Member:
Whitebeard
Date:
9/26/2007
This is an interesting one. Xntrx Recordings is in fact a pseudonym for one Ren Capes, a rocket scientist who in the 'real world' works as a radar expert for the European Space Agency. Away from space research Ren is a semi pro musician who writes radio jingles and the like, but it through Xntrx, his 'virtual' band, that he make the really exciting stuff happen.
The Turnchapel Pig is his latest offering, and a damn fine one it is too. 11 tracks all written, arranged, performed, recorded and mastered by the man himself; that blends Pink Floyd era progressive rock with the contemporary vibes of ambient electronica into a first rate cake stuffed with proggy goodness and iced with a layer of slick dancability.
Kicking off with the slick Floydism of “What?” Turnchapel Pig is a superb little album full of quirk English lyrics that speak of the state of the human condition, social concerns and emotions that reach to the depth of the heart to pluck the very deepest strings.
Mr. Capes is one talented musician; his guitaring can be compared to the likes of Dave Gilmour or Robert Fripp, whilst his vocal delivery and phrasing reminds me of Jonathan Perkins And The Flame. (Remember them?)
There isn't a bad track on the disc, and my personal high points are the tongue in cheek look at the British obsession with drunken sex “Big Arse” with it's driving dancey beats and the emotive eroticism of “Turn You On”, a track that has to be one of the most sexy pieces of music ever recorded.
The Turnchapel Pig is in short a remarkable album that contains something for everyone, and is a must hear.
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