Tag: Neil Cowley Trio

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2024 Album Of the Year: Neil Cowley Trio ‘Entity’

Cover of Entity by Neil Cowley Trio, featuring the faces of each band member melded together on a dark blue background and with a blue-ish tint.

Going back a good few years I’ve done an end of year playlist/article of my favourite music of the year. This was in the slightly pretentious frame of mind that people would care or want to read about the music I listened to and liked. Odd, I know. But then so is having my own website.

2024 is a bit different. I haven’t written about music very much at all this year and yet Last FM (yes, I do still use it) tells me that I’ve listened to 1412 albums this year. That’s a lot of albums.

Standing head and shoulders above all other music I’ve heard this year is Entity by Neil Cowley Trio. I’ve linked to it from Spotify below but I’d urge you to go and find it wherever and however you listen to music and give your ears a beautiful period of time as a special gift.

You can buy the record direct from the band here: https://neilcowleytrio.bandcamp.com/album/entity

Sometimes music is special because of brilliance. Sometimes it is special because of exceptional composition. At other times it is the energy or vibe that comes out of the speakers as you listen which grabs and holds attention. Some bands have the capacity to be playful. Others have a talent for a tone and timbre which is almost majestic in its sombre resonance. Once described as ‘jazz for people who like Radiohead’ – which definitely placed them firmly in my wheelhouse, Neil Cowley Trio were, from the beginning of 2009, my favourite band until they went on hiatus in 2017. They were a special band, with the piano of Neil Cowley seeming to chime perfectly with the rhythm section of Rex Horan and Evan Jenkins whether they were going for a rambunctious cacophony or a or a maudlin sense of melancholy. Cowley’s humour was never far from the surface and through a series of increasingly intricate albums and complimentary art and video projects culminating in Spacebound Apes they stayed at the top of the tree for a prolonged period. And then they went away, and it was very sad (at least for me!).

It got to the point where I had given up hope of ever listening to new music from the guys as a trio. And then, lo! There was news of Entity and great excitement ensued.

When a band comes back from a long layoff, like a footballer recovered from a cruciate ligament injury there are questions: will they still be as quick, as lithe, as powerful as they used to be? Will the heights that might have been open to them in the past now seem distant false hopes in the rear-view mirror of history? On rare occasions, a reuniting after a hiatus brings something better than what came before. But it is all too rare. And so pressing play on Entity brings with it a sense of risk as well as the possibility of ultimately gratifying reward.

Having given the game away with the title of my post you’ll have guessed by now which way it went for me. As Marble fades up and into view there’s an immediate sense that all is well with the world. I don’t know how he does it but Neil has this recognisable tonal and rhythmic quality to his playing that as soon as the percussive, haunting chordal melody sets off the listener familiar with the band’s catalogue knows they are ‘back’. And then Rex comes in with a gorgeous picked bass part beginning in the high register, before Evan’s toms herald the synergy of the band returning to their rightful place at the heart of the British jazz scene. All within the first two minutes of the album.

I have to tell you that even by this stage I knew that Entity and I were going to be good friends. Having been slightly concerned that it would be a kind of uber disappointment the sense of relief was palpable. I was feeling all of this as the marbles skittered along in a series of off-kilter triplets and semi-arpeggios before returning to the kind of chorus-esque harmonious figure Cowley has been writing for decades but which always sound fresh and always sound like him.

Those Claws showcases a haunting atmosphere, ably augmented by the beautiful mix from Ethan Johns. An emotional listen indeed. V&A harks back to the days of Spacebound Apes with echoey synths giving extra room to the depth and resonance of the acoustic trio in the foreground. The playful Father Daughter gives something of a palette cleanse whilst losing none of the hold of depth and power that the album builds and maintains throughout. Broad reminds of one of my favourite songs of all time in Clumsy Couple from long, long ago, whilst Adam Alphabet sounds like the kind of song which has enough languid drive on record to be something which could be built with real power in the live arena. Similarly with later album highlight Shoop we’re shown that the band have lost nothing of their previous penchant for marrying the pithy with the profound. By the time of closer Entity we’re in the realms of Grace one of the band’s most famed songs of yore, being given the full band treatment.

