And then there were … Liner Notes
Unabashed, I have been and continue to be a raving fanboy of Cathode Ray Tube, and their latest recording entitled Anabasis has done nothing to quell my enthusiasm.
Recently, I listed a Christian Löffler EP, a precursor to his full album entitled Parallels: Shellac Reworks by Christian Löffler. I could not stop listening to the album in its entirety. Here’s the tracklist: 1 – Parsifal, 2 – Moldau, 3 – Dir Jehova, 4 – Gavotte, 5 – Nocturne, 6 – Nadir, 7 – Pastoral, 8 – Fate, 9 – Freiyheit, 10 – Funebre. Christian’s different take on a classic will rub some traditionalists the wrong way, however, I feel his treatments will win over new fans to the genre.
Paolo Fresu appears twice in this week’s list, and for good reason. Where the hell, have I been? Why have any of my trumpet/flugelhorn associates knocked some sense into me? Listen to both of Paulo’s albums Musica da Lettura and P6OLO FR3SU (how k-rad) and don’t take my word for it. You can thank me later, by sharing NARP everywhere.
Django Django, Londoners one and all, graced NARP’s presence back in 2018 with their third album Marble Skies. They’re back with a …, and the new album Glowing in the Dark shows them not only in rare form but also not giving us any indication that they are letting up. This one’s infectious. The good kind.
Ksenija Sidorova’s Piazzolla Reflections takes the accordion to a whole new level, places it ought not to be, but who cares in these special times of ours. If like me at an early age you were turned off by the instrument, in what I thought to be its natural habitat: catering halls. I had always thought the accordion was the province of dated wedding bands and horrific lounge acts. Ksenjia Sidorova proves me wrong on all counts.
Shout out to the Djibouti Archives Vol. 1 – Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura. Different sounds, different beats. These tracks jarred my system and got me thinking of how music can and does sound when the Western lens is removed.
And some new kids on the block, well, at least to me:
- Coma World’s Coma World
- Femi Kuti’s Legacy
Ahmad Jamal’s Remastered Hits Vol. 2 (All Tracks Remastered) reminds me why not only he is a master, but why sometimes re-mastering a master can be a good thing, And the same goes for Xavier Cugat’s Remastered Hits Vol. 3.
And then there’s Cat Steven’s LOVE EP, of which I’m not exactly sure why it was released, nor do I care. Part of NARP’s agenda is to introduce artists that a good many younger members are not yet aware of. And before any of you get all uppity asking out loud “Who doesn’t know of Cat Stevens?”, I’d like for those so doing to honestly ask themselves how familiar they are with Dua Lipa?
New Releases
- Alexandre Collard & Nicolas Royez – Aquarelles
- Cathode Ray Tube – Anabasis
- Christian Loffler – Parallels: Shellac Reworks By Christian Loffler
- Collectif Trytone – Back to Bach
- Coma World – Coma World
- Django Django – Glowing in the Dark
- Djibouti Archives Vol. 1 – Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura
- Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia (The Moonlight Edition)
- Femi Kuti – Legacy
- Ferenc Snetberger – Hallgato
- Floris Mijnders & JelgerBlanken – Spezl
- Frielinghaus Ensemble – Mendelssohn & Bruckner String Quintets
- Hollandse Fragmenten [Early Dutch Polyphony]
- Ksenija Sidorova – Piazzolla Reflections
- Paolo Fresu – Musica da lettura
- Paolo Fresu – P60LO FR3SU
- Raphael Wallfisch – Martinů_ 3 Cello Sonatas & 7 Arabesques
Re-Issues, Re-Masters & Miscellany
- Ahmad Jamal – Remastered Hits Vol. 2 (All Tracks Remastered)
- Cat Stevens – Love EP
- Xavier Cugat – Remastered Hits Vol. 3
Share NARP with your friends, family, colleagues, and everyone in your respective extended networks.
PostScript (PS): For those of you wondering why I add neither links to album cover artwork and/or the actual albums/tracks on streaming services … I simply cannot be bothered. It takes more than enough time to not only acquire the music each week but listen to it all accordingly, so I can list and write about that which I like for both its content and sonic quality (production, mix, and mastering).
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