NEWS FROM BABEL

Once again this was primarily the workings of former Henry Cow members Lindsay Cooper who composed the music and Chris Cutler who wrote the song texts which as the debut delved into Marxist politics and personal alienation. Zeena Parkins returns with her array of electric and prepared harps, accordion and on this second album offers something new with an e-bow guitar. The most striking difference between the two NEWS FROM BABEL albums is in the vocal department. Dagmar Krause dominated the debut but this time around only appeared as a guest on the two ending tracks "Victory" and "Anno Mirabilis."

In fact five vocalists in all appear including Robert Wyatt on four tracks, future English film director Sally Potter on two tracks and Phil Minton who was a guest trumpeter on the debut but on this one makes a reprise as a lead vocalist on one track. Guest musician Bill Gilonis also contributes the occasional bass and guitar sounds when needed. Given the diversity of vocal styles on LETTERS HOME, this second coming doesn't offer the same consistency that albums by Art Bears or "Sirens and Silences / Work Resumed on the Tower" and although Robert Wyatt is a Canterbury avant-gardist legend, somehow his frail vocal style sounds totally out of place in the presence of a style of music pretty much built around Krause's unique singing style.

Another major point of separation is that LETTERS HOME seems to rely a lot more on the cabaret aspects of the NEWS FROM BABEL sound with the rock and jazz counterparts placed a little bit behind the scenes. The roaming through the avant-prog jungle approach of the debut also seems to have been tamped down a few notches with a greater emphasis on repetitive catchy motifs that establish and underbelly before unleashing the crazy counterpoints. All of this conspires to create a completely different album than its predecessor but unfortunately just doesn't rise to the same level of perfection to my ears. The album evokes the hodgepodge effect with a nonchalant randomness to the moods the different vocalists bring to the table.

It's certainly a brilliant album musically speaking with the same knotty angular nuttiness that the debut offered and plenty of blistering complexities laced like a time signature playground where no rules have been established. Pretty much anything Lindsay Cooper and Chris Cutler touched guaranteed a high quality alienating effect that no other musicians have even come close to replicating in the same manner. A slight step down in the inconsistency department as i find the vocal choices to work against the continuity rather than enhance it. Personally i would've rather seen Dagmar Krause as the sole diva in the house on this one but as it is it's still an excellent slice of high quality avant-prog which at this stage ended yet one more chapter in the extended Henry Cow playbook.

Up first from the "Sirens And Silences" side we get "Odysseus" and what a way to start the album as we get this dark atmosphere with these haunting and fearful vocals crying out. Suspense takes over after 2 minutes as the vocals and more join in to end it. UNIVERS ZERO would be proud. "Auschwitz/Babel" has these minimal instrumental sounds until before 1 1/2 minutes then it kicks in, vocals too. The tempo picks up without vocals and is avant sounding until it settles back with vocals around the 3 minute mark. "Klein's Bottle" has Dagmar's vocals double tracked and a somewhat disturbing atmosphere. It sounds like processed accordion when the singing stops. Vocals return with bassoon. "Black Gold" sees Dagmar singing in a higher register and man when she stops we get some really interesting instrumental work. The vocals will come and go in this uptempo beauty. "Devils" is a short piece with spoken words, basson and piano early on. Dry Leaf" is my third favourite track. Harp and intricate sounds as almost spoken vocals join in. It picks up and becomes fuller around a minute. Great sound! It settles back late as the vocals return.

Side two is titled "Work Resumed On The Tower" and begins with "Arcades(Of Glass) a top three song for me. Melancholic accordion with strange background sounds to start. The vocals join in after 2 minutes. A calm follows with spoken words, harp and more, then the vocals stop as sparse sounds come and go. It picks up after 3 minutes as we get an urgent instrument section that reminds me of UNIVERS ZERO. The vocals are back a minute later. A calm without vocals follows as themes are repeated. A beautiful soundscape 6 minutes in. "Victory" is my other top three tune. Electric harp to start as vocals join in then drums. Love the imagery here. Guitar helps out then the piano takes over followed by sax and a full sound including bassoon. This is so good! Another change around 2 1/2 minutes as themes are repeated. A calm with distant sounding vocals and trumpet then that full sound returns late. "Anno Mirabilis" ends it as we get this plodding beat with vocals and more. A change follows as we get a cool instrumental section with avant horns. The vocals are back before 3 minutes including Phil Minton singing with Dagmar with passion. A climatic end to this recording.

This is easier to get into than ART BEARS were for me plus we get more variety when it comes to the instruments. A classic Rio album if there ever was one. Bravo!

Lindsay Cooper really brings the Art Bears sound to this group lending a strong resemblance to her former group, however the real difference between this group and those that spawned this brand of avant prog is that while in Henry Cow and Art Bears the instruments and vocals seemed to be juxtaposed as to create the most alienating effect possible, in NEWS FROM BABEL the group succeeds in finding a balance between these avant-garde elements and an accessible catchiness not usually associated with this type of avant-rock. The tracks are very strange and bizarre but at the same time have an underlying playfulness and giddiness to them that make them a real pleasant listening experience. This probably comes from the influence of Dagmar Krause and Chris Cutler who spent time in one of the greatest progressive pop bands ever, Slapp Happy. The seductive harp of Zeena Parkins also plays a role in smoothing the whole thing out. But have no fear, if you want strange music, this is the real thing. I'm quite surprised this isn't more known as it really is one of the more accessible albums I have heard in this subgenre and an excellent place to start out in the strange world of avant-prog.

