| Penguin Cafe |
The Imperfect Sea |
Penguin Cafe — The Imperfect Sea (May 05, 2017) 
ψ The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was formed by Simon Jeffes in 1972 and the playful, orchestral sound found on albums like 1976’s Music From The Penguin Café and 1981’s Penguin Cafe Orchestra has made them a longtime favorite among Balearic DJs like José Padilla and, more recently, Mark Barrott. The group disbanded after Jeffes died in 1997, until his son Arthur Jeffes relaunched the group and dropped the “Orchestra,” going under Penguin Cafe. Arthur attributes the new LP’s title to a quote from his late father, “We wade in a sea of imperfections.” The new LP is mostly original but includes Simian Mobile Disco and Kraftwerk covers as well as a rework of the 1984 Penguin Cafe Orchestra tune “Now Nothing.”
ψ The spirit of Simon Jeffes lives on, but with a satisfying new dimension to it. He would be proud of Arthur no doubt. Eclectic instrumental music collective that fused Western classical with various world musics.
Formed: 1973 in England
Location: London, GB
Album release: May 05, 2017
Record Label: Erased Tapes Records Ltd.
Duration: 55:00
Tracks:
1. Ricercar 4:34
2. Cantorum 7:23
3. Control 1 (Interlude) 6:57
4. Franz Schubert 5:46
5. Half Certainty 2:31
6. Protection 5:22
7. Rescue 6:29
8. Now Nothing (Rock Music) 4:38
9. Wheels Within Wheels 6:20
℗ 2017 Erased Tapes Records Ltd.
Format:
♠→ clear vinyl, limited to 1000 copies
♠→ “For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily~effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.”
Personnel:
♠→ Arthur Jeffes: piano (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9), percussion (1, 6, 9), electric bass guitar (7), dulcitone (4, 5, 9), tape block (5), Fender Rhodes (5, 6), violin (3), celeste (4, ), rock (3, 8), melodica (5), Khono acoustic guitar (6), harmonium (3, 4, 7)
♠→ Andy Waterworth: double bass (1, 2, 4, 6), electric bass guitar (4, 7)
♠→ Neil Codling: Khono acoustic guitar (6), ukelele (6, 9), kalimba (4)
♠→ Des Murphy: ukelele (1, 4, 9), celeste (2, 7), tape block (5)
♠→ Tom Chichester Clark: cuatro (1, 6, 7, 9)
♠→ Peter Radcliffe: percussion (1, 2, 6, 9), shruti (3)
♠→ Cass Browne: percussion (1, 2, 7, 9)
♠→ Oli Langford: violin (1, 2, 6, 7), viola (7)
♠→ Rebecca Waterworth: cello (2, 3, 4, 7), salt bowl percussion (4)
♠→ Vincent Greene: viola (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
♠→ Darren Berry: violin (2, 7), percussion (7, 9)
♠→ City of Prague Philharmonic: additional string recordings (7, 9)
♠→ Composed by Arthur Jeffes (7, 9) and Oli Langford (7)
♠→ Guy Protheroe: arranger, musical director and conductor.
Credits complete:
→ Monika Bansal Collage, Design
→ Darren Berry Percussion, Violin
→ Cass Browne Percussion
→ Tom Chichester~Clark Cuatro
→ City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra String Engineer
→ Neil Codling Celeste, Guitar (Acoustic), Kalimba, Tape, Ukulele
→ James Fitzpatrick Recording Producer
→ James Ford Composer
→ Vincent Greene Musical Director, Viola
→ Ralf Hütter Composer
→ Arthur Jeffes Celeste, Composer, Dulcitone, Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Harmonium, Melodica, Percussion, Piano, Producer, Rocksichord, Tape, Violin
→ Simon Jeffes Composer
→ Alex Kozobolis Photography
→ Oli Langford Composer, Viola, Violin
→ Des Murphy Ukulele
→ Jamie Orchard~Lisle Mixing Engineer, Producer
→ Mandy Parnell Mastering, Mixing
→ Jack Payne Studio Assistant
→ Torsten Posselt Collage, Design
→ Guy Protheroe Arranger, Conductor, Musical Director
→ Peter Radcliffe Percussion, Shruti Box
→ Robert Raths Art Direction
→ Ryan Jack Roberts Photography
→ Hal Robinson Mastering Assistant, Mixing Assistant
→ Jas Shaw Composer
→ Andy Waterworth Double Bass, Guitar (Bass)
→ Rebecca Waterworth Cello, Percussion
Description:
♠→ The iconic Penguin Cafe join the Erased Tapes family and open a brand new chapter to their unique world with new album The Imperfect Sea ~ out on Erased Tapes 5th May 2017.
♠→ A penguin stands in the middle of a scorching desert, far away from its natural habitat. This mirrors composer Arthur Jeffes’ journey and exploration into a new musical territory. Penguin Cafe have evolved into something of their own at the hands of Arthur who started the band in 2009 with the continuation and homage to his father’s legacy, to the late Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Now, their upcoming album echoes reminiscent sounds that embrace the new.
