LE LENDEMAIN (DANNY NORBURY & LIBRARY TAPES) - Fires

David Wengrenn and Danny Norbury are no first time collaborators. The two artists have previously worked together under the banner of Wengrenn's Library Tapes, with Norbury contributing strings to a predominantly piano-driven soundworld. On this album, recorded as Le Lendemain, you might arrive at the conclusion that there's a more even distribution of creative duties on show. Much of 'Fires' substance can be thought of as an advancement of the groundwork laid down on the 'Sketches' album. Here though, from the very beginning Norbury's multitracked strings take a more prominent role, dominating 'Fiore' much as they did on his own 'Light In August' long-player, thanks to an exquisitely poised network of melancholy harmonic exchanges with Wengrenn's keywork, which all the while plots out a minimal refrain. As far as the ever-swelling ranks of modern classical recordings go, this one aligns itself more with the wild and unharnessed feel that characterises Richard Skelton's work - certainly more so than the comparatively sculpted catalogues of Max Richter and Johann Johannsson. In fact, there's a very strong case to be made for us not labelling this sort of thing as 'modern classical' at all. This is far more accessible than anything that term accurately describes. In an odd sort of way it feels like a romanticised simulation of what classical music becomes when filtered through the language of soundtracks rather than the more academic corners of composition; it's just easy shorthand to brand this as 'classical' purely based on the instrumental idiom. However you choose to approach this album, it's a gloriously beautiful and highly emotive body of work that's every bit the equal of any record in this duo's respective discographies. Sublime. Boomkat

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LE LENDEMAIN (DANNY NORBURY & LIBRARY TAPES) - Fires