Peter Bruntnell — King of Madrid (May 24, 2019) 
¤ „Král Madridu“ je desátým studiovým albem Petera Bruntnella a je přesným fokusem, který se zaměřuje na jeho jedinečný talent pro psaní písní. Slyšíš jej vracet se ke svým kořenům, představovat „krásno“, někdy šedesátými léty ochucené písně s jeho vlastním podpisem řady psychedelie. Vřelý hlas mu pomáhá vytvořit toužebnou atmosféru, která dodává albu konzistentní a organický pocit.
¤ Je však nemožné si představit, že by Bruntnellova hudba byla výrazná, kdyby to byl takový způsob, jak dnešní průmysl vyžaduje, aby mu byli její umělci plně podřízeni. Většina jeho písní je výsledkem neobvyklé, ale dlouhotrvající a nepopiratelně silné spolupráce s kanadským skladatelem Billem Ritchiem (po mnoho let pracovali tím, že nechávali fragmenty melodií a textů v záznamnících: v těchto dnech používají aplikaci). ¤ Jsou pečlivě zpracované a ani ty nejpřísnější a bezprostřední z nich nevypadají, jako by byly velmi rychle hozeny dohromady. V nejlepším případě byste je mohli popsat jako příklady „čistého“ písničkářství — do té míry, že ve skutečnosti nefungují jako básně na vytištěné stránce, ani nezní, jako by se daly snadno vytvořit pro scénáře, nebo romány, či povídky. Mohly být jen písněmi a ničím jiným. V tuto chvíli, kdy se od hudebníků očekává, že budou adepty na publicisty a chytrými mediálními stratégy (jak se to děje mezi záchodky v komisích hudebních cen v CZE, kde jsou kreativní lidé povzbuzováni k tomu, aby sledovali co nejvíce různých cest, aby si tak vypomohli vydělávat na živobytí [což je fakt]..., ještě stále existují lidé, kteří se věnují pouze ryzímu řemeslu psaní a provádění výjimečných písní. A přesně toto činí z Bruntnellovy desky úžasný návrat, tak i poklad.
¤ Peter Bruntnell is another musician who has featured on my blog. He must be the epitome of the great underappreciated artist. It seems that every year he brings out an album of wonderfully crafted songs all of which seem to disappear with hardly a trace. I for one am glad he persists. Ringo Woz Ere is his strongest album for a number of years as he reverts back to simpler production arrangements, allowing his songs more room to breathe.
¤ Devonian singer~songwriter Peter Bruntnell continues to amaze with his ever changing approach to his art. Previous release ‘Ringo Woz Ere’ features rare alternative versions of recent and new songs as well as covers of some classics.
Born: 26 January 1962, Wellington, New Zealand
Origin: Kingston upon Thames, England
Style: Country Rock, Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
Album release: May 24, 2019
Record Label: Domestico Records/Blue Rose Records
Duration: 43:53
Tracks:
01 Broken Wing 6:31
02 Dinosaur 3:56
03 Lucan 5:56
04 Thief of Joy 4:41
05 Memory Hood 5:02
06 King of Madrid 4:45
07 Widows Walk 5:12
08 Snow Queen 4:15
09 London Clay 3:43
10 National Library 5:38
Credits:
Written:
• Bill Ritchie (tracks: 2~10), Peter Bruntell (tracks: 1~10)
• Peter Bruntnell: Acoustic Guitar (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B3, C2 to C4)
• Toby Walker: Artwork
• Peter Noone: Bass
• Mick Clews: Drums
• Peter Bruntnell: Electric Guitar (tracks: A1 to C1, C3, C4)
• Dave Little: Guitar (tracks: A2, B1, C1)
• James Walbourne: Keyboards (tracks: C2)
• Peter Bruntnell: Keyboards (tracks: A1, B2, C1, C2)
• Peter Linnane: Mastered
• BJ Cole: Pedal Steel Guitar (tracks: A3, B2 to C1)
• Iain Sloan: Pedal Steel Guitar (tracks: A1, C2)
• Peter Bruntnell: Photography [Cover Photo]
• Andy Wardle: Photography [Photo of Pete]
• Peter Bruntnell: Piano (tracks: C1), Producer, Tambourine (tracks: A1, A2, B1, C3, C4), Vocals
Notes:
• Your Personal Vinyl Edition series means that the owner’s full name is printed on the A + B pages labels. These issues were individually pressed to order. Thus, this submission includes one or more individual presses. The release date of the individual pressings listed here may vary, depending on which year was ordered.