♠→ The album title refers to a saying by his father that “we wade in a sea of imperfections…”, reflecting upon the idea that beauty can be found amongst the chaos. “If there is a narrative to the album it’s coming to the acceptance of the imperfections in all aspects of life; moreover, the recognition that these imperfections and tiny randomnesses are in fact what make up the best parts”, Arthur explains. This has also been highlighted by the striking cover artwork designed by FELD under the art direction of label founder Robert Raths, resembling a lone figure adapting to and accepting its surrounding environment.
♠→ Predominantly self~composed, the new album also features covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco and Kraftwerk, along with a re~working of Simon’s ‘Now Nothing’. Arthur has developed from the traditional folk and jazz heritage Penguin Cafe Orchestra is known for into another realm of blissful ambience and dance music, recreated using strictly acoustic elements.
♠→ “For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily~effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.”
♠→ On the day of release, the band will play a headline show at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, commencing the beginning of this new adventure for Penguin Cafe.
AllMusic Review by Bekki Bemrose; Score: ****
♠→ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-imperfect-sea-mw0003026755
Review
By MARK SULLIVAN, May 4, 2017 / Score: ****
♠→ Composer Arthur Jeffes started Penguin Cafe in 2009 to pay homage to his father Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and to continue the concept. While the new band still plays some of the original repertoire, Arthur has composed new music all along. Like Simon Jeffes’ music, Arthur’s shows the influence of folk music and minimalism. There’s less whimsy — a frequent element in Simon’s work, and a difficult thing to pull off successfully unless you have the knack.
♠→ The Imperfect Sea contains mainly new compositions, along with “Now Nothing (Rock Music)” a version of the piece originally by Simon Jeffes with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco (“Wheels within Wheels” from 2015) and Kraftwerk (“Franz Schubert” from 1977). This does represent a change in focus, towards ambience and the rhythms of dance music (but using strictly acoustic instruments). “Cantorum” features a long violin melody over a repetitive string pattern (which would not sound out of place in a Steve Reich piece).
♠→ “Half Certainty” takes a similar approach, this time featuring a folk~like accordion tune over percolating percussion. “Control 1 (Interlude)” goes full ambient, a slow drone~like soundscape not unlike Brian Eno’s classic album Music For Airports. “Rescue” makes a grand statement using minimal means, strings building to an insistent repetitive arpeggio while an epic long line snakes out over the top.
♠→ This is a lovely collection of music. Maybe a bit more “serious” in tone than previous Penguin Cafe albums, it presents a gentle, small~scale minimalism, songlike and melodic. ♠→ https://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Website: http://penguincafe.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepenguincafe
Bandcamp: https://penguincafe.bandcamp.com/album/the-imperfect-sea
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePenguinCafe
Label: https://www.erasedtapes.com/
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| Penguin Cafe |
The Imperfect Sea |
ψ The spirit of Simon Jeffes lives on, but with a satisfying new dimension to it. He would be proud of Arthur no doubt. Eclectic instrumental music collective that fused Western classical with various world musics.
Formed: 1973 in England
Location: London, GB
Album release: May 05, 2017
Record Label: Erased Tapes Records Ltd.
Duration: 55:00
Tracks:
1. Ricercar 4:34
2. Cantorum 7:23
3. Control 1 (Interlude) 6:57
4. Franz Schubert 5:46
5. Half Certainty 2:31
6. Protection 5:22
7. Rescue 6:29
8. Now Nothing (Rock Music) 4:38
9. Wheels Within Wheels 6:20
℗ 2017 Erased Tapes Records Ltd.
Format:
♠→ clear vinyl, limited to 1000 copies
♠→ “For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily~effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.”
Personnel:
♠→ Arthur Jeffes: piano (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9), percussion (1, 6, 9), electric bass guitar (7), dulcitone (4, 5, 9), tape block (5), Fender Rhodes (5, 6), violin (3), celeste (4, ), rock (3, 8), melodica (5), Khono acoustic guitar (6), harmonium (3, 4, 7)
♠→ Andy Waterworth: double bass (1, 2, 4, 6), electric bass guitar (4, 7)
♠→ Neil Codling: Khono acoustic guitar (6), ukelele (6, 9), kalimba (4)
♠→ Des Murphy: ukelele (1, 4, 9), celeste (2, 7), tape block (5)
♠→ Tom Chichester Clark: cuatro (1, 6, 7, 9)
♠→ Peter Radcliffe: percussion (1, 2, 6, 9), shruti (3)
♠→ Cass Browne: percussion (1, 2, 7, 9)
♠→ Oli Langford: violin (1, 2, 6, 7), viola (7)
♠→ Rebecca Waterworth: cello (2, 3, 4, 7), salt bowl percussion (4)
♠→ Vincent Greene: viola (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
♠→ Darren Berry: violin (2, 7), percussion (7, 9)
♠→ City of Prague Philharmonic: additional string recordings (7, 9)
♠→ Composed by Arthur Jeffes (7, 9) and Oli Langford (7)
♠→ Guy Protheroe: arranger, musical director and conductor.
