STACK November Issue 68

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Hopetoun Brown
Burning Fuse
Imagine a New Orleans street brass band in which a
bass clarinet player and a trumpeter are so lost in the
music that they fail to notice that have taken a wrong
turn and are now separated from the rest of their
fellow musicians. But when they do belatedly realise
what’s happened, they play on regardless, this time marching to their own
tune... That kind of gives you an indication of where Hopetoun Brown – aka the
Supergroove horn section of Nick Atkinson and Tim Stewart – are coming from.
Their stripped back tunes takes in everything from blues and jazz to pop, with
Atkinson’s clarinet effectively providing the chugging rhythms, with Stewart
weighing on vocals and assorted brass instruments. On tracks like Dirty Shame,
The Demanding Blues and Road Runner Rocks, the weaving, call-and-response
horn lines and tin-can percussion recall the junkyard vaudevillia of TomWaits,
while Knitted Into My Bones and Blind see the duo click into a smokier, bluesier
groove. Elsewhere, Sorry You’re Sick is a catchy slice of finger-clicking pop, while
the instrumental The Melter gives the duo the opportunity to showcase their
jazz chops. If this is the new sound of busking, then Burning Fuse is well worth
dipping into your wallet for. John Ferguson
Also Spinning
Kurt Cobain Montage Of Heck:
The Home Recordings
Somewhere between rubber-necking a fatal car accident and
genuinely grasping for the answer to ‘why?’ lies this 31-track
‘soundtrack’ to the recent doco on grunge’s enigmatic Godfather.
Certainly no party starter, we’re instead meditating on the creative aspects to the
mischievous noodler. Between demos and mere ideas are snippets of Cobain’s
fascination with editing sound on his four-track; it's an exhaustive, sad, funny and
ultimately fascinating insight into his creative process and a flittering peek into a rarely
celebrated sense of humour (Beans). Wow, an album where Cobain tracks can make you
laugh? Who’d have thunk it! Chris Murray
Tomorrow People Bass & Bassinets
Summer’s nearly here so if you’re looking for a new homegrown
soundtrack for this season’s barbies, then you can’t go wrong
with the sophomore set from this Wellington reggae collective.
Tomorrow’s People are at their best on old school jams like Writings
On The Wall – which features guest Fran Kora – but the soulful
Pacific grooves of songs like Carry On and Chance Go By will please
fans of the poppier end of the reggae spectrum. Let’s hope this
Summer turns out as sunny as Bass & Bassinets. John Ferguson
Roots Manuva Bleeds
He may now be one of the elder statesmen of British hip hop, but
Roots Manuva has never one to coast. His sixth album show him as
willing as ever to embrace new sonic soundscapes, whether it be the
Four Tet produced jitter of the Facety 2:11 or the murky beats of One
Thing, one of a number of collaborations with Switch. Standout track,
though, is the lovely Don’t Breath Out, which floats by on the back of a sample of Barry
White’s Honey Please, Can't Ya See. John Ferguson
46 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
Distributed by Southbound Distribution |
Ministry of Sound UK - 3CD Sets
UK Annual 2016 | Perfectly Chilled | Hedkandi 2016
Saving the best to last,
described as the biggest tracks
of the year at the Hed Kandi
events across the globe.
A 3CD offering that takes
the listener on a beautiful
journey whilst they
relax and unwind.
This much loved addition to
the UK Annual family, reflects
the very best that the
year had to offer.
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