Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the last couple of sessions, but before we go into Christmas (and therefore eating-so-much-you-can’t-get-off-the-sofa mode) I thought I’d leave you with some music I’ve been very excited about recently. This is an excerpt of Expanded, a live show by a band called These New Puritans. This is what YouTube says about it:

EXPANDED (Live at the Barbican) is These New Puritans’ critically acclaimed 2013 album Field of Reeds played in its entirety, alongside old and new work re-worked. The performance features an expanded 35-piece band of brass, strings (Heritage Orchestra), percussion and electronics, alongside Portuguese singer Elisa Rodrigues and Synergy Vocals (Steve Reich, London Sinfonietta). Orchestral arrangements written by Jack Barnett, conducted by Edwin Outwater.

So yeah, band+orchestra – but not in a slushy strings, indie-band-trying-to-be-grownup sort of way. I think the way they use the orchestra is pretty fresh, and the visual drama of the concert is absolutely stunning! It may interest you to know that the singer, who is also the composer for the group, is completely self-taught. He taught himself not just notation, but how to construct some extremely complex and beautiful music.

Let me know what you think of them, and don’t forget to keep listening!

Sam