Review Corner

Author: jerobear

  • Johann Ernst Prinz von Sachsen-Weimar: Violin Concertos

    At the first play-through of this collection of lush and charming baroque string concertos, you’re thinking it’s nice but no Premiership as far as composing goes: top of the Championship but not world class. Then you read his biography and learn that Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar — born on Christmas Day in 1696 — didn’t…

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    Panic! At The Disco: Death Of A Bachelor

    This OTT album sees Brendon Urie simultaneously impress with his talents and leave the listener slightly baffled. It’s a mix between MCR emo at its most burlesque and the operatic classic rock of Queen — “Let me be a killer queen” he sings within seconds of the opening so it’s clear what the influences are.…

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    Steffen Schleiermacher / Holger Falk: Erik Satie Ultimate Melodies and Songs

    Satie is best known for his classic piano piece Gymnopédie No1 (you’ve all heard it) and was endearingly eccentric. He was once so poor he shared a suit with lifelong friend JP Contamine de Latour, meaning they could only go out one at a time, and when he died, his flat — never visited by…

  • Baroness: Purple

    This band’s John Baizley was in the Guardian recently, in the Saturday magazine’s Experience section. This is where people recount generally unpleasant things that befell them (“My head was bitten off by a leopard”, “I lived on soil for three years”). His was “Our tour bus drove off a viaduct”; they were driving near Bath…

  • Cappella Musicale di Santa Barbara in Mantova: Francesco Rovigo Missa Dominicalis / Mottetti / Canzoni

    If you like choral or early music, or even Gregorian chant, you can’t go wrong with this lovely album. Francesco Rovigo sounds like some kind of star footballer from the 16th century: the hotshot organist played at the court of Italian nobles the Gonzagas, who liked him so much they sent him to study in…

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    Mind Enterprises: Idealist

      We liked this more than Frøkedal (posted below/yesterday) but it just proves how tastes differ. You could argue this was bland, inoffensive electronic pop that merits a bit more edge and and that Frøkedal has the voice of angel, but we’re writing this and not you. The title track opens and a tune Rob…

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    Frøkedal: Hold On Dreamer

      We’ve played this over and over and can’t get a handle on it. It’s her voice, which seems to suck out any excitement. Harsh, very harsh, we know, but it has to be said. The sign of where it fails comes on The Sign, a cheery indie pop tune with nice drums; if the…

  • Burkard Schliessmann: Chronological Chopin

    This 3CD box set (Super Audio CD) is self-explanatory by the title, and it seems pointless to type out Schliessmann’s extensive sleeve notes, which range from the technical to the more understandable to laymen such as ourselves (“Chopin was a gifted tunesmith”). Schliessmann writes at length about Chopin’s genius and technical brilliance and while Schliessmann…

  • Weder/Berliner Camerata Chopin: Piano Concertos 1&2

    We started reviewing classical CDs in the Review Corner to try and appreciate the genre more, and our enjoyment of this album and the one below surely means it’s a case of mission accomplished. As far as this goes, we can’t say much about Chopin, as his genius precedes him. This CD sees Joseph-Maurice Weder,…

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    Coasts: Coasts

    Single Oceans, which even we’ve heard on the radio, opens this album and sets the tone. A massive, catchy chorus, a sunny day feel, slick and commercial — it’s entertaining and pleasing to listen to, even uplifting in places, but we’ve heard it all before. Even at 37 minutes there’s a bit of padding. Name…