Credits complete:
→ Monika Bansal Collage, Design
→ Darren Berry Percussion, Violin
→ Cass Browne Percussion
→ Tom Chichester~Clark Cuatro
→ City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra String Engineer
→ Neil Codling Celeste, Guitar (Acoustic), Kalimba, Tape, Ukulele
→ James Fitzpatrick Recording Producer
→ James Ford Composer
→ Vincent Greene Musical Director, Viola
→ Ralf Hütter Composer
→ Arthur Jeffes Celeste, Composer, Dulcitone, Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Harmonium, Melodica, Percussion, Piano, Producer, Rocksichord, Tape, Violin
→ Simon Jeffes Composer
→ Alex Kozobolis Photography
→ Oli Langford Composer, Viola, Violin
→ Des Murphy Ukulele
→ Jamie Orchard~Lisle Mixing Engineer, Producer
→ Mandy Parnell Mastering, Mixing
→ Jack Payne Studio Assistant
→ Torsten Posselt Collage, Design
→ Guy Protheroe Arranger, Conductor, Musical Director
→ Peter Radcliffe Percussion, Shruti Box
→ Robert Raths Art Direction
→ Ryan Jack Roberts Photography
→ Hal Robinson Mastering Assistant, Mixing Assistant
→ Jas Shaw Composer
→ Andy Waterworth Double Bass, Guitar (Bass)
→ Rebecca Waterworth Cello, Percussion
Description:
♠→ The iconic Penguin Cafe join the Erased Tapes family and open a brand new chapter to their unique world with new album The Imperfect Sea ~ out on Erased Tapes 5th May 2017.
♠→ A penguin stands in the middle of a scorching desert, far away from its natural habitat. This mirrors composer Arthur Jeffes’ journey and exploration into a new musical territory. Penguin Cafe have evolved into something of their own at the hands of Arthur who started the band in 2009 with the continuation and homage to his father’s legacy, to the late Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Now, their upcoming album echoes reminiscent sounds that embrace the new.
♠→ The album title refers to a saying by his father that “we wade in a sea of imperfections…”, reflecting upon the idea that beauty can be found amongst the chaos. “If there is a narrative to the album it’s coming to the acceptance of the imperfections in all aspects of life; moreover, the recognition that these imperfections and tiny randomnesses are in fact what make up the best parts”, Arthur explains. This has also been highlighted by the striking cover artwork designed by FELD under the art direction of label founder Robert Raths, resembling a lone figure adapting to and accepting its surrounding environment.
♠→ Predominantly self~composed, the new album also features covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco and Kraftwerk, along with a re~working of Simon’s ‘Now Nothing’. Arthur has developed from the traditional folk and jazz heritage Penguin Cafe Orchestra is known for into another realm of blissful ambience and dance music, recreated using strictly acoustic elements.
♠→ “For this album I wanted to effect a departure from where we’d been up to now. The idea was to create a musical world that would feel familiar to an audience more used to dance records but stay true to our own values. So we replaced electronic layers with real instruments: pads with real string sections, synths with heavily~effected pianos, and atmospheric analogue drones with real feedback loops ringing through a stone and a piano soundboard.”
♠→ On the day of release, the band will play a headline show at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, commencing the beginning of this new adventure for Penguin Cafe.
AllMusic Review by Bekki Bemrose; Score: ****
♠→ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-imperfect-sea-mw0003026755
Review
By MARK SULLIVAN, May 4, 2017 / Score: ****
♠→ Composer Arthur Jeffes started Penguin Cafe in 2009 to pay homage to his father Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and to continue the concept. While the new band still plays some of the original repertoire, Arthur has composed new music all along. Like Simon Jeffes’ music, Arthur’s shows the influence of folk music and minimalism. There’s less whimsy — a frequent element in Simon’s work, and a difficult thing to pull off successfully unless you have the knack.
♠→ The Imperfect Sea contains mainly new compositions, along with “Now Nothing (Rock Music)” a version of the piece originally by Simon Jeffes with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and covers of electronic works by Simian Mobile Disco (“Wheels within Wheels” from 2015) and Kraftwerk (“Franz Schubert” from 1977). This does represent a change in focus, towards ambience and the rhythms of dance music (but using strictly acoustic instruments). “Cantorum” features a long violin melody over a repetitive string pattern (which would not sound out of place in a Steve Reich piece).
♠→ “Half Certainty” takes a similar approach, this time featuring a folk~like accordion tune over percolating percussion. “Control 1 (Interlude)” goes full ambient, a slow drone~like soundscape not unlike Brian Eno’s classic album Music For Airports. “Rescue” makes a grand statement using minimal means, strings building to an insistent repetitive arpeggio while an epic long line snakes out over the top.
♠→ This is a lovely collection of music. Maybe a bit more “serious” in tone than previous Penguin Cafe albums, it presents a gentle, small~scale minimalism, songlike and melodic. ♠→ https://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Website: http://penguincafe.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepenguincafe
Bandcamp: https://penguincafe.bandcamp.com/album/the-imperfect-sea
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePenguinCafe
Label: https://www.erasedtapes.com/
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