Friday, January 27, 2012

Belbury Poly remix Bill Ryder-Jones

Leyland Kirby, Moon Wiring Club and I were recently invited by Domino records to remix tracks from the current album If... by Bill Ryder-Jones.  Performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic and various guests its the first solo album for the ex Coral guitarist turned composer and is conceived of as a soundtrack to Italo Calvino's novel If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller.

Domino say "Grand orchestral movements sit side by side with stark, nakedly emotional vocal pieces that weave a a bleak but beautifully moving and always visceral narrative."  The three remixes here represent very different approaches to the source material by three artists that like Ryder-Jones share an interest in memory and the uncanny.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Belbury Tales (pre-order now for 24th Feb)

The new album from The Belbury Poly, The Belbury Tales is due out on the 24th February. This time round the album explores ideas about the re-invention of the past and along the way spins some tall tales about childhood, the supernatural, initiation and pilgrimage (both spiritual and physical). A concept album in the spirit of British prog, its appropriately dressed up in even more lavish than usual Julian House artwork featuring a wonderful piece of Belbury based fiction by Electric Eden author and journalist, Rob Young.
For several tracks on this album the Belbury sound is augmented by two very talented guest musicians: drummer Jim Musgrave (Land Equivalents) and bassist and guitarist Christopher Budd (Chris also dreamt up and co-wrote the track Earthlights) . 
Here's a selection of clips, a few other tracks have been aired in some of the recent Radio Belbury shows...
It'll be available on Vinyl, CD and download. You can pre-order it right now in the Ghost Box shop. Vinyl customers will be entitled to a free download version (offer exclusive to Ghost Box shop customers only).

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Black Mill Tapes: Volume 3 - coming soon


The Head Technician at Pye Corner Audio kindly sent me a promo of the latest Volume in The Black Mill Tapes series and it seems he's save the best till last. This is the most fully realised of the lot so far and really cements the Pye Corner Audio sound in a world of  rain swept, industrial spaces and forlorn dance floors. That's not to say this is a bleak or miserbalist affair - the tunes range from melancholy to awe-inspiring to damned funky.
  
Another of the vicar's partisan reviews maybe - but I strongly recommend you give this a try. You can get it here on 24th January.

Also I'd like to share the exciting news that Pye Corner Audio are working on an album for Ghost Box, hopefully to see the light later this year.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Intermission



Robert Popper and Peter Serafinovicz's  film for the Look Around You 10th anniversary at the BFI.