This is an outstanding record. Barnes established his reputation as Beth Orton’s guitar player on (amongst others) her breakthrough album Central Reservation. However, it’s as a solo artist that Barnes has made a record that I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever. It’s got all the elements for which I am an unrepentant sucker: a carnivalesque and French cabaret atmosphere and an almost seamless cinematic sweep. Recurring musical themes make Portal Nou sound like a single work in a series of movements, as opposed to a collection of unconnected songs. Nevertheless, despite this holistic sensibility, each of the fourteen tracks still feels like a musical vignette. Barnes has injected sufficient sonic variety into the record – the choice of instrumentation and, in particular, the presence of five very distinctive and outstanding vocalists, including Beth Orton – that repeated listening is constantly rewarded. The overall mood is strongly reminiscent of Calexico in their most European moments (when the frontera flavour is ratcheted down a few notches). It’s a comparison further encouraged by the presence of a recurring Calexico collaborator, singer Francoise Breut who appears on three tracks. My only regret is that due to the lack of a domestic release and territorial restrictions on the digital sources I had no alternative but to buy this CD from amazon.co.uk. Definitely worth the wait and even the customs duty.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ted Barnes - Portal Nou (Mornington)
This is an outstanding record. Barnes established his reputation as Beth Orton’s guitar player on (amongst others) her breakthrough album Central Reservation. However, it’s as a solo artist that Barnes has made a record that I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever. It’s got all the elements for which I am an unrepentant sucker: a carnivalesque and French cabaret atmosphere and an almost seamless cinematic sweep. Recurring musical themes make Portal Nou sound like a single work in a series of movements, as opposed to a collection of unconnected songs. Nevertheless, despite this holistic sensibility, each of the fourteen tracks still feels like a musical vignette. Barnes has injected sufficient sonic variety into the record – the choice of instrumentation and, in particular, the presence of five very distinctive and outstanding vocalists, including Beth Orton – that repeated listening is constantly rewarded. The overall mood is strongly reminiscent of Calexico in their most European moments (when the frontera flavour is ratcheted down a few notches). It’s a comparison further encouraged by the presence of a recurring Calexico collaborator, singer Francoise Breut who appears on three tracks. My only regret is that due to the lack of a domestic release and territorial restrictions on the digital sources I had no alternative but to buy this CD from amazon.co.uk. Definitely worth the wait and even the customs duty.
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