Having named around three quarters of the songs here it should be clear that this is an album which doesn’t so much have highlights as which holds together as a coherent and beautiful whole. In these days of uncertainty it is a gift of beauty and wonder that the band have given to those who will listen to Entity. Whether the band would like their work to be described as comforting I have no idea, but that’s how I find it as I listen. In this changing world some things do indeed remain the same and one of the things that has remained the same, in spite of the odds and plentiful circumstances mitigating against the prospect is that Neil Cowley Trio remain a vital and delightful act. I have written before about them being, somewhat hyperbolically, the best band in the world. I’m yet to be dissuaded, in spite of knowing full well how subjective and perhaps foolish that claim might be.

Buy the album, devour the album, gift the album (I have), luxuriate in it, tell people about it, go and see the band live. I’ve been of the view for some time that there is something full of grace and mercy in the way music can soothe, salve, challenge, encourage and send people forth in to the lives they live determined to be and do better, kinder and more generously. Perhaps it comes from the place of having a faith and seeing what beautiful art can do to impact and effect people, often regardless of the initial intentions of those who created it, particularly whether God has any heft in their minds, process and creativity. All I’ll say is that this music draws me onwards to something better and greater in a way which other music does not, and for that I am very grateful indeed.

Entity is my album of the year. I hope you love it as much as I do.

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My albums of the year for 2016

2016 was a great year for music. The world and his/her wife seems to be posting lists of favourite albums of the year, so I thought I’d dash out a list. I’m doing this quickly, in no particular order (apart from a couple which I’ll make very obvious). If you want to keep up with what albums I’m liking a lot, I review a lot of them for Drowned in Sound. You can find my list of articles for that fine website by clicking on this sentence. What interests me as I look at my very handy Last FM profile, which tells me how much I’ve listened to each album over the course of the year (or most of them anyway, it doesn’t log vinyl plays, naturally) is that some of my favourite albums are definitely not my most-listened-to. Some albums take only a listen or two to lodge themselves firmly in your memory bank. Others, as I’ve looked back over the past year, have seemed vital at one point or other but not stayed with me. Perhaps a symptom of short attention span on my part, or perhaps a sign that there’s just too much music to be listened to for it to be properly taken in and appreciated. According to the August Last FM, I ‘scrobbled’ all or part of 1109 albums in the last 365 days. Think about that. That’s listening to all or part of just under 3 distinct albums a day, every day for a whole year. Surely that’s not healthy. Music, art, it’s not meant to be so disposable. Apologies to the artists whose creations I have failed to properly spend time with this year.

All that said, there have been some absolute belters this year. I’m not limiting myself to albums released in 2016, just to things I’ve heard and enjoyed this year. Here goes.

Neil Cowley Trio – Spacebound Apes. The undoubted number one album in my household this year. A fantastic piece of work showing everything that is so spectacular and criminally underrated about this wonderful band. Of all the items on this list, this is the one that you should drop everything and check out immediately. It will make your life better. There is not a better live act in the world today. The show at Union Chapel in the autumn was as spellbinding as ever.

Yorkston/Thorne/Khan – Everything Sacred  – a hugely ambitious, emotional, beautifully realised record. Cross-cultural, a multi-textured palette, everything you could possibly hope for. An alt-folk masterpiece.

Losers – How To Ruin Other People’s Futures – One of the most exciting bands in the world finally realises its full potential. A heavy, synth-tastic exploration of desolation.

Brian McSweeney – As the Bluebird – Brian McSweeney, former frontman of Seven Day Jesus and Matthew (the best rock band you’ve never heard (of)) returns with a lovely, folk-leaning record which exhibits his exceptional songwriting and vocal prowess to the full.

Willam Ryan Fritch – New Words For Old Wounds and Ill Tides – It takes a lot to get me in the right place for modern or contemporary classical music, but William Ryan Fritch carries me far away into a place where only this music matters and, really, isn’t that the point of it all?

