Unsung sounds

As Paul Rudd, of _Friends and I Love You Man_ fame will well know, subtlety can prove as effective and entertaining as the slap-of-wet-fish-on-face bravado employed by Jim Carrey, who has long been a figure of contention around dinner tables. When it comes to music, however, subtlety seemingly results in many artists going criminally overlooked. While I acknowledge the pitfalls of an overly didactic or self-righteous article, I feel the need to gently prod you, dear reader, towards some songs (and the albums they derive from) that deserve a listen.

Firstly, we have ‘All Things to All Men’, by the Cinematic Orchestra feat. Roots Manuva, and from the album _Everyday_ (2002). Anyone who has the misfortune of coming within a ten metre radius of me and my iPod will know that I continually bang the drum for this outfit with the vehemence of Mark Kermode listing the merits of _The Exorcist_. I have singled out this particular song as it is an especially impressive collaboration, but I could have cited most of the tracks from the albums Everyday and Motion and reached the same conclusions.

The Cinematic Orchestra not only break with convention, they make convention seem dull and futile. The drumming in particular is tighter than the government’s purse strings and the intelligent, emotive lyrics provided by Roots Manuva work surprisingly well with the music of the Orchestra. Many of the members are classically trained and this contributes towards the virtuosity with which the strings and other elements are synthesised.

What results is an ethereal sound which is anchored by the hypnotic time signatures of the drumbeats – which, although complex, appear effortless. Toe-tapping is virtually unavoidable upon hearing ‘Ode To The Big Sea’ from the previous album _Motion_, which contains elements of jazz, electronica and the gritty repetition seen in the work of DJ Shadow.

Secondly, there is Magic Love by Bent, from the album _Everlasting Blink_ (2003). Simon Mills and Nail Tolliday, both from Nottingham, have worked under the name, Bent, since 1997 and have subsequently created some of the most vibrant, interesting, and intelligent electronic music of recent years.

Like most music, the merit of this work lies in the fact that it cannot be easily categorised, however it is not too misleading to say that their work shares similarities with Air, Matthew Herbert, Zero 7 and Moby. The track ‘Magic Love’ specifically combines a slightly fragile, yet accomplished vocal performance with a modern beat that is sure to please fans of Daft Punk.

In fact, much like Daft Punk, Bent take finding the myriad samples in their songs to unprecedented levels of intricacy. The duo allegedly bought 200 records from a charity shop for £50 and ended up with the rough-around-the-edges gem that is the album _Programmed to Love_. Their debut is a no less inspiring reconfiguration of cheesy and beguiling samples; which range from Rolf Harris, David Essex, and even Country & Western sound bites which have all been assimilated into deeply mature songs in their own right.

Whilst the more accessible tracks like ‘Magic Love’ have received recognition from the likes of the online DJ community, more of their work deserves more attention. If their work does sound familiar, that might be because their work has been featured in several television adverts, including ads for Carlsberg and Absolut Vodka.