Rimlight Models & Photographers #5, 2015

Blank & Jones present the fifth installment of this ambitious and exceptional musical journey. Beside some wonderful own new compositions the curators introduce us to artists like Troels Hammer, Marc-George (Ex-Bliss), Antonymes or I Will, I Swear. Blank & Jones also managed to include a super rare mix of the Visage classic Fade To Grey which is truly astonishing and was crafted by original member Rusty Egan. Another exclusive premiere on CD is the Drumless Version of Lady by The Chromatics, who are well known for their amazing Soundtrack contribution of Drive. This album should be enjoyed as a complete work in one go, like a classical composition.

Barry Douglas’s decision in his Brahms series to mix and match pieces intuitively, rather than employing a strict sequence of genre or chronology, has given this series a pleasing personal slant, and Vol. 5 is no exception. Building the programme around three very different sets of variations, Douglas intersperses the more substantial works with palate-cleansing intermezzos, two little-known early Sarabandes – apparent fugitives from an unfinished Baroque-inspired suite or two – and one of Brahms’s not-so-jokey scherzos, the rugged Op. 4. Indeed, if you like your Brahms super-rugged, this CD will not disappoint. Douglas’s powerful tone and serious demeanour captures the composer’s uncompromising side; yet there’s a sense of flow that makes the intermezzos generous and warm without veering towards the emotionally indulgent. The Variations on a Hungarian Song and the Hungarian Dances are served on the bone with sour cream aplenty.