Niobe - Black Bird's Echo

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release
Soundclips

4...according to our Brett on Thu 28 May, 2009.

If I'm to review the sounds I'm hearing I'll tell you that they're pretty revolutionary. I've got the new Niobe album on on headphones while the latest banger from Teh Beng@lat0r plays on the stereo behind me - amazing scenes and no doubt the germ of a future collaboration. Shitting Nora, she's got David Grubbs and Trevor Dunn playing on this one.. That's a tidy little lineup, is it not? On Black Bird's Echo they've served up a great experimental pop platter, beautifully written and exquisitely produced, with subtle shades taken from folk, soul, electronica and even the occasional bit of hip-hop. It's like, totally varied and dead good.

To play these clips you need to either update your browser (Norman Records recommends Google Chrome) or update your Flash plugin.

* Features guest musicians including David Grubbs (vocals, organ), Trevor Dunn (double bass), Shelley Burgeon (harp), Doug Wieselman (bass clarinet).

* Niobe’s multi-faceted music toys with the antagonism of her warm toned, relatively dark voice and manipulated, at times nearly unrecognisable sounds. Electronic effects extend and bend the sounds of acoustic instruments, minimalistic beats accompany jagged structures, small splinters continuously form new picture puzzles.

* The rhodes piano recalls Jazz, a passage at the grand piano leads to Modern Classical , a guitar or bass riff evokes a Blues feeling. Inbetween you find electronic chirps, and sounds from spaceships, minimal electronic beats and programmed abstractions. From Drum & Bass to Exotica, Niobe only needs a couple of bars.

* Tracklist: 1. Silicone Soul 02. You Have A Gift 03. Time Is Kindling 4. Cadillac Night 5. Blackbirds Echo 6. Lovely Day 7. A Shark 8. Fever 9. Gnomes And Pixies 10. My Conversion 11. Ava Gardner At The Swimming Pool 12. Blue Wolf

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!