Matinee Orchestra - Matinee Orchestra
[Arable]

Having already released the acclaimed Tiger, My Friend by Psapp and my personal highlight of 2005, Stings And Dum Machines by Gavouna, it's of little surprise to find the wealth of astonishing music to be discovered in Arable's latest opus, Matinee Orchestra.

Recorded at various locations across the World, the Matinee Orchestra is a colourful and multi-layered tapesty, where different genres & styles interweave effortlessly, to produce something quite extraordinary.

Although described by its creator Andrew Hodson as a "laptop album", the depths and multiple instrumentation displayed sound more like a full band at work. An array of instruments such as percussion, guitars, xylophones, woodwind, horn sections and spoken work samples build up dense and rich layers which unfold new delights with each listen.

Hodson flirts with everything from folk, shoe gazing, electronica, classical music and experimental pop. The whole sequence is full of building rhythms, infectious hooks and riffs, childlike simplicity, spontaneous improvisation and the occasional woozy harmony from members of the band Field Music.

Exempt from classification, this is a genuinely original and stand alone release. Without a doubt, this is the Album Of The Month.