What a blast from the past: Bowery Electric. For a few years at the end of the 1990s, their second LP Beat was one of the albums that was trying to turn music on its head, suffusing so many different styles into a languid hybrid that held something for everybody. In 2000, they pushed the envelope a little further and drawing primarily on trip-hop for the beats, the duo of Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler released Lushlife, their third and final album.
It drew from hip hop for the beats, but its sultry mood was enhanced by sweeping Henry Mancini-like strings and the odd echo of guitar or piano. Lushlife is a gorgeous album, but it is interesting how those trip-hip beats seem to be so redolent of a particular time. Does anybody still use this form of rhythm? If not, they are missing a trick, because on the strength of this twentieth anniversary re-issue, it retains all its charm and distinct appeal, if with a touch of wistful memory.
Spread over ten tracks, the beats are all a variation on that loping, cymbal-heavy sound, but that is just the foundation of a series of distant, languid vignettes that draw on neon-lit cityscapes and quiet rooftop bars affording remote views of the glittering vistas below. Martha’s voice is also a big factor here. A half-sung whisper at times, she has the voice of somebody you might meet at the top of the Empire State Building just before closing, dressed for dinner, but alone and untouchable. She is happy to talk to you, but when she leaves, you will fade from memory as soon as her feet hit the pavement.The lightness of the cymbals allied to the beat on opener “Floating World” are offset by the orchestral drama of the strings that swoop and glide over the track. Martha’s voice has a serenity that fits perfectly with the glow of the city off in the distance, the thick panoramic glass providing a barrier from the harsh reality of what is taking place outside. There is a lack of urgency that is soothing for the soul. The strings add a decadent air to the title track, and jaundiced piano notes and repetitive double bass add fresh textures to the simmering sound while the bass on “Shook Ones” is subterranean in its density. There is a little more urgency here and the spare guitar sound stretches the track out.
Martha’s repetition of the mantra “I’m on the outside” that appears on “After Landing” encapsulates the beguiling vibe of this album. There is something slightly out of reach here that drifts in to the experimental final track “Passages”. This ultimate piece sets a drone against some sped-up, reversed and messed-up beats and a sample of poetry drifting in the aether, as the rhythm and sound entwines and subdues the groove. Considering that this album was the band’s swansong, “Passages” is an extraordinary way to end it. It is as if they were saying, “We could head in this direction and do an album of this if we wanted to, but we have other things to do”.
Bowery Electric left a perfect legacy of three albums, but one that is seriously under-appreciated. The re-issue of this album will hopefully go some way to re-establishing their credentials and showing a new generation what they missed out on. The two members seem happy in their new-found lives and there is something about being able to put some distance between you and your work that sums up the feeling of this particular album. They knew it was great and after all these years, it still has the strength to stand on its own. It is really great to have Lushlife back.-Mr Olivetti-
