The Album Review Club - Week #145 - (page 1923) - Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans
- Thread starter RobMCFC
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BimboBob
Well-Known Member
How much for a blow job?
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BimboBob
Well-Known Member
Sule Skerry - Erland Cooper
Let's start off by saying that I love Orkney. As a former archaeologist and history buff the islands excite me more than any other place on earth. It contains some of the oldest and best preserved Neolithic sites in the whole of Europe. It has standing stones, ancient uncovered and hidden villages, Iron age Broches, Viking runes, beautiful countryside, Scarpa Flow along with the Churchill Barriers plus many other wonderous sights. I've been a few times over the years, once with work and still haven't done no more than scratch the surface of this wonderful place, even when I was working. Shit archaeologist joke. Sorry.
It also has a record shop.
Everywhere I go in the world I always try and hunt down a record shop. Then I always try and buy a local bands album. On vinyl. It's ok, I've worked out a system of getting them home that involves socks. The last time I was there this particular shop recommended Erland Cooper's latest release, Sule Skerry. I bought it without listening to it or indeed knowing who Erland was and packed it carefully, with socks.
Once home, and after a few days of unpacking socks and general lazing around, I played this album. As blind purchases go it was one of my better ones. Here's the blurb...
"Cooper released his debut album, Solan Goose, heavily influenced by native Orcadian birds, on March 23rd 2018. The album is the first of a triptych that reflects on the natural world surrounding Orkney, with it's tracks each taking their titles from Orcadian dialect words for birds. Cooper announced the release of the second album in the triptych, Sule Skerry, on the 21st of February 2019. The album was included in the Scottish Album of the Year shortlist for 2020."
This album, like the other two in the series, Solan Goose and Hether Blether, is made up of orchestral, spoken word, electronic and field recordings and is designed to explore the world of psychogeography, connecting memory, place and identity through music, words and cinematography. Erland said the album is about the sea and our outside world.
Track List
Haar
First Of The Tide
Silocks
Spoot Ebb
Flattie
Groatie Buckies
Creels
Lump O'Sea
Sule Skerry
Blurb over, what's it like? For me it's best heard after a long day, when I have nothing else going on, just the record, a scotch and peace and quiet. The opening track is a beautiful piano piece that rises and falls before rising again and then falling majestically near the end. It's soothing and washes over you. First of the Tide introduces vocals for the first time before we hit Silocks with it's spoken word intro. Spoot Ebb picks the pace up before Flattie brings back the tranquil peace that a lot of this album has. The album continues in the same vein, part orchestral, part electronic, part piano, all soothing before the title track throws in vocals and spoken word at the end.
For those that know me, this is a marked difference musically to what I usually listen to. There's no crashing guitars, no massive drum beats, no huge bass lines just tranquillity. I love it for that reason. Amongst others. All three of the series deserve a listen, but I bought them after this one, from Amazon. Turns out I didn't have to go all the way to Orkney to buy it...but where's the fun in that?
It's on the tube if you want to find it there, no idea about Spotify but there's also his bandcamp page linked below.
Enjoy!
Let's start off by saying that I love Orkney. As a former archaeologist and history buff the islands excite me more than any other place on earth. It contains some of the oldest and best preserved Neolithic sites in the whole of Europe. It has standing stones, ancient uncovered and hidden villages, Iron age Broches, Viking runes, beautiful countryside, Scarpa Flow along with the Churchill Barriers plus many other wonderous sights. I've been a few times over the years, once with work and still haven't done no more than scratch the surface of this wonderful place, even when I was working. Shit archaeologist joke. Sorry.
It also has a record shop.
Everywhere I go in the world I always try and hunt down a record shop. Then I always try and buy a local bands album. On vinyl. It's ok, I've worked out a system of getting them home that involves socks. The last time I was there this particular shop recommended Erland Cooper's latest release, Sule Skerry. I bought it without listening to it or indeed knowing who Erland was and packed it carefully, with socks.
