Paraorchestra with Brett Anderson and Charles Hazlewood – Death Songbook (2024)

Review: A belated release from this pandemic-era collaboration between Suede’s Brett Anderson and conductor Charles Hazlewood’s orchestra deserves a wider audience. Paraorchestra is the first ensemble to feature disabled and non-disabled players, using assistive technology alongside a mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. It was Hazlewood’s plan to create a concert of cover songs about death or loss, with Anderson invited on board to front and help curate the project. Recorded over two performances in Wales in 2021-22, some songs owe their presence on the slate, cynics may cavil, thanks to their composer (B. Anderson) rather than any lyrical content. Yet Anderson is often in finest voice on the material he knows best, such as Suede’s The Next Life or his own little-known solo track Unsung, rather than trying to freight drama into the blank stillness of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence that it really doesn’t need. Elsewhere, the orchestra’s take on Mercury Rev’s Holes is a clear standout, likewise a grand rearrangement of Echo & the Bunnymen’s The Killing Moon, while slight Suede B-side He’s Dead builds to a stunning crescendo that completely transports the song. It’s exactly what this sort of album should deliver. — Guardian

Track List: 01 - The Killing Moon (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 02 - Unsung (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 03 - Holes (feat. Nadine Shah) [with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood] 04 - Nightporter (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 05 - She Still Leads Me On (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 06 - Wonderful Life (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 07 - The Next Life (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 08 - He's Dead (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 09 - Enjoy the Silence (feat. Gwenno) [with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood] 10 - The End of the World (feat. Nadine Shah) [with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood] 11 - My Death (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood) 12 - Brutal Lover (with Brett Anderson & Charles Hazlewood)

Media Report: Genre: chamber pop Origin: UK
Format: FLAC Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode: Variable Channel(s): 2 channels Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz Bit depth: 16 bits Compression mode: Lossless Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)

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