Fountain

The Italian word malinconia was very commonly used in the nineteenth century as a title for melancholy pieces. Yet the idea of malinconia covered a myriad of romantic notions, so that simply translating it as "melancholy" does not do it justice. It subsumes many other emotional states as well - all kinds of dejection, gloom, unknown sadness, desperation, depression and even frustration. Each language has evolved its own terms, and interpretations of the word itself also differ from region to region. Malinconia in sunny Italy or Spain is quite different from melancholy in Norway and in Finland, where the winters are harsh and long. The Nordic variant is expressed here in various musical examples; words alone are anyway inadequate.

The Rippingtons' 20th studio album, 2014's Fountain of Youth, is an expansive, layered, and stylistically varied release conceptualized around the travels of early European explorers like Juan Ponce de León, whose search for an elusive magical fountain inspired the album's title. Once again showcasing guitarist and longtime bandleader Russ Freeman, the album finds the journeyman smooth jazz outfit exploring a wide array of sounds, from the cinematic, flamenco-infused "Rivers of Gold" to the percussion and flute-heavy "We Will Live Forever" and the funky, blues-infused "Soul Riders." This is an ambitious, colorful release.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, the new studio album from Damon Albarn, will be released by new label homeTransgressive Records. The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows was originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland. This last year has seen Albarn return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John Clare poem Love and Memory. Albarn says “I have been on my own dark journey while making this record and it led me to believe that a pure source might still exist.”