ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Flare Acoustic Arts League
CUT AFFAIRS OF THE HEART 9.05.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Flare Acoustic Arts League is the brainchild of one LD Beghtol, a New York musician, designer and writer who previously provided guest Vocals on Magnetic Fields’ sprawling triple disc concept album ’69 Love Songs’. He also had a book published which is essentially a comprehensive guide to the album. A whole host of guest musicians and collaborators dip their toes into Beghtol’s murky waters – members of Low, Sparkelhorse, Arcade Fire, the aforementioned Magnetic Fields, Beirut and Belle & Sebastian and several others all put in appearances somewhere amongst the finished article. You look at the title of the first track ‘Reminiscences of a Minnesota State Training School Alumnus, Class of 1905‘ and think what I have let myself in for….but despite being a lilting piano/acoustic guitar led gentle jaunt, the lyrics reveal Beghtol’s sinister acerbic humour as he details a string of gruesome murders. Not surprisingly with a cast of thousands involved there’s loads going on on this album. ‘Judas Kiss’ is a brooding string-laden piece of moody melancholia. ‘Hands of Fire’ starts up with plinky-plonky xylophone, before sweeping into a gorgeous uplifting hymn-like chorus - ‘Love Finds Andy Warhol’ ebbs and flows for an exquisite seven and half minutes. Beghtol’s penchant for theatrical swooning showpieces is displayed on several tracks. He has a knack for sounding morose, yet injecting a huge amount of entertainment and melodrama into proceedings at the same time. The very odd mix of song styles on this album can sometimes get a bit silly. ‘Ballad of Little Brown Bear’ for example is essentially a sea shanty – complete with uproarious backing shouting by New York’s gay rugby team the Gotham Knights. But in general the silliness is kept in check enough to only prove to be a slight diversion from the more serious stuff – the best examples of which are able to retain the listener’s attention and grow in stature with repeated airings. www.myspace.com/flareacousticartsleague |
