MONOCLED MAN - We Drift Meridian
Whirlwind WR4692
Rory Simmons - trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, guitar; Chris Montague - guitar; Jon Scott - drums, electronics; Emilia Martensson - vocals
Ed Begley - vocals
There’s a burgeoning scene for ambient soundscapes, reflecting the ubiquity of music editing software and the increasing willingness of forward-thinking musicians to explore areas between more traditionally recognised genres. Rory Simmon’s background includes work with jazz artists, but also those at the more progressive end of the rock spectrum such as Bat For Lashes and Friendly Fires - Montague and Scott will be familiar to fans of expansive re-interpretations of jazz and fusion as members of Troyka and Kairos 4tet respectively.
This album presents a mix of studio cut-ups, through composition, open improvisation and theatrical concept, so there’s plenty to get your teeth into. The basic modus operandi involves cinematic beds of sound crafted from beds of synths, sequencers and chopped up rhythm tracks, over which Simmons and Montague are free to launch melodic explorations - Simmons tending more to the plaintively minor key, Montague characteristically oblique and inventive. There’s a nervous, twitchy energy to the backings that keeps the music driving forwards, unlike some of the more static offerings typical of the genre - “Tromelin” with it’s unpredictable stop-start beats, “Queen Tirza” with it’s analogue synth intro reminiscent of Kraftwerk leading to a very abstract altered-scale trumpet melody with woozy guitar backing, and the haunting cut up piano and unsettling jittery groove of “Scott Moorman Adrift” all point up the genuinely innovative, searching character of the musicians, and there’s ample evidence of Simmon’s outstanding quality as a trumpet player and composer of challenging themes. A further layer of content is provided by the wordy vocal tracks, all tied in to a theme of far-flung or abandoned islands which have been the scenes of tragedy - Martensson’s contributions are coolly evocative, while Ed Begley’s feature is upfront and jarringly thespian - though he’s presumably not the same Ed Begley who appeared memorably in This Is Spinal Tap and other Christopher Guest movies. It adds up fascinating and powerful release, well planned and cohesive, and rewards repeated listening, though some may find it’s abstract, exploratory nature rather cold, and the individual tracks, though highly evocative, seldom progress to an easily recognised conclusion - the bleepy ending of ‘Mount Cerberus‘ had me searching for a non-existent phone.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Whirlwind WR4692
Rory Simmons - trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, guitar; Chris Montague - guitar; Jon Scott - drums, electronics; Emilia Martensson - vocals
Ed Begley - vocals
There’s a burgeoning scene for ambient soundscapes, reflecting the ubiquity of music editing software and the increasing willingness of forward-thinking musicians to explore areas between more traditionally recognised genres. Rory Simmon’s background includes work with jazz artists, but also those at the more progressive end of the rock spectrum such as Bat For Lashes and Friendly Fires - Montague and Scott will be familiar to fans of expansive re-interpretations of jazz and fusion as members of Troyka and Kairos 4tet respectively.
This album presents a mix of studio cut-ups, through composition, open improvisation and theatrical concept, so there’s plenty to get your teeth into. The basic modus operandi involves cinematic beds of sound crafted from beds of synths, sequencers and chopped up rhythm tracks, over which Simmons and Montague are free to launch melodic explorations - Simmons tending more to the plaintively minor key, Montague characteristically oblique and inventive. There’s a nervous, twitchy energy to the backings that keeps the music driving forwards, unlike some of the more static offerings typical of the genre - “Tromelin” with it’s unpredictable stop-start beats, “Queen Tirza” with it’s analogue synth intro reminiscent of Kraftwerk leading to a very abstract altered-scale trumpet melody with woozy guitar backing, and the haunting cut up piano and unsettling jittery groove of “Scott Moorman Adrift” all point up the genuinely innovative, searching character of the musicians, and there’s ample evidence of Simmon’s outstanding quality as a trumpet player and composer of challenging themes. A further layer of content is provided by the wordy vocal tracks, all tied in to a theme of far-flung or abandoned islands which have been the scenes of tragedy - Martensson’s contributions are coolly evocative, while Ed Begley’s feature is upfront and jarringly thespian - though he’s presumably not the same Ed Begley who appeared memorably in This Is Spinal Tap and other Christopher Guest movies. It adds up fascinating and powerful release, well planned and cohesive, and rewards repeated listening, though some may find it’s abstract, exploratory nature rather cold, and the individual tracks, though highly evocative, seldom progress to an easily recognised conclusion - the bleepy ending of ‘Mount Cerberus‘ had me searching for a non-existent phone.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