• Recorded at The Kin Studio in Bob and Barb McLoughlin’s back garden, Kings Langley, BJ Cole’s house and at Pete’s home studio. Iain Sloan’s pedal steel recorded on my iphone in the Wee Bear Cafe, Lintrathen, Kirriemuir, Scotland. Mixed at Pete’s home studio.
• Comes with CD in gatefold cardboard sleeve.
Review
Alasdair Fotheringham, Posted on June 24, 2019. Score: 9/10
• Flicking through a back catalogue of reviews of Peter Bruntnell albums — and ‘King of Madrid’ is his tenth — a hefty proportion are seemingly dedicated to dreaming up new ways of insisting that the Devon~based singer~songwriter is British Americana’s best~kept secret, the sub~text of the argument presumably being that only the inexplicably fickle tastes of the record~buying public/international music industry/whichever gods secretly rule the universe of popular music have deprived Bruntnell of the star status he so richly deserves.
• To be honest, it’d be tempting to swim against this tide of opinion purely to be able to say something different. But actually, when listening to one of his albums for the first time, as was the case of this reviewer with ‘King of Madrid’, it quickly becomes blindingly obvious why the critics are so baffled he’s not more widely rated.
• From the opening ‘Broken Wing’, which soars so gracefully through a mesh of jangling, pop~flavoured guitars it risks stealing the show from the title track — and indeed the rest of the album — to the curtain closer, a troubling reflection on the parlous state of British Brexit~obsessed politics called ‘National Museum’, if previously there was near~unanimous agreement that Bruntnell’s usual standard was never less than excellent, he certainly hasn’t dropped the ball on ‘King of Madrid’.
• For one thing, Bruntnell’s lyrics are so striking they probably merit a whole review in themselves. ‘Broken Wing’s analysis of a young person trying to escape from a fundamentalist cult, for example, plunges you into the heart of a harrowing mixture of self~doubt and desperate hope, right from the very first line: “I’m going to change my name and start again.” Strengthening the connection between the religious lyrics and music is the inspired (pun fully intended) addition of a mournfully tolling lone church bell on the synth~led intro. Then the guitars blast in — exhilarating, bleak and hopeful in equal parts — and ‘Broken Wing’ lifts off for good, flying so beautifully it fully belies the song’s own title.
• Equally, ‘Memory Hood’ offers some unsettling insight into how getting overly nostalgic can prove self~destructive in the present:
“Back before the years slipped down, I pulled the roots from the ground, didn’t know they were holding the town, back from sailing away.”
• What gives ‘Memory Hood’ added power — and it’s maybe this ability to fuse lyrics and music so well that allows ‘King of Madrid’ to pack such a punch across the board — are its well~timed changes of pace, reflecting the lyrics’ wayward lurching between the past and the here and now.
• These are just two examples, but the truth is track after track goes past on ‘King of Madrid’ and there truly don’t seem to be any low points. It helps greatly that the understated nature of Bruntnell’s voice matches the wry, unpretentious content of the songs so well, even in a composition as romantic with a capital R like ‘King of Madrid’. It’s a gentle, jaunty country~drenched ballad with some touching personal images of the object of his affection:
• “Don’t want to breakfast alone, I’m just waiting til you get here, to walk up the steps, with your grown~out roots, lifting your hemline, over your worn~out boots.”
• On an album where there are more touches of Americana sounds than full~blown dollops, the title track is where the country resonances are strongest, and for some reason on this track, (and it’s not that we’re complaining) the voice sounds oddly similarly to Jakob Dylan at his hoarse, hauntingly mournful, best.
• Everything’s got limits though, and if you’re looking for a raunchy or sensual album ‘King of Madrid’ is probably not for you. Bruntnell is seemingly more interested in exploring the boundary between feelings and thoughts than going into emotional overdrive, and the result is maybe closer in spirit to the Beatles than the Stones — there are distinct echoes of ‘Daytripper’ on ‘Dinosaur’, for example — more strong cup of tea in an English garden at five pm than straight~up Bourbon in some boozy New Orleans watering hole at three in the morning. But that doesn’t make ‘King of Madrid’ any less appealing, because from whatever angle you look at it and however you want to put it, this album is in a class of its own.