Once home, and after a few days of unpacking socks and general lazing around, I played this album. As blind purchases go it was one of my better ones. Here's the blurb...
"Cooper released his debut album, Solan Goose, heavily influenced by native Orcadian birds, on March 23rd 2018. The album is the first of a triptych that reflects on the natural world surrounding Orkney, with it's tracks each taking their titles from Orcadian dialect words for birds. Cooper announced the release of the second album in the triptych, Sule Skerry, on the 21st of February 2019. The album was included in the Scottish Album of the Year shortlist for 2020."
This album, like the other two in the series, Solan Goose and Hether Blether, is made up of orchestral, spoken word, electronic and field recordings and is designed to explore the world of psychogeography, connecting memory, place and identity through music, words and cinematography. Erland said the album is about the sea and our outside world.
Track List
Haar
First Of The Tide
Silocks
Spoot Ebb
Flattie
Groatie Buckies
Creels
Lump O'Sea
Sule Skerry
Blurb over, what's it like? For me it's best heard after a long day, when I have nothing else going on, just the record, a scotch and peace and quiet. The opening track is a beautiful piano piece that rises and falls before rising again and then falling majestically near the end. It's soothing and washes over you. First of the Tide introduces vocals for the first time before we hit Silocks with it's spoken word intro. Spoot Ebb picks the pace up before Flattie brings back the tranquil peace that a lot of this album has. The album continues in the same vein, part orchestral, part electronic, part piano, all soothing before the title track throws in vocals and spoken word at the end.
For those that know me, this is a marked difference musically to what I usually listen to. There's no crashing guitars, no massive drum beats, no huge bass lines just tranquillity. I love it for that reason. Amongst others. All three of the series deserve a listen, but I bought them after this one, from Amazon. Turns out I didn't have to go all the way to Orkney to buy it...but where's the fun in that?
It's on the tube if you want to find it there, no idea about Spotify but there's also his bandcamp page linked below.
Enjoy!
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journolud
Well-Known Member
Won’t manage this at the end of this particular day but as an early riser it hopefully works just as well first thing when there is nothing else going on and no one else up. Can’t start the day with a scotch though.
Looks an interesting choice although hopefully isn’t too much like those nature and whale CDs they play in shops that sell joss sticks and tarot cards
Looks an interesting choice although hopefully isn’t too much like those nature and whale CDs they play in shops that sell joss sticks and tarot cards
Saddleworth2
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- Joined
- 27 Jan 2014
- Messages
- 21,649
Interesting write up. Orkney pre history is really fascinating. You should start a thread for sure. The good news is that this album is on Amazon music in ultra HD. Looking forward to listening.
BimboBob
Well-Known Member
Fuck all like that...as if I'd listen to that racket...
journolud
Well-Known Member
BimboBob
Well-Known Member
Orkney pre history is the very start of stone circles, basically what you see in the rest of the country washed down from one tiny island culture. Including Stonehenge, Woodhenge, Avebury etc etc in fact the bank of the Ring of Brodgar is the same width as Avebury's bank...very strange!
Saddleworth2
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2014
- Messages
- 21,649
thats what I find so fascinating. That capability came from Orkney.
The great Orcadian Neolithic monuments were constructed almost a millennium before the sarsen stones of Stonehenge were erected.[21] At one time it was believed that this flowering of culture was essentially peripheral and that its origins were to be found to the south on mainland Great Britain. However, recently discovered evidence shows that Orkney was the starting place for much of the megalithic culture, including styles of architecture and pottery, that developed much later in the southern British Isles.
Just mind blowing stuff.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
Absolutely wonderful write up and I’m listening already. Never been to the Orkneys (the closest I’ve gotten is Brora) but I do like a good ambient and this already sounds like a wonderful accompaniment to the California version of your “scotch by the fire” — to wit, some CBD gummies and a 90-minute massage with eucalyptus oil (and a good-looking masseuse).