Motorpsycho – Here Be Monsters – vying with Neil Cowley Trio for the crown of best live act on the planet, Norway’s Motorpsycho returned with what, for them at least, was a somewhat restrained affair. If you don’t know this band, you really should. Each iteration, each release, is so wildly different, creative. Sometimes heavy, sometimes soulful, sometimes introspective, at others entirely unhinged. There isn’t a more interesting band active at the moment. Here’s hoping they continue forever!

House of Heroes – Colors – a concept album that actually remembers to focus on high-quality songcraft. House of Heroes are the band that proves that existing outside of the Christian music ghetto is good for artistic development once and for all. The production and mix here is spot on, too.

Lettuce – Crush – Everyone needs a glorious slice of funk every now and again.

Thrice – To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere – s blistering return. I won’t say return to form. Their form never dipped.

Andy Gullahorn – Fault Lines – The most potent accoustic/singer-songwriter album you could ever hope to hear. These are songs you can believe in, that you can live. I have no idea why Andy Gullahorn isn’t one of the most famous musicians on the planet. This album has been good to and for me this year.

Heron Oblivion – Heron Oblivion – a really satisfying, intensely heavy and challenging listen, harking back to the time when rock music was intelligent first and commercial second.

Lisa Hannigan – At Swim – Lisa Hannigan’s solo output continues to dwarf that of her erstwhile bandmate Damien Rice. She just gets better and better. This album feels like the one where she has worked out who she is and what she wants to sound like. Gorgeous production, a really nice mix, but that would be nothing without stellar songs, which this album has from start to finish.

The Lees of Memory – Unnecessary Evil – This band are vital. This is a fantastic album that passed by virtually unnoticed. John Davis is a gem of a songwriter.

Switchfoot – Where The Light Shines Through – Switchfoot feel comfortable in their own skins these days. This is a glossy, widescreen pop record, but Jon Foreman continues to pen some of the strongest, most biting lyrics in the scene. The band’s talent for allying those poetic challenges with cinematic pop melodies continues unabated.

Sandra McCracken – God’s Highway – Sandra McCracken grows with each release. So much soul, so much depth. Each lyric seems hard-won, to come from the deepest place imaginable. In turn, each collection of her songs become a resource for the hurting, the broken and the seeking.

Matthew Zigenis – Overflow – a creative, original-sounding worship album. I finally found one. These songs could be sung in any Church in the world and  they sound great on this album. Wonders will never cease. (obviously, one has to be creative enough to replace the splendid synth work with, you know, Gladys on the piano or Bob on the guitar if that will truly work, but it could work. Why not try some of these songs in your Church? Go on, I dare you).

Monomyth – Exo – I love this band. They stunned me in front of approximately 5 people in a small village near Milton Keynes in 2015, but I still contend that they should be loved by thousands. Instrumental post-rock, with hammond organs and fabulous moments of utter chaos. It takes some time to get going, but you always know the destination, and when it gets there…Well, there can be barely anything more musically satisfying. What’s not to love?

Albert Af Ekenstam – Ashes – another contender for best singer-songwriter album of the year. There’s a closeness to the vocal placing on this record that just makes the whole thing feel intimate and all the more special. Lovely songs.

David Bazan – Blanco – Some time ago, David Bazan was ranked somewhere in the late 30s (I think) by a noted magazine in a list of the greatest living songwriters. The ones who were above him in that list must be pretty flipping great. Blanco is another example of a master craftsman presenting not just his talent, but the whole of himself, his inner life, his dialogues on matters temporal and spiritual. One can only wish more communicators did their jobs with the consistency and openness that Bazan does. This side-step into synth territory could have been a mis-step, but instead it merely goes to show that whatever the sonic palette, Bazan is a songwriter to be treasured and learned from.

The Seraphim Project  – Journeys and Destinations – To disclose fully, I have friends in this band. If anything, though, that makes me pre-disposed to be harsher in my estimation of this album. So when I say that it is a stunning, emotive piece of post-rock, take it from me that this is one record you don’t want to miss. The bits when it gets loud are great.

