d_rradio & Lianne Hall - Making Spaces

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4...according to our Clinton on Thu 13 May, 2010.

Newcastle IDM/post rockers D_rradio team up with folkster Lianne Hall for a collaboration album which had me concerned that it was going to be more skittery electronica meets folk a la Tunng which on the evidence of the first track thankfully it isn't. The band create circular melodies with loops, strings and what appears to be backwards clarinets while Hall wraps her strong voice around it all creating a lovely aural stew. The second track is more straight. Simple acoustic guitars and jumpy rhythms form the basic track but Hall's voice is a little composed for this type of material. Better is 'Stormy Weather' which almost comes across as folktronica's answer to Donna Summers' 'Love to Love you Baby'. Thankfully Hall doesn't over folk the melodies and acts more of a soul diva than anything which works brilliantly on this track as the rhythms build up over the keening vocals. The album has moments of downbeat introspection but overall the album works better when both band and singer take chances with the material and move outside their chosen oeuvre. A success I reckon!

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Newcastle's d_rradio (pronounced 'D. R. Radio' and short for 'deathrowradio') have been tickling the tummy of independent music with comforting, electro/acoustic soundscapes since their Static Caravan debut in 2003. They have since jumped genres, from vibrantly upbeat IDM to serene, orchestral drones - all the while maintaining a distinctly human touch. After a chance meeting at Amsterdam's Paradiso club with Brighton’s singer-songwriter Lianne Hall, the seeds of this long-distance collaboration were sown. Described by John Peel as, "one of the great English voices", Hall recorded several Peel Sessions as well as co-writing and providing shimmering vocals on 'Ideal Condition', the solo album by Orbital's Paul Hartnoll. Lianne has also released many solo recordings and toured Europe and the UK festival circuit extensively.This release reveals the first fruits of their fortuitous meeting, and marks the debut release for d_rradio’s own Sentence Records label. With unabashed, experimental pop sensibilities and foreboding undercurrents lurking beneath, ‘Making Spaces’ celebrates life, but also reflects the uncertainty of a future hanging in the balance. There are post-rock guitars, fractured hip-hop patterns, evocative strings, uplifting choruses, shuffling jazz/funk rhythms and stripped down folk songs. Within its nine songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, 'Making Spaces' presents a sense of strange familiarity, sitting alongside the exciting rush of the new. Comments about the artists… “d_rradio are perfectly charming - lush and stuttering out of the speakers.” Record Collector “Fantastic. There is something about the way d_rradio arrange space and hum and acoustic instruments and sheer grit, that really blows away some stuff bearing surface similarities.” The Wire “I shall never forget that again. Wonderful.” John Peel on d_rradio “Really rather beautiful.” Stuart Maconie on d_rradio “One of the great English voices.” John Peel on Lianne Hall “Absolutely Stunning.” Huw Stephens on Lianne Hall

Track-listing:
1) ‘The Moral At The End’ 2) ‘Under Water’ 3) ‘Stormy Weather’ 4) ‘Full On’ 5) ‘Berlin Winter’ 6) ‘Dressing Up’ 7) ‘Up’ 8) ‘Making Spaces’ 9) ‘Spring’ Total running time: 30:26

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