I am really enjoying the unfolding latter-day career of Stephen Lawrie. His Telescopes vehicle is now resolutely him alone and it feels as if this has lifted a great weight from his shoulders.
Still happily ensconced on Tapete, his fifth album for them emerges from the gloom with a stripped-down sound that, although still slow and steady, certainly has chinks of light filtering through the treetops.
The slow, relentless groove of opener “Butterfly” is exactly that; a groove, a slow hip swinger that hits like a mogadon-infused rock’n’roll beat. Stephen’s distant cool as ice drawl accompanies the minimalist backing which has had all sharp edges removed, as if the beat has been rolling on for years and weather and erosion have smoothed it down to the essentials.
“Where Do We Begin?” is where the eyes really open and you remember just how much of a pop song writer Stephen can be. Here, the melancholy Hammond-infused confection hints at country, but taken in a whole other direction or even dimension; but lovely and heartfelt it is. The tempos are slow yet deft and the whole album feels very much a positive experience. The earthmoving bass and fuzz guitar break of “(The Other Side)” is the first blast of real noise and we are five tracks in. It seems to be about minimal repetition and simple, well-adjusted melodies with just the right amount of disturbance to know it is a Telescopes album.
This simplicity of action and sound is taken to its full extent on longform closer “Down By The Sea”. It is almost relaxing with its lysergic, lullaby quality, the repetitive heartbeat, the sense of enfolding as time draws on and the gradual diminishing as the piece draws to a close. It is a fine finale to yet another cap in Stephen’s feather. Each album is defiantly him, yet seen from new angles, unexpected facets always emerging. Well worth investigation, Of Tomorrow demands a place in any musical adventurer’s home.-Mr Olivetti-
