is a covers record. This is a brave move at the best of times. The majority of covers albums don't really work. Here is one, however, which does.

The songs here come from a variety of sources. Beginning with a haunting cover of Damien Jurado's "The Falling Snow" and taking in songs by artists as diverse as Bon Iver, Hayden, The National and Interpol among others, the sense emerges, of a unified, cohesive album, full of songs which sound like they were written for Lotte Kestner to sing them. This is not a disparate collection of random covers, this is a journey into the heartbeat of an artist and poet, who wrests every ounce of fragile emotion possible form each song she touches.

Building on the successful blueprint of China Mountain, this record is awash with delicate acoustic flourishes, delectable vocal harmonies, and occasional interjections from keys and synths which take Lotte Kestner's sound in a slightly fuller direction, without ever distracting from the central instrument: that once-in-a-lifetime voice.

Self-released on her own Saint-Loop Records, this is one album not to miss. Lotte Kestner is an artist worthy of our ears, our hearts, and our support.

Pick up this incredible record now from: http://www.saintlouprecords.com/merchandise