Ever since the first Durutti Column album was released in 1979, Vinni Reilly has been delivering masterful folk-pop music that is stylistically firmly rooted in modern technology, with a bevy of effects and mechanical embellishments. His music has hardly broken pop charts, but it has won him international renown for his distinctive sound and his unique approach.
******THE DURUTTI COLUMN: Someone Else's Party (CD on Artful Records)
This CD from 2003 features 65 minutes of atmospheric electric folk.
The Durutti Column is Vinni Reilly, with technical assistance by Lauri Laptop on a few tracks, and vocals by Eley Rudge on one track.
Guitar is Reilly's primary instrument, although he has a predilection for sampled versatility. He is prone to transform strumming into an ethereal squeal that reverberates with adequate vigor to shake the clouds from the sky. Hesitant chords possess a remarkable clarity that pierces the ghostly feel of his music. His performances betray a reserved mastery, blending the demeanor of an orchestral hall with the intimacy of a small-town coffee shop. He has a way of implementing enormity to a peaceful chord, elevating the guitar's sound to proportions of cosmic scope without ever employing harshness or abrasive qualities.
Reilly's rich vocals retain a strange sparseness that communicates in a congenial manner, as if he were boldly sharing secrets with the audience. His lyrics are rarely dramatic, but they convey a powerful emotional content with their breathy enunciation.
Not every track features percussion, but those that do mix traditional drums with exotic E-perc, resulting in lush beats that are often languid with their peppy tempos.
Recorded on "a little eight-track porta-studio", diversely unconventional sound sources are utilized to produce this album. Reilly explains, "The bass drum on 'Spasmic Fairy' is a book placed on top of a microphone with me hitting it. There's another percussive effect on there which is just me flicking a piece of paper."
A fundamental melancholy permeates these songs, a sentiment that evolved out of the sadness and love Reilly felt as his mother fell ill and eventually passed away. Despite this mournful inspiration, many of the tunes exhibit uplifting moods, inspirational through shared grief.
| Entire page © 2003 Matt Howarth. All rights reserved. |
Webpage design by
 |