New Dog – Teeth Marks – I was sent this album by New Dog (Anar Badalov) completely out of the blue. No idea what to expect. It could have been awful. Fabulously it was not. A hushed, deep, searching acoustic singer-songwriter record of the finest kind. I wish Anar was known and loved by myriad, myriad people. Why don’t you become one such lover of his fine work?

Tigercub – Abstract Figures In the Dark – I saw this band opening for Royal Blood when both acts had released only one single. We all know what happened next for Royal Blood. With this album, Tigercub show that they are destined for the same stratospheric levels of success, if not surpassing that of their Brightonian brethren.

Asylums – Killer Brain Waves –  a really fun, heavy, punky rock record from Southend. Those don’t come along too often

Silver Snakes – Saboteur – This is a heavy, blistering even, intricate and demanding rock record, the kind that is rarely made anymore, it seems. Might be too challenging for some. See what you make of it.

Audrey Assad – Inheritance – Unusually for me, a hymns record slips into my list. This one gets in if for no other reason than for the mind-bendingly good version of Holy, Holy, Holy contained herein. Seriously, even if your faith is long latent, forgotten in childhood, I defy you to listen to that song and remain unmoved.

Espen Eriksen Trio – Never Ending January – aside from Spacebound Apes, this was the jazz trio record I returned to the most this year. It’s understated, but intensely melodic and memorable. A jazz record with hooks you can hum along to. Whatever next

Chris James – Space In the Clouds (EP) – That voice, the one that made Stateless an absolutely crucial Ninja Tune act what seems like many moons ago, it’s back, making its’ first showing on this glorious 5 track opening gambit. The songs give James’s vocal room to breathe, but they also contain enough guts to lead this EP straight to the realms of glory. I’m looking forward very much to a full-length album, hopefully before too long.

So, there we are. What a lot of albums. It’s a diverse list. And I didn’t even mention Radiohead. Hopefully you’ll find something diverting, even something to love, here. 2017 is already looking like a good year. If I might point you in the direction of releases from Army of Bones and Jim Rogers, both forthcoming and undoubtedly worthy of your attention for starters…Have a great 2017, both musical and otherwise.

Did I miss something glaring in my list? Why don’t you let me know? If I had any time I’d make a playlist, but I don’t, so you’ll have to spend some time researching any albums you’ve not heard. Happy hunting!

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My Albums of the Year

So, 2014 is drawing to a close. It’s been a year of a lot of change, a lot of new things have happened. I’ve learnt a lot, and realised along the way that I knew a lot less in the first place than I had previously thought. In the midst of all these changes, joys and celebrations, celebration, mourning and downright hard work, I’ve heard some fantastic music. Music is a gift, I think. It never ceases to amaze me that there is a song, or an album for every mood, seemingly every circumstance. I’m writing this list as much for my own sense of posterity as anything – it’ll be nice to look back on this in a while (perhaps years) and see what was exciting me by the end of 2014! I’m not going to be pretentious and write long, florid paeans to each album. If they sound intriguing, take the time to track them down and delve in. I hope that they give you as much joy as they have given me this year. A final caveat, there’s no way I could possibly do this list in order or anything like that, so just assume that I like them all equally! Ok, here goes…

Motorpsycho – Behind the Sun

2014 was the year I discovered vinyl. I know it had been there for a  long time. I was slow on the uptake. It was also the year I discovered the incredible Norwegian band Motorpsycho. This is their 2014 release, but as I began to delve in to their back catalogue there was the glorious realisation that here was a band who defied characterisation and had been making albums since the late 1980’s. Sometimes it’s like Black Sabbath. At other times it’s free jazz. Sometimes 60s pop, other times a cacophonous racket. A staggeringly inventive and individual band. If you do nothing else after reading this, listen to this album.

Royal Blood – Royal Blood

This won’t surprise anyone who knows me. I was fortunate enough to hear about Royal Blood 18 months ago, before their first single was released, and saw them twice, playing to a combined total of about 120 people. I don’t think I’ve ever been more inspired by seeing a band I barely knew anything about than that first time in Leicester. Fortunately their debut album delivers on their promise in spades. It’s crazy to think that they are among the biggest bands in the country now. Can only wait and see what comes next with interest.

