Colin Newman - Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish LP
$20.98
Label: Sentient Sonics
Our Review:
The strength of 1980's A-Z particularly impressed Ivo Watts-Russell who quickly invited Colin Newman to join his erstwhile bandmates Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis on the burgeoning 4AD roster. Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish stands as Newman's only true solo outing, him alone shouldering writing, performance and production (save for Robert Gotobed's "backing drums" on "Fish 9"). A collection of instrumental pieces offered as the soundtrack to an imaginary movie, a formal conceit with particular caché in the wake of Eno, Fish is an exercise in patient accretion, synthesized polyrhythms and wordless vocal chants braided into short avant-pop airs that emphasize the importance of detail and texture in Newman's body of work, regardless of the name under which it appears.