vintage

Ladies and gents, it’s here: the new Brent Randall & His Pinecones album. It’s whimsically titled We Were Strangers in Paddington Green, and whimsical is the dish Randall serves best. The songs are titled lovely things like “For in the Rainbow of a Moonbeam” or “The Nightingale and the Rose,” but underneath that layer of fanciful delirium there is a collection of really great pop tunes, just the sort we’ve come to expect from this talented collective of musicians.

The last time we had a real release from Brent was the delicious EP Quite Precisely, which came out in 2003 (!). If you’ve heard that album, be prepared for an experience: Paddington Green sounds infinitely brighter, better produced, and cleaner than the preceding EP. Now, I love that little record quite a bit, but I’m amazed at how much the Pinecones’ sound has been worked on since then. About time, I guess, considering how long the wait has been!

Paddington is fairly sleepy as far as albums go, but in the positive sense: many of the songs are dreamy and lilting, with the right amount of pop piano and Randall’s crooning voice. This one also features some horns (always a welcome addition, says the horn player!) and a delightful re-recording of old favourites “Snowdrops” and “Bluebirds, Flowers and Other Things”, both previously featured on the Just Friends Sampler of Love.

It’s one of those that I’d like you all to hear. “Bluebirds, Flowers and Other Things” has long been a favourite Brent Randall track of mine, since they have had it as a staple live song for quite some time and it’s always gone over very well. This new slightly uptempo version, featuring some excellent horns and a whole lot more energy, encapsulates the Pinecones perfectly. It’s equal parts fresh and retro, and I promise you that you’ll be singing “You are the one that I lo-o-ove” all day afterwards.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Tunesday 11: Bluebirds, Flowers and Other Things