Adventures In Gramophone

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合計収録時間 : 00:49:11
Duke Special's second album, 2006's charming, Teddybears Picnic-inspired Songs from the Deep Forest, was an ambitious orchestral pop album, taking in influences as wide-ranging as music hall, jazz, and chamber and jangle pop. It earned the Ulsterman a U.K. deal with V2 Records and a stint in the pop charts with hit singles "Freewheel" and "Last Night I Nearly Died," both of which are presented in embryonic form on his 2005 debut album Adventures in Gramophone (itself a composite of two earlier EP releases). Low-budget and lo-fi, Adventures in Gramophone is perhaps the more charming for its relative poverty; without the luxury of slick orchestration gifted its successor, the constant flickering of a 1930s gramophone behind each recording serves as an ingenious substitute, adding a unique romantic atmosphere to proceedings. Special, for his part, has only the grandest of designs. The shy singer/songwriter builds around his core of quirky ragtime-influenced pop songs an alternative orchestra which prominently features Moog and saxophone alongside cello and clarinet, and somewhat less prominently the unorthodox combo of cheese grater, whisk, and "wardrobe door." Highlights include "Wake Up Scarlett," which is driven by dramatic, sweeping piano chords, and "Freewheel," which expertly marries Special's piano jazz and the cathartic indie rock of Coldplay et al. Apart from feel-good singalongs like the above, Special is equally adept with the slow, reflective ballad. The gorgeous album track "Closer to the Start" wouldn't sound out of place alongside Rufus Wainwright's Poses album, Special's soft, northern lilt holding up well against the Canadian's more aggressive tenor. Though perhaps not as strong as its successor from a songwriter's standpoint, the basic arrangements do more to highlight his positive features and his in-studio inventiveness. ~ Dave Donnelly