#4583, Musical Homebrews
There’s music at the junction of folk, minimalism, jazz, and ambient, all with a DIY aesthetic and all from the British Isles with works by Gilroy Mere (aka Oliver Cherer, who has worked as Dollboy, and a vast array of other monikers), perennial favorites Penguin Café Orchestra, the quartet Spiro who fall somewhere on the folk-classical spectrum, and Irish composer/sound artist Daniel Figgis.
Listen to folksy and home-brewed music from Gilroy Mere, one of the recording aliases of Oliver Cherer, from his 2017 album, The Green Line, the now defunct mid-20th century bus service linking central London with the rural charms of Sussex and Kent. A combination of bells, flute, strings and acoustic guitar and light electronics is coupled with sound recordings of birds and buses and stops along the route for an overall feel of bucolic warmth, tinged with melancholy nostalgia and a sense of the homemade.
It would be hard not to include the oddly familiar music of the Penguin Café Orchestra, a “modern semi-acoustic chamber music” ensemble co-founded in the 1970’s by multi-instrumentalist Simon Jeffes and cellist Helen Liebmann. Their “avant-pop” music combines instrumental sounds from anywhere (cuatro, sheng, harmonium, dulcitone, ukulele) with abandon, and often mixes folk, jazz, classical, and pop music. Hear several of their tunes as well. Then, there’s music from the quartet Spiro, an acoustic instrumental band who look to systems music (aka minimalism) along with work by Irish composer and sound artist Daniel Figgis. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4583, Musical Homebrews
ARTIST: Gilroy Mere
WORK: Dunroamin' [5:00]
RECORDING: The Green Line
SOURCE: Clay Pipe Music
INFO: gilroymere.bandcamp.com/album/the-green-line
ARTIST: Gilroy Mere
WORK: Cuckoo Waltz [2:46]
RECORDING: The Green Line
SOURCE: Clay Pipe Music
INFO: gilroymere.bandcamp.com/album/the-green-line
ARTIST: Penguin Café Orchestra
WORK: Oscar Tango [3:10]
RECORDING: Signs of Life
SOURCE: EG Records
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube Music
ARTIST: Daniel Figgis
WORK: The Please Front [3:41]
RECORDING: Skipper
SOURCE: Black Burst #005 / Rough Trade
INFO: Available at AppleMusic or Spotify
ARTIST: Gilroy Mere
WORK: RHL48 [2:57]
RECORDING: The Green Line
SOURCE: Clay Pipe Music
INFO: gilroymere.bandcamp.com/album/the-green-line
ARTIST: Spiro
WORK: Folded In The Arms Of The Earth [4:23]
RECORDING: Welcome Joy And Welcome Sorrow
SOURCE: Real World Records
INFO: spiromusic.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Daniel Figgis
WORK: My Poor Little House Without Me In It [4:23]
RECORDING: Skipper
SOURCE: Black Burst #005 / Rough Trade
INFO: Available at AppleMusic or Spotify
ARTIST: Spiro
WORK: Marineville [3:49]
RECORDING: Welcome Joy And Welcome Sorrow
SOURCE: Real World Records
INFO: spiromusic.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Penguin Café Orchestra
WORK: Heartwind [4:16]
RECORDING: Broadcasting From Home
SOURCE: EG Records 38
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube Music
ARTIST: Spiro
WORK: The Vapourer [4:42]
RECORDING: Welcome Joy And Welcome Sorrow
SOURCE: Real World Records
INFO: spiromusic.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Daniel Figgis
WORK: Glimmerer [4:52]
RECORDING: Skipper
SOURCE: Black Burst #005 / Rough Trade
INFO: Available at AppleMusic or Spotify
ARTIST: Penguin Café Orchestra
WORK: Paul's Dance [1:43]
RECORDING: Penguin Café Orchestra
SOURCE: EG Records
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube Music
ARTIST: Gilroy Mere
WORK: Hop Pickers [2:18]
RECORDING: The Green Line
SOURCE: Clay Pipe Music
INFO: gilroymere.bandcamp.com/album/the-green-line
ARTIST: Penguin Café Orchestra
WORK: Perpetuum Mobile [1:4]
RECORDING: Signs of Life
SOURCE: EG Records
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube Music
