Planet Notion - Mish-Mash

The London Book of the Dead

The Real Tuesday Weld

Antique Beat

Mish-Mash

Clearly at odds with commerciality and bosom buddies with pretentiousness, Stephen Coates enfolds simple electronica with jazz improvisations and ragtime samples. A heavyweight concept relying on the philosophies of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and coloured by the birth of his son and the death of his father in quick succession, it’s a surprisingly fleet listen. Though there are elements of melancholy in the timbre and tone of instrumentation, there seems to be a joyous and celebratory mood across a lot of the album. It almost seems tongue-in-cheek – who would dare throw fiddle solos in the middle of a whispered vocal waltz? – which lifts it above its potentially depressing subject matter. It’s achingly geriatric in places, retreating into a bygone age, and a glimpse of a world far removed from the one we’re now used to. Perhaps that’s the point. It provides a journey away from the nuances and pressures of modern music genres, allowing for personal and difficult subject matter to be tackled without embarrassing musical faux-pas. To its detriment, it’s pretty hard to relate to, whilst still being a relatively enjoyable listen. ‘Last Words’ is by far the most straightforward track, and is most haunting in its falsetto delivery and gentle guitar arpeggio. While some artists could be accused of being obtuse with this approach, there’s a genuine love and passion that emanates from these notes and arrangements. Coates is working with what he knows, in a way that pleases him. Admirable? Definitely. Listenable? Yes, but approach with open minds and hearts. BB

A limited edition version of The London Book of The Dead will be released exclusively via Antique Beat on September 15th. The CD will be presented in a full colour hard back book with artwork by Catherine Anyango and exclusive texts. To pre-order a copy, CLICK HERE.

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