HATFIELD AND THE NORTH

The joy of this music is how is mixes together the different approaches of its band members, adding up to more than the sum of its individual parts. Richard Sinclair's distinct singing and songwriting - poignant, whimsical and reflective (similar to Robert Wyatt's style) - meets Dave Stewart's hard-calculating virtuosity, which meets Phil Miller's penchant for the new (preferring to "play a wrong note than one he has played before", according to Robert Wyatt), and Pip Pyle's excellent complex drumming. Indeed, all of them have a whimsical, humourous side (Stewart in particular, with his song titles like "Lobster In Cleavage Probe", but also Pyle). The music is highly diverse and original, and both fun and challenging. And it often segues together effortlessly, taking the listener on a musical journey that is very satisfying. Very compelling. This is an album that has continued to grow on me over the years - I have never got tired of it. As a bonus, it contains the song "Calyx", which has Robert Wyatt guesting as the singer, and this has got to be one of the most archetypical Canterbury tunes. The inclusion of Calyx lifts this one slightly above their subsequent album "Rotters Club", but both are highly recommended. I give this album 9.1 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to 5 PA stars.

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