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Rating: In an almost soundtrack of themselves, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra navigates in a pastoral chamber sound.
The album contains five tracks, with one, the second, divided into six parts. Starting from the cover, a small masterpiece by Emily Young, the album has a strong evocative thrust.
Piano, electric guitar, violin, and cello compose the ensemble that maneuvers from one piece to another, sometimes with dramatic tension, sometimes with a lively flair.
The 'Penguin Cafe Single' takes us to the entrance of an old Victorian building surrounded by a typical English garden.
As long as we are outside, the atmosphere is lively, the sound cheerful but not overly so.
When we cross the threshold with 'Zopf', we find ourselves in a completely different environment, wrapped in the mystery of dark yet compelling notes.
With 'The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter', a song almost as long as its title, we finally understand that the anticipated melancholy is now gripping us in a poignant vice. The beauty of simple guitar notes processed by a slight Phaser leaves a sea of emotion before our eyes, while the radiant sun of a summer day contrasts with our mood.
Finally, 'Hugebaby' and 'Chartered Flight' accompany us to the exit, along the tree-lined avenue, filled with thoughts that are now distant but vivid in the subdued sounds.
A little ancient gem, which I would put, more than among the records, in a contemporary art catalog.
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