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Old 12-31-2014, 09:21 AM   #23 (permalink)
Anteater
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4. Tony Patterson & Brendan Eyre - Northlands



Put On A Playlist With: early Pink Floyd, Genesis (1970-71), Camel, The Pineapple Thief

For those looking for an ideal musical companion in 2014 for one of those late night drives where the rain keeps on coming and there's no moon in sight, Northlands was more than up to the task as you follow a nameless protagonist to his deadbeat hometown in northeast England where unfinished business awaits.

As far as the music here went, there's a lot of M's to be had: minimalist, melancholy, mesmerizing. The last of these adjectives refers to ReGenesis frontman Tony Patterson: when you combine his tired yet strangely moving voice with flutes, a few trip-hop flourishes, some jazz horns and the organic groove of a rock band the result is a concept record that really hits you if your in just the right emotional frame of mind.

Taken into the greater context of all the albums I've ever listened to or bought though, I can say with conviction that this is one of the best pure 60 minutes of tuneage I've ever sat through start to finish. The 24-minute opening cut 'Northbound' is gorgeously cinematic and orchestral in places, and the 'I Recall' section that comes right around the midway mark is one of the best three minutes I've had in music, period. Those harmonies! But side two has some very strong numbers too, including the jazzy 'A Rainy Day On Dean Street' and the Floydian penultimate number 'So Long The Day'. There's also a rock solid balance between the instrumental and vocals cuts throughout this recording, a quality that elevates this beyond Floyd's swansong 'The Endless River' and its ilk for me.

I find it a point of irony that an album which sounds so at home with cold weather, rain and the stark beauty of the North ultimately proved to be warmer and more human than a lot of other lauded releases these past twelve months. Highly, highly recommended.


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Last edited by Anteater; 12-31-2014 at 09:36 AM.
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