Since he’s parted company with Warp following
the ambitious Out Of
Nowhere album, Finland’s enfant terrible
of alternative pop has progressively refined his experimental
edge and refocused his work slightly, giving more importance
to orchestral formations.
Having lived in Berlin, New York and London, Tenor has
spent the last few years in Barcelona with his wife,
singer Nicole Willis, and kids, and there are some definite
Latin influences on this album (Moon Goddess,
Beyond The Stars), but Beyond The Stars
also reaffirms Tenor’s affinity for jazz and seventies
soundtracks, while he still dares to venture into more
experimental territories, as on the cacophonic Asteroid
Belt. Although Beyond The Stars appears
more laidback than its predecessor, with most songs
languorously set to mid-tempo, Tenor distils regular
funk injections on his audience. Once again, the Finn
brings on board a horde of collaborators, including
poet Allonymous on the opening Barcelona Sunrise,
Aventur Choir on a handful of tracks including the superb
Sirens Of Salo, and Rhythm Taxi, an Afrobeat
formation from Berlin which counts amongst its luminaries
Nicholas Addo Nettey, who has in the past played with
Fela Kuti. Featured on the exhilarating Moon Goddess
and on the funky Gimme Little Bit, the formation’s
tribal groove finds its natural place in Tenor’s
chaotic world.
There are also some surprising influences, especially
on Gamelavad, on which Tenor explores Buddhist
atmospheres, apparently inspired by a Buddhist community
established next to his Barcelona apartment. Yet, it
is on his usual territory that Tenor is most at ease
here, presenting some superb melodies and reaffirming
his song-writing on tracks such as Barcelona Sunrise,
Beyond The Stars or Miracles, while
highlighting the orchestral influences on his work,
at times stylish, at others kitsch, with some magnificent
arrangements, giving these songs the shine of fifties
big-band standards.
There is nothing quite like a Jimi Tenor album, and
Beyond The Stars is unlikely to disappoint
the Finn’s fans. The Tenor sound on record has
largely evolved from studio-based wizardry to live ambience
since the complex Out
Of Nowhere, and it has given each of his albums
since a very natural and organic feel. Beyond The
Stars simply builds on this. If not Tenor’s
most accomplished record, Beyond The Stars
remains as delightful as one has learnt to expect from
the man.
4.3/5 |
