Matthew Crutchlow
Christopher Killerby
The Pearsall Consort
Bryony Lang
Paul Cozens
Ellen Jakubiel
Mark Northfield
Jon Payne
Jamie McCarthy
Alex Howlett
Influences
This Mortal Coil
Radiohead
Kate Bush
Faure
ABBA
Bjork
Beethoven
The Divine Comedy
The Magnetic Fields
Pink Martini
Lambchop
Ghostland
Poulenc
REM
Wilco
kd lang
Tom Waits
Tindersticks
Kirsty MacColl
Pet Shop Boys
Gavin Bryars
Philip Glass
Underworld
Iain Archer
Nick Drake
Tori Amos
Sigur Ros
Stereolab
Brian Eno
David Byrne
Ulrich Schnauss
Simon & Garfunkel
Kronos Quartet
Dead Can Dance
Sounds Like
File under: ALT-POP/CLASSICAL/HUH?
Ascendant is a collaboration of pianist, composer, arranger and occasional singer Mark Northfield with eight other singers from a variety of musical backgrounds.
The arrangements are dark and lush, referencing the bleak atmospherics of 4AD acts such as This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance, as well as the romantic stylings of Kate Bush, Rufus Wainwright and The Divine Comedy. Ghostly fragments of themes contained on the album link the songs together into a near continuous whole.
The complex lyrics reflect the subdued nature of the music and deal with themes of memory, time, loss and mystery. Even in the surreal satire of Sleeping Beauty and the numb, rock lurch of Decidedly Dumb there is a poised thoughtfulness at work. The closing trio of major key songs gradually lift the listener away from the tension, finishing with the serene (if resigned) duet of Luco and thus reintroducing the theme which began the album.
Substantive recordings was set up by Mark Northfield in 2008 and Ascendant is the first release for the label. The album cover art is taken from a painting entitled 'Lightly Attached' by Tamara Dubnyckyj. Reproduced with permission.
TRACKLISTING waiting for green/resistance/the calm/sleeping beauty/decidedly dumb/weight/zero/our father/luco
Mark Northfield is a pianist, songwriter, arranger and occasional singer from Berkshire, England. Ascendant is his second album and is available to buy at CD Baby (US) and Rough Trade (UK). Also available as a digital download from emusic, amazon.com, iTunes and others you've probably never heard of.
If it does well he may consider releasing the first one, because timing is everything.
To join his (suitably occasional) mailing list, simply send a request via myspace or the marknorthfield.com contact form.
REVIEWS ETC:
'Northfield takes art-pop Chamber music to a new level.' WILDY'S WORLD
J'ai reçu l'album hier, il est là devant moi, je ne l'ai pas encore ouvert, je prends mon temps...
Je vous écrit en français car je ne saurai pas vous écrire mes sentiments en anglais, excusez-moi !
Votre musique est une grande et belle découverte pour moi, je me sens proche de vos chansons, de votre univers musical, j'éprouve de belles émotions à l'écoute de votre travail. Je suis heureux que vous composiez de grandes oeuvres car je crois que là est la beauté de la vie...
J'ai créé un petit blog pour vous afin de vous faire connaître, j'espère que beaucoup de gens découvriront votre musique, j'en parle autour de moi.
Croyez en ma grande sincèrité, j'ai découvert des artistes que j'apprécie sur MySpace mais je n'ai jamais entendu quelque chose d'aussi beau que votre musique.
J'apprécie que vous écoutiez mon travail mais ne vous en faîtes pas, l'important pour moi est d'avoir eu la chance de vous découvrir, j'aime la musique, elle est nécessaire à ma vie et vous faîtes partie des belles rencontres qui nourrissent mon âme...
The Q word? Hmmmm...You don't mean quirky, do you? Cause let me tell ya-nobody ever says that about my music...not ever once has anybody ever, EVER dreamed of saying such a thing ;) Great stuff here. I especially like The Calm Thanks for adding me!
Hello mate, good to hear from you, was listening to your stuff just the other day - do it live! I've been busy recording my shambolic orchestral thing and it's sounding suitably colourful. Very difficult to mix though!
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