joe blossom's record 'nocturnes' has only just been born and already people are loving it...
"There’s something grand about this record from Wellington’s Joe Blossum, the latest project from Sean O’Brien. The size of this record beguiles and transcends it’s apparent modest roots – it was recorded by James Goldsmith at Te Horo Beach, and a garage on Marjoribanks Street in Wellington, with three early tracks laid down by Lee Prebble at Surgery Studios. But it sounds like something Bryan Ferry and David Bowie collaborating would have done spending thousands and thousands of pounds on at any time between 1975-1985 and probably would involved a large budget on illicit substances. They’d probably have got a member or two of The Rolling Stones to help out. And not achieve this.
Opening with their lead single Hunger I – almost Duran Duran-esque (in a really good way) – percussive keys call to a guitar strum response that is song-writing pop genius distilled into just over three minutes. It’s songs like this that I froth at the mouth over and insist should be topping the pop charts as our own distinctly quirky New Zealandness.
Joe / Sean’s warm vocal literally melts me in the opening few bars of Not Just For A While. Neon Beaus is a racing car of a track; late night speeding; street lights become lines as they stream past you while listening to this. Tracks like Hunger II capture an understated glam perfectly; stylish and edgy, while You Are Not With Us (Anymore) with its driving bass thud that counterparts its accompanied sparse drums and impassioned piano is a difficult but worthy classic.
How The Mighty Fall sounds like a foggy morning – sunlight struggling as much as early morning commuters, to a particularly wonderful climax. Control lazily sways, ambles and stumbles beautifully into Thinking Of You which eventually features the unmistakable Bek Coogan on bv’s – clearing the last remaining fog, revealing a gloriously sung rising sun. Truly epic.
This is the stuff swoons are made from – actually Bryan Ferry – you can just fuck off now; we have Joe Blossom. Seriously."
Review by Andrew Tidball on cheese on toast...
you can buy it cheap as chips from here... it's worth every sweet penny...
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