broadway project - the vessel
my initial reaction to this modern soul classic was of sheer breath taking wonder. but this is nothing too unusual for me. so i held back from putting fingers to keyboard. now - having lived with this album for several weeks that initial reaction has yet to surpass. for make no mistake, this is timeless soul music. not an mtv sanctioned bump-n-grind soul music, no. this is music to calm and cleanse the soul. enrich the spirit. a soundtrack to lonesome nights, of fragile beauty.
its quite simply a gorgeous album.
this is anti-now music.
there are some though who will hear this and lump it long with other downtempo, hip-hop fused combos (roughly translate as trip-hop) but for me this is the real deal. downtempo throughout. sumptuous detail. rich instrumentation both sampled and real being combined and songs that ooze and exist, as opposed to jump out and grab you, these creep up on you and reside carefully within your psyche.
opening track 'beauty' gives an indication of what to expect for the next 36 mins. orchestral grandeur, scratchy ambience, and a cinematic production, which then leads to the recent single with its androgynous vocals provided by richard palmer, and a darkly romantic atmosphere. to point out individual tracks is a pointless excercise as the album is a complete whole, no highlights in particular just to say that i personally love the real live crowd action on 'beaten dog' sounding like its been recorded at some very cool laid back festival when the masses have left and a few hangers on are hoping to see one more special band, and they a justly rewarded, the david lynch soundtrack of 'darkling', with its quasi religious choral parts, the serene beauty of 'angel' ..
admittedly this is not a feel good party album, there is definitely an autumnal feel. the music requires lost loves, darkness, rain storms to fully appreciate the mood, but, dont think that all this makes the album a depressing listen, for despite its sonic sadness, a warmth and a feeling of wonder and fulfillment permeates.
in fact i genuinely cannot think of a downside to the album for anyone wanting a rich, romantic, listenable version of portishead. the attention to the sonic detail is what draws the listener in deeper and deeper into its etherworld.
dan berridge, mastermind behind this project and no doubt he must be rather proud of this album.
for the folks that re interested .. the whole package is finished in a gloriously dark gothic cover artwork which would sit nicely along any sandman collection - the art is very reminiscent of dave mckeans covers for the sandman comics. which is a good thing of course.