Hungry for the Wolf
Michael Mcewen | 09/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"So it was the mid 80's and I would pretty much buy anything on the ZTT label. What a surprise it was to listen to Andrew Poppy's first album, The Beating of Wings. The first track "The Object is a Hungry Wolf" is an incredible orchestral piece: traditional and yet with very modern flourishes like the impressive cascading piano and the wordless choral part. Not quite what you would expect from the label that brought you Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Propaganda, but this outstanding composition is never far from my thoughts.
"32 Frames for Amplified Orchestra" is another orchestral piece. This one builds section by section, the tempo and instrumentation increasing slightly. Spectacular. "Listening In" is an electronic piece constructed mainly of non-musical percussive samples. This is trickier to appreciate, but it definitely sets a mood. It is a sound collage from before Pro Tools made those easier. "Cadenza for Piano and Electric Piano" is a minimalist piece. After a series of chords runs separated by long periods of silence, the piano starts an ethereal run with the electric piano shadowing and weaving throughout. It is a hypnotic track.
I was never able to find a copy of the album Alphabed (A Mystery Dance) (this is before the internet), but a friend had a 12" featuring "The Amusement". This is another accessible piece that almost sounds like a Propaganda track minus Claudia Brucken. "45 is" is a 20 minutes long minimalist piece. "Goodbye Mr. G" evokes Laurie Anderson. "Kink Konk" has a percussive industrial sound.
Both of these albums are included in this set along with a third album that was never released and some other rarities. The unreleased album, Under the Son, includes "Sequence" a driving drum and guitar piece with textured vocals, the epic "Passages (parts 1-3)" and the short muscular "Sometimes it Rains". Other rarities include alternate versions of tracks and music from the singles.
This isn't quite a complete set since the "The Amusement (Complete Version)" has been excluded for some strange reason (although the 7" and 12" versions are present). Also, the liner notes reveal that the "majority" of "Under the Son" is represented alluding to other unreleased music. That said this package is an incredible gift from ZTT. Highly recommended for those who are interested in contempory classical music."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1