I don’t know why it has taken me months to write this review. Further Out From The Edge came out on June 2nd and I was immediately taken by it, enjoying my first listen as I walked along the riverside on a trip to Cardiff on a sunny day. It’s the perfect music for such an environment. The gorgeous orchestral swells, the sense of calm in the music, the idea of hope that exists in the words. I’ve been listening to it ever since, and some may say it is too late for a review, but I’ve barely heard the album mentioned anywhere else so felt it was my civic duty to put it in front of you all, with the hope you get as much from it as I do.
Speakers Corner Quarter are Biscuit on Flute, Raven Bush on Violin, Peter Bennie on Bass, and Kwake Bass on Drums and percussion. I don’t mind admitting that I’d only heard of Kwake before this album was released, and what attracted me to the record was actually the impressive list of guest performers. Kae Tempest makes an appearance, as does Tirzah, Lea Sen, Confucius MC, Mica Levi, Shabaka Hutchings, and Sampha (of course). And they’re just the ones I’d already heard of. Each of the thirteen songs features a guest, some providing vocals and others adding a new level of instrumentation, and each takes the album in interesting and new directions.
From that list, you can probably get a sense of the way the album sounds. It’s jazz-infused, hip-hop inspired, often riding on its trip-hop influences. But what makes it particularly unique and interesting is the way the four consistent members seem to meld their musical abilities around the skills of their guest, creating songs that wouldn’t sound out of place on the guest’s own projects but yet also work well together to create a captivating whole. The use of each of their own instruments and styles making them the central focus of the LP even while bigger stars get a chance to shine alongside them.
It’s an album full of strong points, and I have enjoyed each and every song over the last few months, but if I think back to that early listen in Cardiff there were definitely moments that made me really take notice. The combination of the bass and Tirzah’s voice on ‘fix’, the distinctive vocals of Kae Tempest coming in on ‘Geronimo Blues’ and giving the first real sense of a ‘Speakers Corner’ to the album, Sampha being Sampha (this is a compliment, btw), and the fantastic percussion and vocal performance on trip-hop number and album highlight ‘Behind the Sun’ (featuring Lafawndah &Trustfall).
Over the years, we have reviewed many of these collaborative style albums on the Picky Bastards website and podcast. A regular argument we have centres on whether they feel like an album. In the case of Further Out From The Edge I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes. And not only does it feel like an album, it feels like the work of a musical family – the nucleus in the centre inviting in those that they have worked with over the years to create an expression of all of their talents and interests. While it moves through styles and performance types, it maintains an exciting sense of connection and admiration for the work of those around them. It’s always captivating, often though-provoking, and at times totally beautiful. Highly recommended.
Words by Fran Slater
Picky Bastards 