• Raises an already excellent bar to even greater heights. • https://americana-uk.com/
Website: https://www.peterbruntnell.net/
______________________________________________
¤ Je však nemožné si představit, že by Bruntnellova hudba byla výrazná, kdyby to byl takový způsob, jak dnešní průmysl vyžaduje, aby mu byli její umělci plně podřízeni. Většina jeho písní je výsledkem neobvyklé, ale dlouhotrvající a nepopiratelně silné spolupráce s kanadským skladatelem Billem Ritchiem (po mnoho let pracovali tím, že nechávali fragmenty melodií a textů v záznamnících: v těchto dnech používají aplikaci). ¤ Jsou pečlivě zpracované a ani ty nejpřísnější a bezprostřední z nich nevypadají, jako by byly velmi rychle hozeny dohromady. V nejlepším případě byste je mohli popsat jako příklady „čistého“ písničkářství — do té míry, že ve skutečnosti nefungují jako básně na vytištěné stránce, ani nezní, jako by se daly snadno vytvořit pro scénáře, nebo romány, či povídky. Mohly být jen písněmi a ničím jiným. V tuto chvíli, kdy se od hudebníků očekává, že budou adepty na publicisty a chytrými mediálními stratégy (jak se to děje mezi záchodky v komisích hudebních cen v CZE, kde jsou kreativní lidé povzbuzováni k tomu, aby sledovali co nejvíce různých cest, aby si tak vypomohli vydělávat na živobytí [což je fakt]..., ještě stále existují lidé, kteří se věnují pouze ryzímu řemeslu psaní a provádění výjimečných písní. A přesně toto činí z Bruntnellovy desky úžasný návrat, tak i poklad.
¤ Peter Bruntnell is another musician who has featured on my blog. He must be the epitome of the great underappreciated artist. It seems that every year he brings out an album of wonderfully crafted songs all of which seem to disappear with hardly a trace. I for one am glad he persists. Ringo Woz Ere is his strongest album for a number of years as he reverts back to simpler production arrangements, allowing his songs more room to breathe.
¤ Devonian singer~songwriter Peter Bruntnell continues to amaze with his ever changing approach to his art. Previous release ‘Ringo Woz Ere’ features rare alternative versions of recent and new songs as well as covers of some classics.
Born: 26 January 1962, Wellington, New Zealand
Origin: Kingston upon Thames, England
Style: Country Rock, Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
Album release: May 24, 2019
Record Label: Domestico Records/Blue Rose Records
Duration: 43:53
Tracks:
01 Broken Wing 6:31
02 Dinosaur 3:56
03 Lucan 5:56
04 Thief of Joy 4:41
05 Memory Hood 5:02
06 King of Madrid 4:45
07 Widows Walk 5:12
08 Snow Queen 4:15
09 London Clay 3:43
10 National Library 5:38
Credits:
Written:
• Bill Ritchie (tracks: 2~10), Peter Bruntell (tracks: 1~10)
• Peter Bruntnell: Acoustic Guitar (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B3, C2 to C4)
• Toby Walker: Artwork
• Peter Noone: Bass
• Mick Clews: Drums
• Peter Bruntnell: Electric Guitar (tracks: A1 to C1, C3, C4)
• Dave Little: Guitar (tracks: A2, B1, C1)
• James Walbourne: Keyboards (tracks: C2)
• Peter Bruntnell: Keyboards (tracks: A1, B2, C1, C2)
• Peter Linnane: Mastered
• BJ Cole: Pedal Steel Guitar (tracks: A3, B2 to C1)
• Iain Sloan: Pedal Steel Guitar (tracks: A1, C2)
• Peter Bruntnell: Photography [Cover Photo]
• Andy Wardle: Photography [Photo of Pete]
• Peter Bruntnell: Piano (tracks: C1), Producer, Tambourine (tracks: A1, A2, B1, C3, C4), Vocals
Notes:
• Your Personal Vinyl Edition series means that the owner’s full name is printed on the A + B pages labels. These issues were individually pressed to order. Thus, this submission includes one or more individual presses. The release date of the individual pressings listed here may vary, depending on which year was ordered.
