Ed Harcourt
Seven years, five albums and countless great songs on from Ed Harcourt's eye-opening debut is a fitting time to take stock of one of the most startlingly original, diverse and consistently inventive bodies of work in the annals of British singer-songwriting.
‘Until Tomorrow Then’ (released on 8th October) compiles tracks from all five of his studio albums, from the scratchy, piano-and-empty-bottle etude of ‘Apple Of My Eye’ taken from 2000's debut mini-album ‘Maplewood’ to the insanely catchy baroque-pop of ‘Visit From The Dead Dog’ from his most recently acclaimed release, 2006's ‘The Beautiful Lie’.
Along the way the collection takes in the witty playfulness of ‘Shanghai’ (from 2001's Mercury Prize shortlisted ‘Here Be Monsters’), the aching lyricism of ‘Fireflies Take Flight’ (from 2003's ‘From Every Sphere’) and the euphoric surge of ‘Born In The '70s’ (from 2004's ‘Strangers’), plus nine other Harcourt classics.
In addition, there are two previously unreleased tracks, including the newly-minted ‘You Put A Spell On Me’, a sumptuous minor-key masterpiece already destined to go down as one of his finest compositions.
One of our most prolific as well as gifted songwriters, as Ed himself notes it was no easy task selecting 16 tracks from the 100 or so songs he's recorded and released to date - particularly as even that number represents only a fraction of those he's written.
Over the past seven years Ed Harcourt has built up a devoted following of connoisseurs while as far as the mainstream is concerned remaining one of the best-kept secrets in contemporary music.
Yet once you've heard him, he's one of those artists whose songs you instantly feel you've known all your life. It's an enviable gift reserved only for the very best - and as this collection proves, Ed Harcourt stands tall and true among them.
‘Until Tomorrow Then’ (released on 8th October) compiles tracks from all five of his studio albums, from the scratchy, piano-and-empty-bottle etude of ‘Apple Of My Eye’ taken from 2000's debut mini-album ‘Maplewood’ to the insanely catchy baroque-pop of ‘Visit From The Dead Dog’ from his most recently acclaimed release, 2006's ‘The Beautiful Lie’.
Along the way the collection takes in the witty playfulness of ‘Shanghai’ (from 2001's Mercury Prize shortlisted ‘Here Be Monsters’), the aching lyricism of ‘Fireflies Take Flight’ (from 2003's ‘From Every Sphere’) and the euphoric surge of ‘Born In The '70s’ (from 2004's ‘Strangers’), plus nine other Harcourt classics.
In addition, there are two previously unreleased tracks, including the newly-minted ‘You Put A Spell On Me’, a sumptuous minor-key masterpiece already destined to go down as one of his finest compositions.
One of our most prolific as well as gifted songwriters, as Ed himself notes it was no easy task selecting 16 tracks from the 100 or so songs he's recorded and released to date - particularly as even that number represents only a fraction of those he's written.
Over the past seven years Ed Harcourt has built up a devoted following of connoisseurs while as far as the mainstream is concerned remaining one of the best-kept secrets in contemporary music.
Yet once you've heard him, he's one of those artists whose songs you instantly feel you've known all your life. It's an enviable gift reserved only for the very best - and as this collection proves, Ed Harcourt stands tall and true among them.
Links
Images
