ZTT's minimalist titan explores the power of voice with unsettling but engaging results
7/10
Tiresome though it may seem to Andrew Poppy, the spectre of his '80s past will continue to follow him around for the purposes of review, including frequent references to the label he was signed to during the middle of that particular decade. Without the associations of ZTT, it could be argued that Poppy may have slipped through the critical net, dipped under art's radar or, at the very least, be resigned to sound-tracking art-installations in Berlin, say, or merely becoming a name on Wikipedia, an entry to be gleaned at random.
It's to his credit, therefore, that he's kept his name in the modern classical mix by creating fascinating music for the last three decades without compromising on quality ('selling out'). Sure, he's kept in creative touch with one or two associates from previous recordings and he's done the same here. Claudia Brucken, with whom he collaborated with on the excellent piano-based covers album Another Language, appears on this album's most accessible track, Dark Spell, while OMD's Paul Humphreys has mixed the entire project, just as he did on the aforementioned collaboration with the ex-Propaganda singer.
Her voice, Humphrey's deft twiddling and Poppy's ear for the unconventional, makes for a perfect combination - and 'combinations' is what Shiny Floor Shiny Ceiling is about, the melding of voice and minimal neo-classical symphonies, given a twist with glitchy laptop beats and utterances. Also the name of an accompanying live show, Shiny Floor is a collection of new songs, narrations and litanies that encompass various genres such as electronica, classical, systems-music and opera, without it all sounding like a cacophony. Be warned though - this isn't pop.
Aside from Brucken, mezzo-soprano Margaret Cameron re-unites with Poppy on Persephone Calls and Persephone Scream Dream, while esteemed tenor James Gilchrist lends his experienced intonations to the title track and Singing Into The Air. Perhaps the album's most emotional and intimate piece is Knackers Yard Blues, a flailing fuzzy lumbering beast sung by Bernardo Devlin of ultra-artsy Portugese outfit Osso Exotico. To me, he sounds like Winston Tong (of Tuxedomoon) and while not the album's strong-point, you get the impression that the character Henry Fortune has had his day and is heading for certain capitulation.
Poppy himself appears on the book-ending spoken-word passages, as well as the percussive If I Could Copy You, providing a narration that is by turns expressive, breathless and, perhaps, the most meaningful prose you've ever heard or the most unnerving and pointless. Last track, Do The Flip, rattles out soundbites like explosive mini-headlines - 'afternoon shadow into midnight chime', 'best boy into screen idol', 'wet gash into swollen clit' - before climaxing under a barrage of head-melting percussion that wouldn't sound out of place on one of Poppy's ZTT albums, Alphabed.
Overall, Shiny Floor Shiny Ceiling is at best entertaining, enlightening and enthralling, at worst (which isn't too often) irritating, irrational and irksome. As always with any Andrew Poppy release, his take on composition demands repeated listening. And with this umpteenth studio assemblage, I advise pouring a tall one, turning off the lights and soaking up the atmosphere. Failing that, head to Jackson's Lane in East London for any one of the three confirmed live renditions of the album planned for November 2012 (8th, 9th, 10th).
For further information on Andrew Poppy head to his website here
7/10
It's to his credit, therefore, that he's kept his name in the modern classical mix by creating fascinating music for the last three decades without compromising on quality ('selling out'). Sure, he's kept in creative touch with one or two associates from previous recordings and he's done the same here. Claudia Brucken, with whom he collaborated with on the excellent piano-based covers album Another Language, appears on this album's most accessible track, Dark Spell, while OMD's Paul Humphreys has mixed the entire project, just as he did on the aforementioned collaboration with the ex-Propaganda singer.
Her voice, Humphrey's deft twiddling and Poppy's ear for the unconventional, makes for a perfect combination - and 'combinations' is what Shiny Floor Shiny Ceiling is about, the melding of voice and minimal neo-classical symphonies, given a twist with glitchy laptop beats and utterances. Also the name of an accompanying live show, Shiny Floor is a collection of new songs, narrations and litanies that encompass various genres such as electronica, classical, systems-music and opera, without it all sounding like a cacophony. Be warned though - this isn't pop.
Aside from Brucken, mezzo-soprano Margaret Cameron re-unites with Poppy on Persephone Calls and Persephone Scream Dream, while esteemed tenor James Gilchrist lends his experienced intonations to the title track and Singing Into The Air. Perhaps the album's most emotional and intimate piece is Knackers Yard Blues, a flailing fuzzy lumbering beast sung by Bernardo Devlin of ultra-artsy Portugese outfit Osso Exotico. To me, he sounds like Winston Tong (of Tuxedomoon) and while not the album's strong-point, you get the impression that the character Henry Fortune has had his day and is heading for certain capitulation.
Poppy himself appears on the book-ending spoken-word passages, as well as the percussive If I Could Copy You, providing a narration that is by turns expressive, breathless and, perhaps, the most meaningful prose you've ever heard or the most unnerving and pointless. Last track, Do The Flip, rattles out soundbites like explosive mini-headlines - 'afternoon shadow into midnight chime', 'best boy into screen idol', 'wet gash into swollen clit' - before climaxing under a barrage of head-melting percussion that wouldn't sound out of place on one of Poppy's ZTT albums, Alphabed.
Overall, Shiny Floor Shiny Ceiling is at best entertaining, enlightening and enthralling, at worst (which isn't too often) irritating, irrational and irksome. As always with any Andrew Poppy release, his take on composition demands repeated listening. And with this umpteenth studio assemblage, I advise pouring a tall one, turning off the lights and soaking up the atmosphere. Failing that, head to Jackson's Lane in East London for any one of the three confirmed live renditions of the album planned for November 2012 (8th, 9th, 10th).
For further information on Andrew Poppy head to his website here