Neil Cowley Trio – Touch and Flee

This was a departure for the best live band in the world, a dancehall record. Quite restrained. Full of emotion, but lacking in some of the bombast of previous releases, which really gave Neil’s compositional flair space to shine. I have no idea how they aren’t the biggest band in the world, as I keep saying. If you like music you will like this album. If you don’t like this album you probably should give up listening to music.

Enormodome – Big Boy Machines

The second rock duo on this list. This is a huge sounding, melodically inventive, inspiring listen. This has more of my favourite songs of the year on it than any other album. It sounds so good loud as to be ridiculous. Fantastic work from J Hall and Brad Blackwood on mixing and mastering.

David Bazan and Passenger String Quartet – Volume 1

David Bazan is a world-class songwriter. He is also a world-class quester after truth, willing to question and doubt, and honestly express his feelings and findings at every step. The songs on this album see Bazan’s haunting vocal backed only by a string quartet. in these environs you see just how strong his writing is. He’s a special talent that everyone should know.

Plank! – Hivemind

An instrumental trio traversing the line between indie, rock and electronica, this is a brilliantly joyous record. No-one seems to have heard of them either…

Gavin Clark – Beautiful Skeletons

I’ve been waiting for a new release from Gavin, the voice of Funhouse and Clayhill, for what feels like an eternity, but was actually only about 8 years (I’m impatient). This is a beautifully presented collection of sparse, emotive folk, charting the course of the last 20 years or so of Clark’s songwriting life. Her has one of of those voices. Another one who, if there was any justice in music world, would be a household name.

Early Winters – Vanishing Act

This is a flat-out beautiful album. Carina Round is another one of those singers. Here, her vocals intertwine the equally brilliant Justin Rutledge’s, as they adorn some amazing and effortlessly laid-back songs. Just wonderful.

Ormonde – Cartographer/Explorer

This record has Anna-Lynne Williams on it. That should be enough to send you scurrying out to hear it. If you need more, this is marked departure for her duo with Robert Gomez. More direct, perhaps even aggressive, but still maintaining the wonder and sense of the numinous. Another special album.

Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy

A surprise new album from Damien Rice came late in the year. In a sense though, what we got was far from a surprise. Perfectly crafted, full of emotion, twisting and turning. A lovely return.

Dan Wilson – Love Without Fear

The former singer with Semisonic, Dan Wilson writes great songs. They are the kind of songs that make you, were you to find yourself considering yourself to be a songwriter, more than willing to down tools to retirement.

Luke Sital Singh – The Fire Inside

One of the standout performers I saw at Greenbelt this year, Luke’s debut full length has justifiably elevated him to a new level of recognition as one of the best songwriters in this country. Don’t be surprised if he’s everywhere next year. It’s his time.

Her Name is Calla – Navigator

I love Calla. They’ve been in my life a long time. This year they released an astonishingly progressive album, nuanced and full of maturity. Out with noise, in with pastoral folk of the best kind. On with the show. Can’t wait for their next one.

 

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Neil Cowley Trio – “Touch and Flee” (2014)

I make this the sixth album from Neil Cowley and the duo that make up his Trio, Rex Horan and Evan Jenkins (not counting EPs, iTunes live sessions and so on). The PR for the record trumpets Neil as “Adele’s Pianist”, which he is, among many other things. It’s him twinkling the ivories on the proper intro for Chasing Pavements, for instance. He’s also had a hand in Birdy’s recent career-high album, been Derry’s Musician in Residence as they were last year’s European City of Culture, and, perhaps most importantly of all, he had a telegram read out at my wedding. Albeit it was a telegram berating me for being so keen on getting early review copies of his band’s albums, but still. As a side note, Neil wasn’t the biggest man to have a telegram read out at my wedding. Neil is quite a reasonably-sized chap. Adebayo Akinfenwa, on the other hand, well. I think you could fit three Neil Cowley’s into one Adebayo Akinfenwa. However, when it comes to the modern jazz pianist, Neil Cowley is an almost peerless heavyweight and the maturity and nuance of his band’s new album, Touch and Flee will only serve to cement and enhance that reputation.

