Nicholas Delbanco, The Sincerest Form

This box set collects four individual albums of the early '90s by veteran historical-instrument violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Raglan Baroque Players, each containing three of the 12 violin concertos included here. The box, although not issued in Hyperion's budget Helios series, is offered at a cut-rate price. Locatelli was a pure virtuoso; he was no Vivaldi, and these works had one purpose and one only: to display his nearly unthinkable capabilities on the violin. As such, the entire set may be of more interest to performers and specialists than to general listeners; three CDs of Locatelli are bit much.

'Serse' comes late in the Handel opera list, with only two more attempts at the form remaining. Adapted from the libretto originally prepared for Cavalli's 'Xerses' in 1655 (itself a great opera), 'Serse' remains true to its Venetian roots. The action, which is largely comic, moves fluidly through short arias, ariosos and ariettas. Serse is a parody of the self-important ruler; "Ombra mai fu,' possibly Handel's most famous setting of Italian words, is in fact a love song to a plane tree originally intended to be sung by a man who had been castrated. Irony does not go much deeper than this. The characters that surround Serse are an uncommonly varied lot with the plain-speaking Atalanta a particular joy.

"Someone Here Is Missing" marked a significant step forward for the band, as frontman Bruce Soord honed and perfected his songwriting and created a work which he described as, "a record of dark edges, full of love and regret." This remastered version of the album also features tracks taken from the EP "Show A Little Love" and is presented in a digipack with an 8-page booklet.
It doesn't take long to realize that the Pineapple Thief surely must have studied their Radiohead albums prior to writing/recording their 2010 album, Someone Here Is Missing. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Pineapple Thief singer/guitarist Bruce Soord has his Thom Yorke-isms down pat - as evidenced by his vocal delivery throughout the album…

Famous Groupies have been busy. In 15 months, they’ve released three albums: their sparkling debut, Rehearsing the Multiverse; a compilation consisting of their debut album and unreleased material, Double Entendre; and their latest release, The Furry White Album. The Furry White Album continues to cull from the treasure chest of songs lead singer Kirkcaldy McKenzie has at his disposal, and it deservedly receives Hooks and Harmony’s 2020 Album of the Year.