Oddfellow’s Casino — Burning! Burning! (7 Aug., 2020)
Upraveno:★■★ Citový život lidí není lineární. A vnější hrozby? Ty společnost většinou sdružují. „Hoří! Hoří!“ je fúzí jemně sdílených klasického akustického písničkářství, dream~popu, elektroniky a jazzu, odhalujících témat, která byla
inspirována událostmi a případy v životě písničkáře. Tyto zážitky údajně dokonce formovaly název kapely, protože zpěvačka zdědila po excentrické tetě stoletý knír, patřící viktoriánskému hostiteli šíleného představení Ambrosi Oddfellowovi, bývalému šéfovi
jeho kasina Oddfellow’s. Hudba a příběhy, které leží uvnitř, jsou strhující a podmanivé a musíte jim věnovat soustředěný poslech, ten ovšem vyžaduje svůj čas.
★■★ Je to další potvrzení statusu Davida Bramwella jako jednoho z nejlepších a nejosobitějších skladatelů současnosti. LP je ve skutečnosti pouze první ze tří sbírek, které nám letos přišly od Brightonského barda a jeho kapely —
po ní bude následovat „The Cult of Water“, který obsahuje příspěvky mluveného slova od Alana Moora a „Oddfellow’s Casino Revisited“ , který bude zahrnovat reinterpretace skladeb z jejich prvních tří alb. Toužebně rozsáhlá „Where are the Memories of Henry
Sargeant?“ je inspirována snem o poltergeistovi jeho starého souseda a celkově překvapivě hymnické album zakončuje „Marian Marks,“ odrážející návštěvu domu autora Alana Garnera.
★■★ Pokud se někdo Davida B. nemůže nabažit dost, je zde starší album z roku 2010 od Grasscut — „1 Inch: ½ Mile“. Anglické duo vyrábí sladké cukrovinky typu ambient~steampunk, které dovedně
stírají hranici mezi přírodním a syntetickým světem.
■ „Výjimečný vypravěč, který splétá pravdu o podivném dědictví do hypnotického příběhu o posedlosti.“ — RADIO TIMES
■ „Bramwell má očividně smysl pro podivínské a tajemné. — THE GUARDIAN
■ „Pokud jste si mysleli, že vás nic v Brightonu nemůže překvapit, přemýšlejte znovu.“ — BOOKISH SUPPER SALONLocation: Brighton, UK
Album release: 7 August 2020
Record Label: Nightjar
Duration: 50:48
Tracks:
01. Chime Children 5:21
02. Sol Ra 5:02
03. Leave Behind 5:03
04. Where Are the Memories of Henry Sargeant? 4:23
05. Strange Lights in the Night Sky 5:33
06. Twice Around the Sun 5:26
07. Frozen Warnings 4:57
08. The Red Eye of Mars 4:07
09. Night of the Dab Tsog 5:39
10. Marian Marks 5:17
Review
by Steven Johnson ⌊7th Aug., 2020⌋ Score: ★★★★½
■ David Bramwell may not be particularly well known but he’s something of a creative polymath. For the last twenty years not only has he released music under the name Oddfellow’s Casino but he’s also carved out a successful career
as an author, journalist, radio presenter and podcast maker.
All of these overlapping artistic strands occupy and explore similar thematic ground, namely his interest in the occult, the mythical, the folkloric, the hard to explain and those events that take place at the periphery of society. Lesser heard
stories excavated from obscure chapters of history inform much of his creative output and this is very much the case on Burning! Burning!, his 7th studio album.
♠ It’s clear early on that this is an album of sustaining depth and there’s certainly a lot to delve into. Leave Behind is arguably the defining track on the record, being based around the belief of one of Bramwell’s
neighbours that her home is haunted by poltergeists. Her voice thoughtfully recounts these experiences alongside a suitably atmospheric backdrop. Bramwell does an excellent job in bringing the stories of others to life but the inclusion of his neighbour’s
voice here brings an eerie directness to the song. The more doleful Where Are The Memories of Henry Sargeant? is Bramwell’s personal follow up, written after the story started to infiltrate his dreams.
■ Sol Ra is another standout track, inspired by some of the solstice rituals of Wiltshire and it shows how many of his songs here have a peculiarly psychogeographical quality to them, feeling strangely connected to a particular
location. Musically, it’s widescreen and melodic, traits which crop up throughout the album.
■ The dynamic Strange Lights In The Night Sky brings upsurges of volume, journeying from distortion to melody and back. Lyrically it references the ‘will~o’~the~wisps’ found in old folktales and still witnessed today (Bramwell
recently wrote about the phenomena as part of a series of articles in the Guardian, aptly under the ‘weird world’ subheading). Last year Bramwell joined a druidic order — proof, if any were needed, of how he fully immerses himself in those subjects he
finds fascinating.
■ The pastoral and wistful sounding Chime Children is based on another old fable that proposes those born at midnight to be endowed with heightened musical powers. Marian Marks is cut from similar cloth, relating to certain
engraved symbols found in old buildings that were intended to ward off evil spirits. They’re indicative of the kind of wide~ranging yet self~contained orchestrated songs that Bramwell does so well, seeming to exist on distant hinterlands where fact and
fiction become enjoyably muddied.
■ If the album has a home it’s undoubtedly southern England and this is reflected in how, musically, we get hints of Robert Wyatt, Syd Barrett, Blur and British Sea Power along the way (although he also throws in a Nico cover and
there’s a passing suggestion of prime period Mercury Rev at times as well). Although very different in overall sound, Burning! Burning! also brings to mind Chanctonbury Rings, last year’s excellent album from Justin Hopper, Sharron Kraus and The Belbury
Poly.
■ While this is music inspired by the margins, it doesn’t itself belong in the margins. With two more albums promised over forthcoming months, it’s hard not to feel that this should be the year that Bramwell gets the recognition
he deserves. ■ https://www.musicomh.com/
BY DAMIAN SULLIVAN ⌊AUGUST 6, 2020⌋ Score: 9/10
■ http://www.maximumvolumemusic.com/review-oddfellows-casino-burning-burning-2020/
Website: http://oddfellowscasino.com/
Website: https://www.drbramwell.com/
Oddfellow’s Casino Discography:
♦ Yellow Bellied Wonderland, Pickled Egg Records, 2002
♦ Winter Creatures, Pickled Egg Records, 2005
♦ The Absence of Birds, Pickled Egg Records, 2008
♦ The Raven’s Empire, Republic of Music, 2012
♦ The Water Between Us, At the Helm Records, Microcultures 2012
♦ Dust, At the Helm Records, Microcultures 2015
♦ Oh, Sealand, At the Helm Records, Microcultures 2017
♦ Burning! Burning! (7 Aug., 2020, Nightjar)
■ https://www.taisawards.com/inpage/oddfellow-s-casino-burning-burning/