From their first album, I got the impression, IMO of course, that every time I listened to Henry Cow, I was really expecting this kind of music. "Letters Home", is as good as their first project. It is, even though the nostalgic concept, very humourous without being forceful or pretentious.

Composer & performer Lindsay Cooper (1951-2013) has to be noted as one of this genre´s legends. Her fresh approach to the now very cliched RIO alphabet, were both original and brilliant. She nurtured from a diverse number of styles and scopes and transmuted those influences to work for her music and become eventually new "letters" in this RiO/av genre's language. (Chris Cutler pen-writes the lyrics by the way).

The result of so many talents in the same room could have an easy run for extremes, something that never happens with this News from Babel band. They are more comfortable with the "less is more" motto when it comes to performance.

*****5 Masterpiece PA´s stars.

Vocals are performed by Robert Wyatt (who appears on five of the nine tracks), Dagmar Krause, Sally Potter and Phil Minton. The different singers add a variety of flavors to the album.

My favorite tracks are: the frenetic A Dragon At the Core, the dark (of course) Dark Matter and Waited/Justice with what I presume is Parkins' "prepared harp" adding bizarreness.

While this may be difficult to find, to any hard core RIO fan, it's worth the hunt.

"This life is bare and cold, and I am old and tired of truth," he sings. "Must we forever make our history in this cold country?" Nuclear snowflakes have already fallen. (Who Will Accuse).

"The Hearts of Stone" rocks a bit more, sounding a bit more like Art Bears. Some exotic-ish dance music also ekes in, along with klezmer & a bit of cabaret. Not as touching as the opener, but it'll do.

"Banknote" employs a Clavinet and features a new singer. "I nailed a banknote to a tree, but it did not nourish me..." Here a theme of environmental investigation begins, with the alienated individual searching the forest for meaning.

"Moss" continues this search. These are Chris Cutler's best lyrics. When Robert Wyatt sings "I was not deceived" like the most disappointed Man on Earth, you know that God is Dead. The outro features piano with harp accompaniment, bringing back memories of a childhood when things used to MATTER.

The subject matter changes completely on "Mass," a funky number featuring Clavinet bass lines and harp-plucking accompaniments. Bits of this song could work well as sampled hip-hop beats. The male singer sounds very cool, and the texts focus on one of Cutler's favorite "Science"-type subjects -- the Black Hole. The ending speed-up is excellent.

"Dark Matter" is a nifty waltz & another "Science" number. If it sounds a bit off-kilter, it's because the gravity was deflected by unseen forces. I like it.

Robert Wyatt appears again for "Waited," a return to the melancholic feel of the earlier tunes (no more "Science" for this album, ah!). It is a studied Dirge, interrupted at intervals for a flurry of percussion, melodic saxes, and other things. The ending takes its sweet time plodding along in true Dirge style.

"Fast Food" chronicles what I do every day for lunch, eating alone at Arby's, wearing headphones, and satisfied. I love these lyrics. The music is at first mysterious, becoming rock n' roll, then klezmer, and back again in a cycle.

The final song acts as the closer - soft and mysterious - mystical. Sadly, it's not that great -- the pace is very tentative, the lyrics are pretty overwrought, and it seems to wander aimlessly much of the time. But the finale seems to bring everything together as Dagmar's voice is replaced by Robert's. I don't know what it means -- but it sounds powerful.

This is definitely News from Babel's best album, the first being far too heavy-handed. Here, in a much more emotional landscape, their beauty flourishes.

The thing about the entire family of Henry Cow, Art Bears, and the final statement here in this News From Babel, is that the music is so well "contained" and so very personal. The News From Babel works are small and tight, and every note is perfectly designed and executed. The music needs to exist and they conservatively give it to us.

With no real disrespect intended, as I absolutely love the direction that RIO has gone, but really, this and it's predecessors define this slice (which is quite different from the other RIO Masters from mainland Euro, UZ, Art Zoyd, etc....) of the Rock In Opposition pie.

I believe that Lindsay Cooper is one of the most talented artist to ever grace us with their music. Along with drum and lyric master Chris Cutler, the unbelievably talented Zena Parkins and the unique genius of the goddess Dagmar Krause, News From Babel made the final Henry Cow incarnation a perfect finale.

The additional singers and players, mixed with the original four of Cooper, Cutler, Parkins, and Krause, make this so rich and (as I stated in the previous review) small and personal. Yet there is more power here. This slightly more powerful emotional music, mixed with the single notes being played and sang by different vocalist and by different instruments, combining to make uniquely voiced chord structures, make for an even more delicious expression of the original dream of News From Babel.

And yes, I believe that I am Babeling! But my goodness this is pure art.

I will state again, The English have given us so much diverse music, it is hard to imagine how it all happened. I for one, thank creation for this miracle of unique talent and hard work put into the musical art form.

OK, I can breathe now, and thanks for listening to My Babel!