I didn’t manage to get into the Spiro session until the last day of their whirlwind recording session for their follow-up to Lightbox. This was a great pity as they were making magical sounds. Unusually for a group of perfectionists they even seemed happy with their own playing and engineer Greg Freeman was at the helm to capture a great recording.
I’m a big fan of ‘Lightbox’, and am with Mr Gabriel when he says that although the first thing that hits you is the familiar ‘folky’ sounds, when you listen to the music it’s as rich in the influences of systems music from people like Steve Reich and Phillip Glass - “All sorts of musical influences are woven into this very contemporary music. This is soulful music, passionate music and I love it.” Peter Gabriel.
Go on, give it a listen - think of it as accoustic version of electronic dance music that even lures breakbeat DJ’s away from their samplers. I’m tempted to try and find a path that will lure listeners in - through the intricacies of Bach’s Fuges and into the endlessly facinating explanations in ‘Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid’ - “Through illustration and analysis, the book discusses how self-reference and formal rules allow systems to acquire meaning despite being made of “meaningless” elements.” (Wikipedia) However, It’s an incoherent argument even before I start, so if you can access Spotify, just give it a listen.
Loney dear
The Appearance of Colour
The Radiophonic Workshop
Roddy Woomble at Kings Place
A Guy Called Gerald on Loudness
The Power of Distortion
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