ALBUM REVIEWS

Tunng
THIS IS TUNNG… LIVE FROM THE BBC
FULL TIME HOBBY 5.12.11
@www.vanguard-online.co.uk


Radio session albums are a great way to get an overview of a band. Better than a “Best Of”, these are the songs the band wanted to show off at the time, generally each time they had an album to promote and they are never overproduced. Given money for time in the studio, it is all too easy to spend far too long polishing and fiddling. A radio session gives a minimum of time and a different producer to work something up without fuss.

Tunng have the first five years of their history here. Bullets is as addictive as ever, bouncing along with daft lyrics and decorative frills. Jenny was a biggie for the band, showing off their folktronica credentials with samples, alongside gentle strumming, touching content and pinkle-ponkle sounds. Tamant Tilay is a record of their noble fusion attempt with Mali groove guitarists, Tinariwen. In concert, Tinariwen’s confidence and swing had left Tunng in the shadows but here the experiment can be heard more effectively, the Tuaregs imparting some boogie to the sensibilities of the folkies.

Tunng live can veer from a conscious eclecticism, lovely but cold, to lovely silliness, again unmoving, to inspired excitement as the evening wears on. On disc and here, they create a new and light pop, fresh and clean to the taste. Some is slight enough to be forgettable but the best (and the best are here) are catchy earworms performed with what appears to be the contents of a junkshop, a sandpit and the back of the Blue Peter studio.

Beautiful & Light is another one that got radio play, with distinctive sampling, a livelier beat and compelling tale to tell. Hustle is delightful and Naked In The Rain is given a reworking, half way between fey and groovy. The whole is fluffy and gentle fun, as light as a Mr Kipling’s Fondant Fancy.

Ross McGibbon

www.tunng.co.uk