- Music
- 08 Apr 01
Courtesy Of Choice
No disrespect to the other parties involved, but this is that rare artefact: an engineer’s album. The boffin in question is Persian-born Leila, who, according to the publicity blurb, did the mixing honours on Björk’s Post tour.
No disrespect to the other parties involved, but this is that rare artefact: an engineer’s album. The boffin in question is Persian-born Leila, who, according to the publicity blurb, did the mixing honours on Björk’s Post tour. It figures. Courtesy Of Choice, her second long player, is a master class in designer distortion and dynamic range. Yea verily, one imagines the final mixdown on this baby was as much a performance as the wildest tracking sessions.
It’s an album of sound rather than song. From ‘Work’ onwards, the third ear opens out and you enter a sonic realm strewn with all manner of aural wonders. In parts, COC is almost a pastoral techno take on city sickness: Eno or The Aphex Twin meets the sounds o’ The Massive perhaps, or DJ Shadow, or Soul II Soul deconstructed by Jah Wobble.
Naturally enough, Leila gives good riddim. A standout waltz entitled ‘Thanks Mr Jones’ allows drummer Tim Giles to get down to the real nitty gritty, sealing the join between jungle and jazz devilry with some slick brushwork, while the lab-rats in the backroom get busy with the kind of alarming orchestrations Barry Adamson concocts in his baddest dreams.
It’s the record’s one real demonic episode. The closing pieces, ‘Different Time (Reprise)’ and ‘Young Ones’, are more representative of the overall tone – a calm semi-ambient balm.
New colours, fresh tinglings, good stuff.
RELATED
- Music
- 16 Oct 25
Ger Eaton set to release debut album Season Changes this month
- Music
- 14 Oct 25
On this day in 1977: David Bowie released Heroes
- Music
- 10 Oct 25
Album Review: Brendan Graham, The Arrow of Time
RELATED
- Music
- 10 Oct 25
Album Review: Jamie Duffy, Jamie Duffy
- Music
- 09 Oct 25
Madonna to release Bedtime Stories-The Untold Chapter
- Music
- 09 Oct 25
Album Review: Mary Stokes Band, Hometown Blues
- Music
- 08 Oct 25