Manic From September 2014

The band BRAM STOKER was formed in Brighton, England, UK, in the summer of 1969 by Hammond organist Anthony Bronsdon, guitarist Peter Ballam and drummer Rob Haines who then recruited bass guitarist John Bavin, all of whom were based in their south coast home town of Bournemouth, England. In writing and composing their own material and experimenting with new musical styles, Bram stoker were choosing their own musical direction…

Diversified and relentlessly creative – giving space to new artistic and emotional expression – this second solo album from guitarist Adrian Belew expands upon his already remarkable solo debut, though more than a few will be confused and put off by the opener, the Beatles' classic "I'm Down." …

The Brighton electronic musician’s third LP belongs to a proud tradition of English satire, plumbing the depths of the nation’s psyche and twisting it to wryly discomforting ends.

Captured in the Maly Hall of the Moscow Conservatory where much of Prokofiev's work was first heard, it's surprising to find so many aspects of the composer's style represented, from the Romanticism of the early Ballade through the spiky dissonances of Chout to the elegiac, unfinished Solo Sonata. Aided by characterful piano-playing by Tatyana Lazareva, Ivashkin's recital compares most favourably with his similar programme on Ode for which he was accompanied by a more reticent pianist; although the earlier disc includes the Concertino movement in the guise of Rostropovich's cello quintet arrangement, the absence of the Chout transmogrification makes the Chandos collection appear better value.