I’ll admit took me a while to “get” this album and as a result. I missed the album’s June 9th release date for posting this review because I didn’t know what to say about it. And then, all of a sudden, it seemed, I “got” it. This is a great album. It will go down as a classic. It is the best jazz album of this and most other years. Now I shall tell you why.

Beginning with the beguiling Kneel Down, there is an immediately noticeable development in the band’s style and approach. While all the sounds are immediate, Kneel Down unfolds laconically, rather than with the insistence of the Trio’s former jams, as an elastic bass riff is juxtaposed with chiming piano chords. It immediately sets out the stall for the album. Whereas power and bombast in some parts, and smooth balladry in others, were previously Neil Cowley Trio’s stock in trade, this time, there is an almost concert-hall feel to the work. These nine pieces are symphonic without being grandiose, a contrast again to the previous album, The Face of Mount Molehill, which employed a string section to add orchestral flourishes. This time, the synergy between Cowley, drummer Evan Jenkins and Rex Horan is all that is required to make these songs soar.

Noticeably absent here are the, for the want of a better phrase, faster and louder songs. That is not to say that the album lacks intensity by any means, but it is symptomatic of the increasing maturity in Cowley’s writing that he never resorts to ivory-thumping. Instead, as on Winterlude, a groove builds and builds without ever reaching an expected crescendo, Sparkling, well, sparkles, as major and minor chords intertwine and compete, all adorned by trademark flowing arpeggios. Gang Of One, again, twists and turns all over the place, simmering with buried angst, before resolving into the kind of funk groove that makes me want to walk like an Egyptian (unlikely in my case). It’s great. A high point of the album. It is followed by another, as Couch Slouch’s staccato rhythm slinks into play. By this point, mid way through the album, the listener already knows this is a different kind of listen. Heads are nodding, feet are tapping, subtle air drums are being played (if they’d only stop being so clever and changing time signature all the time and catching me out). Bryce is a mournful, almost cinematic piece, which, yet again, begins in a kind of “all come apart” fashion before finding itself around some beautiful Horan picking. Always feeling like it could devolve in to a Bad Plus, Nirvana-covering hullabaloo, it never does, instead opting for beauty and substance, allied with style. As with the rest of the album, the mix-positioning of the rhythm section, making you feel like the players are in the room with you as they play, really enables you to feel every cymbal splash, every time Rex leans in to a note. It’s as close to having them play in your living room as any of us are ever likely to get.

Never ones to be pigeonholed, the band then unveil Mission,a song pushed along by what sounds like a toy organ. While the song is good in and of itself, it works best as an introduction to the majestic Queen, “Touch and Flee”‘s high point and defining moment. Beginning with the hushed brushes of Evan Jenkins, what develops in the next six minutes or so is the kind of song that musicians dream of writing, playing, sharing in with an audience. It is perfect. Each section builds on the last, at once both taking the song to places you can’t imagine it would go and also satisfying that inner sense we all have when listening to the greatest music of “it’d be great if they did this now”. This is the song on the album that not only sounds the most like Neil Cowley Trio of old, it is the song that sets the course to the Neil Cowley Trio of the future. The section which begins at 2.27 is the kind which renders all other music totally irrelevant. You can already imagine crowds sitting, eyes closed, at one with the band as they sway in gloriously intense concentration as something transcendent is brought to live. This band do gradual builds better than any I have ever heard, and Queen is the greatest of them all. I cannot wait, I cannot WAIT to hear this song live. Best of all, it doesn’t go crazy, everything is under control, but it’s also the most intense and invigorating six minutes of music you’ll hear this year. I promise.

As the album concludes with The Art, a largely Cowley-focused legato end-credits, one is left to marvel at having sat through something truly special. For a relatively short album, so many ideas are packed in that it feels like hours have passed. Anyone who thinks they can write songs should listen to this band. This (ironically for guys who seem much more interested in beards than the divine) is music which has touched something of the divine. Neil Cowley Trio have made their jazz album and it is damn near perfect.

And to think I didn’t like it to start with.

You can stream Mission from the album here