• Recorded at The Kin Studio in Bob and Barb McLoughlin’s back garden, Kings Langley, BJ Cole’s house and at Pete’s home studio. Iain Sloan’s pedal steel recorded on my iphone in the Wee Bear Cafe, Lintrathen, Kirriemuir, Scotland. Mixed at Pete’s home studio.
• Comes with CD in gatefold cardboard sleeve.
Review
Alasdair Fotheringham, Posted on June 24, 2019. Score: 9/10
• Flicking through a back catalogue of reviews of Peter Bruntnell albums — and ‘King of Madrid’ is his tenth — a hefty proportion are seemingly dedicated to dreaming up new ways of insisting that the Devon~based singer~songwriter is British Americana’s best~kept secret, the sub~text of the argument presumably being that only the inexplicably fickle tastes of the record~buying public/international music industry/whichever gods secretly rule the universe of popular music have deprived Bruntnell of the star status he so richly deserves.
• To be honest, it’d be tempting to swim against this tide of opinion purely to be able to say something different. But actually, when listening to one of his albums for the first time, as was the case of this reviewer with ‘King of Madrid’, it quickly becomes blindingly obvious why the critics are so baffled he’s not more widely rated.
• From the opening ‘Broken Wing’, which soars so gracefully through a mesh of jangling, pop~flavoured guitars it risks stealing the show from the title track — and indeed the rest of the album — to the curtain closer, a troubling reflection on the parlous state of British Brexit~obsessed politics called ‘National Museum’, if previously there was near~unanimous agreement that Bruntnell’s usual standard was never less than excellent, he certainly hasn’t dropped the ball on ‘King of Madrid’.
• For one thing, Bruntnell’s lyrics are so striking they probably merit a whole review in themselves. ‘Broken Wing’s analysis of a young person trying to escape from a fundamentalist cult, for example, plunges you into the heart of a harrowing mixture of self~doubt and desperate hope, right from the very first line: “I’m going to change my name and start again.” Strengthening the connection between the religious lyrics and music is the inspired (pun fully intended) addition of a mournfully tolling lone church bell on the synth~led intro. Then the guitars blast in — exhilarating, bleak and hopeful in equal parts — and ‘Broken Wing’ lifts off for good, flying so beautifully it fully belies the song’s own title.
• Equally, ‘Memory Hood’ offers some unsettling insight into how getting overly nostalgic can prove self~destructive in the present:
“Back before the years slipped down, I pulled the roots from the ground, didn’t know they were holding the town, back from sailing away.”
• What gives ‘Memory Hood’ added power — and it’s maybe this ability to fuse lyrics and music so well that allows ‘King of Madrid’ to pack such a punch across the board — are its well~timed changes of pace, reflecting the lyrics’ wayward lurching between the past and the here and now.
• These are just two examples, but the truth is track after track goes past on ‘King of Madrid’ and there truly don’t seem to be any low points. It helps greatly that the understated nature of Bruntnell’s voice matches the wry, unpretentious content of the songs so well, even in a composition as romantic with a capital R like ‘King of Madrid’. It’s a gentle, jaunty country~drenched ballad with some touching personal images of the object of his affection:
• “Don’t want to breakfast alone, I’m just waiting til you get here, to walk up the steps, with your grown~out roots, lifting your hemline, over your worn~out boots.”
• On an album where there are more touches of Americana sounds than full~blown dollops, the title track is where the country resonances are strongest, and for some reason on this track, (and it’s not that we’re complaining) the voice sounds oddly similarly to Jakob Dylan at his hoarse, hauntingly mournful, best.
• Everything’s got limits though, and if you’re looking for a raunchy or sensual album ‘King of Madrid’ is probably not for you. Bruntnell is seemingly more interested in exploring the boundary between feelings and thoughts than going into emotional overdrive, and the result is maybe closer in spirit to the Beatles than the Stones — there are distinct echoes of ‘Daytripper’ on ‘Dinosaur’, for example — more strong cup of tea in an English garden at five pm than straight~up Bourbon in some boozy New Orleans watering hole at three in the morning. But that doesn’t make ‘King of Madrid’ any less appealing, because from whatever angle you look at it and however you want to put it, this album is in a class of its own.
• Raises an already excellent bar to even greater heights. • https://americana-uk.com/
Website: https://www.peterbruntnell.net/
______________________________________________