LOST HORIZONS | LIVE REVIEW
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Thurs 20 Sept
In the two decades since Cocteau Twins imploded in 1997, Simon Raymonde has dedicated himself to the discovery and promotion of the music of others. Bella Union, the label he founded with former bandmate Robin Guthrie, has released an array of astonishing records from a roster that reads like a typical End Of The Road bill: Explosions In The Sky, Beach House, Lift To Experience, John Grant, The Low Anthem, Dirty Three and, most recently, Spiritualized. But the multi-instrumentalist has now returned to the studio and stage with a new musical project of his own.
Lost Horizons’ Ojala LP sees Raymonde collaborating with drummer Richie Thomas and making use of his extensive network of contacts to pair songs with suitable singers, including Marissa Nadler, Ghostpoet, Sharon Van Etten, The Duke Spirit’s Liela Moss and Lanterns On The Lake’s Hazel Wilde. The resulting record, it has to be said, is both too long and rather dull. But will the tracks be better in a live context? The answer, in short, is no.
The principal problem is that the full cast simply cannot be assembled, and so Raymonde’s supergroup is already at a disadvantage by being shorn of its star names. This means, for instance, that Beth Cannon and Ed Riman (aka Hilang Child) – both of whom feature on the album – are asked to perform songs that were written with distinctively different vocalists in mind. There’s no disputing that they and the other hired hands are talented musicians; however, the band seem like far less than the sum of their parts, and have weaker material with which to work.
Much like the album itself, the set progresses through a series of forgettable songs, arousing negligible enthusiasm from a surprisingly sparse crowd. The only time that I’m moved to more than just polite applause is I Saw The Days Go By; Nadler may be one of the conspicuous absentees, but together Riman, Cannon and Helen Ganya Brown (who performs as Dog In The Snow) just about manage to do justice to the spectral folkie’s vocals and the LP’s standout track. Even then, though, it’s marred slightly by the obtrusive prominence of Thomas’ drumming, which is too loud in the mix all night.
All of this feels harsh on the avuncular Raymonde, who takes the opportunity to plug support act Penelope Isles and their forthcoming Bella Union debut as well as the main projects of those with whom he’s sharing the stage. But the truth is that, while he’s given us so much great music, Ojala cannot be filed in the same category. The encore – requested and performed, it seems, primarily out of a sense of duty – is a cover of Evangeline, pandering to those craving a Cocteau Twins fix. If anything, it’s even more disappointing than the Ojala songs, the line “There is no going back” only underlining the error of judgement in awakening memories of former glories.
words BEN WOOLHEAD photos ANTHONY JAMES