Albion]

Daughters of Albion is happy Californian pop/rock music, imbued with streaks of the kind of weirdness that only cropped up in otherwise normal pop/rock records in the late 1960s. Some of the harmonies are good, if a little on the super-sweet and high side. The odd interjections of orchestration and weird little effects - most likely producer Leon Russell was a strong contributor in this regard - make this more interesting than you might expect from the basis of the songs alone. If you're looking for rough ballpark cult figures that might indicate whether you should seek this out, it's kind of between the albums of the era by Millennium and the Judy Henske-Jerry Yester duo. With its frequent good-time bounce, it's closer to Millennium than the darker and more resonant Henske-Yester collaboration, though it doesn't sound extremely close to either act, and isn't as good as either…

Following their successful Dvorák cycle with Signum Records, Albion String Quartet are back with a selection of string quartets by Walton and Shostakovich, recorded in 2021. The concept: to juxtapose two masterpieces written in the same year in the immediate aftermath of war (1946) by composers inhabiting two entirely different social and political worlds in the Soviet Union and Britain respectively. Formed in 2016, the Albion Quartet brings together four of the UK's exceptional young string players who are establishing themselves rapidly on the international stage. Recent engagements from the 2017-18 season included performances at the Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Robert Schumann Gesselschaft in Frankfurt, Båstad Festival in Sweden, Festival of Music in Franconia and Rhine Valley Music Festival in Germany, as well as the Hay Festival in the UK. The members of the quartet play on a fine collection of instruments, including a Stradivarius and Guarnerius.

‘Albion’ with its two guitars offers a new depth to Ten’s sound, it might not be completely realised yet and there’s plenty of variety on here to suggest a settling in period, but one thing is for sure ‘Albion’ meets the very high standards we have come to expect from Ten. ‘Albion’ is a must for all fans and well worth a listen for fans of Melodic Hard Rock not already familiar with the band.