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+--- Thread: PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea (/showthread.php?tid=18085)
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - Ruby - 07-05-2017
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea (released 05 May)
![[Image: R-10244087-1494019920-2009.jpeg.jpg]](https://img.discogs.com/tkYf8rKXHZ6RAHkDiaJOGN07Z0U=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():qualit y(40)/discogs-images/R-10244087-1494019920-2009.jpeg.jpg)
Arthur Jeffes has donned the mantle of his father and is keeping the Penguin Café philosophy alive, albeit in slightly different guise. A talented composer in his own right, his family realised heâd follow in the paternal experimental footsteps when, at a young age, they found him taking a hammer to the keys of the piano :eek:. Fortunately, matters have progressed significantly since then, and if anything, I find his works less avant garde than those of the late Simon Jeffes and his Penguin Café Orchestra. From what Iâve heard thus far, Iâd say my personal taste errs on the side of the son, but that said, I am not an aficionado of either and should probably revisit both some time. What I can say is that if I had heard The Imperfect Sea without knowing who was involved, I would have immediately drawn comparisons with the PCO, and in fact, the simple Penguin Café do still perform some of the PCO works. This is their third album.
A trifle off topic, but an interesting snippet nonetheless (IMHO) - I love it when people make art in celebration of, or inspired by significant events, especially when weâd not necessarily hear too much about them otherwise; musical documents, I suppose â courtesy of Wiki ⦠âIn 2012, Jeffes was commissioned by the artist Nelly Ben-Hayoun to write several pieces for the NASA Kepler mission, to be played by the International Space Orchestra.The pieces "1420" and "Aurora" were beamed into space in 2013. "1420" was inspired by the WOW! signal.â So-called because the person who noticed the anomaly recorded by the Big Ear radio telescope scribbled a large red WOW! on the transcript. More about that - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal
Like PCO, there appears to be a changing line-up of musicians and the music truly is genre defying; eclectic, esoteric, ambient, classical crossover, etc., etc., which is why it has wound up here. Discogs pins it as Alternative/Indie - a bit like the composer himself who not only does the musical thing but is also an anthropologist, archaeologist and Arctic explorer. Coming next, Mr Jeffes will be working with a couple of astrophysicists named Samaya Nissanke and Jean Michel Desert â not sure exactly what is proposed, but it will be an audio visual experience exploring said rocket scientistâs latest discoveries in âGravitational Waves and Exoplanets respectivelyâ. The mind boggles.
I canât find a list of the contributing musicians to this album, but I know that theyâve been a pretty diverse bunch in the past, including members of the Royal College of Music (London, I would imagine), Gorillaz, Razorlight and Suede! Thereâs expertise, for sure, even if it seems impossible to categorise. As a vague clue, the album is instrumental, kind of like chamber/jazz fusion in places, but then thereâs a properly ambient piece and some rather interesting and persistent bass notes and percussion along the way which lend a contemporary flavour. Throw all of that together with lovely flurries of strings, a splash of fairground accordion, some tinkly and some found sounds, shake (or stir), and voila!
This is âCantorumâ ...
[video=youtube;I_FsjLoyz90]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_FsjLoyz90[/video]
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - Ruby - 07-05-2017
^Oh shucks. I meant to prefix with New Album Release. Can't seem to edit - perhaps someone can assist?
Thanks MH ... strangely, this is suddenly editable.
Weird ... oh well ...
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - CRAZY-HORSE - 09-05-2017
another well formed write up Ruby...
as you know instrumental music really isn't my cup of tea but I gave the linked track a listen, it was pleasant enough but I wouldn't buy the album,
as always thanks for the effort you put in to the posts, appreciate it whether I like the music or not, and with the effort you put in I believe it is only right
to take a listen out of respect.
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - Jerome - 09-05-2017
100% on the money CH. Always a pleasure to read Ruby's posts. Informative and entertaining at the same time. Good writing, like good composition (as in music), is not something you can learn - you either have it or you don't. As for the music the article is about - I will give it a listen today. I am intrigued by it.
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - Ruby - 09-05-2017
^^Itâs really nice to get this feedback â thank you both very much!
Iâm the lucky one though â I love to listen, love to know about things and love to play with words, so essentially, itâs a whole lotta fun for me â sheer pleasure; Iâd do it all day if I could and am so grateful to the forum for the outlet.
And letâs face it â Iâm not going to listen to, or review DJ McBadA$$ ft NOt@LenT am I??!
No, no â I get to be picky, whereas CH and MH doggedly plug away at all sorts of scary $tuff. Sometimes I worry about you guys! Lol!
Seriously â it's extraordinarily pleasing to know that people read and enjoy, and might listen as a result ⦠win, win.
mile:
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - Jerome - 09-05-2017
Ruby Wrote:^^Itâs really nice to get this feedback â thank you both very much!
Iâm the lucky one though â I love to listen, love to know about things and love to play with words, so essentially, itâs a whole lotta fun for me â sheer pleasure; Iâd do it all day if I could and am so grateful to the forum for the outlet.
And letâs face it â Iâm not going to listen to, or review DJ McBadA$$ ft NOt@LenT am I??!
No, no â I get to be picky, whereas CH and MH doggedly plug away at all sorts of scary $tuff. Sometimes I worry about you guys! Lol!
Seriously â it's extraordinarily pleasing to know that people read and enjoy, and might listen as a result ⦠win, win.
You're an enigma kiddo. Write a book or something. Or start a blog somewhere with monetized ads on YT or something. You'll do well out of it. When you write it's very difficult for the reader not to be hooked or not to continue right through to the end of the piece. A sign of a really good writer IMO. Use it.
PENGUIN CAFÃ ~ The Imperfect Sea - SteveO - 09-05-2017
It's a sincere privilege to have you on MD Ruby !