Retro-to-go!
A second volume of library music from Ian Button & co!
It's impossible not to
love Papernut Cambridge. Already this year they've released the
fantastic album Outstairs Instairs, and now this, a follow-up
to 2017's Mellotron Phase: Volume 1. For anyone unfamiliar
with those two albums here's the crack – Outstairs Instairs
is a song-based album rich in sentiment, intelligence and lyrical
ideas and allows the collective's many talented musicians to shine.
Mellotron Phase: Volume 1 is a 10” vinyl LP featuring
library-music inspired instrumental pieces with sounds sourced from
original Mellotron tapes. At times the music is funny, sad, moving,
intriguing, cheesy, evocative, wry, uplifting and much more. And now
we have a volume 2!
Released by
head-Papernut Ian Button's Gare Du Nord label in conjunction with
boutique library music company Ravenwood, this album is as authentic
as it gets. As stated on the sleeve - “Apart from the drums, bass
guitar and some light percussion all the instrument sounds you hear
on this record were made originally by a Mellotron or one of its
contemporary tape/disc-based playback instruments. The sounds were
picked from Gforce's M-Tron Pro tape libraries... Throughout, the
original unedited mono patches were used to preserve the tone and
functionality of the original instruments.”
Library music remains
as highly prized among collectors as ever and continues to inspire
today's musicians. It's not difficult to see why. It allows them to
step outside of traditional band-based collaborations and draw upon a
different set of influences – foreign pop and folk, soundtracks,
new age music,TV themes, light entertainment orchestras, military
bands. Literally anything goes. The track titles on Mellotron
Phase: Volume 2 are evocative in themselves – for example
'Cha-Cha-Charlie', 'Cygnus Probe', 'Boss Club' and 'Sergeant Major
Mushrooms'. My own personal favourite being 'A Cowboy In Montmartre'.
Each piece is its own mini film score delivered with wit, verve and a
whole lot of musical ability. For all the melodic and stylistic
variation, the sonic restrictions lend the album a continuity of
sound which holds the whole thing together in a most delightful and
satisfying way.
Like its predecessor
Volume 2 is released on 10” vinyl. There is also a CD
version which collates both volumes. Buy with confidence, you will
love this record.
Click here for Papernut
Cambridge on Twitter.
Click here for Gare Du
Nord Records.
Click here for
Ravenwood Music.
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