Tuesday, October 19, 2010

CD Review: Martina Topley Bird, Some Place Simple

CD Review: Martina Topley Bird, Some Place Simple (Honest Jon’s / Ipecac Records)

Martina Topley Bird is a name you might have come across, without even knowing. Some Place Simple is her third solo album, but she has been featured on albums by Tricky, David Holmes, Primus and Gorillaz, to name but a few. Her most recent collaboration is with Massive Attack, co-writing and singing on “Psyche” and “Babel” on their new album, Heligoland.

Her solo albums, Quixotic in 2003 and The Blue God in 2008, were cast in the same mould as that Bristol trip-hop vibe, brought to prominence by the likes of Tricky and Massive Attack. Some Place Simple is a minimalist leap away from that sound. There are tracks from both Quixotic and The Blue God, each with the hazy bluesy sci-fi sound of their original scores ripped away; all that remains is the beating heart, to which is added the scantest of percussive and keyboard accompaniments. There are also three new tracks, plus a remix of one of these, although I use the term hesitantly, since everything is so paired back to the bare bones that to call it a remix seems grandiose.

Read my full review on Atlanta Music Guide ( http://met.al/c5x  )

Martina Topley Bird plays The Fox Theatre, Atlanta on October 29 with Massive Attack. Some Place Simple is released on October 26.

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