Blair Jollands: Holograms (bandcamp)

 |   |  1 min read

Blair Jollands: Holograms (bandcamp)

Ever since meeting expat-Kiwi Blair Jollands in London almost 20 years ago, Elsewhere has followed his career with considerable interest, whether he has been recording under his own name or The Thin Men, El Hula (the Violent Love album on Boy George's label), Lotus Mason or . . .

He was Emmy-nominated for his soundtrack to the tele-series Shackleton in the early 2000s and works in sound design for films.

He also has one of those effortlessly flexible voices which can go from dark country (When the Devil Arrives at My Door still a firm favourite) or dramatic early-Seventies Bowie (Atoms June 25 here on this new album under his own name).

Jollands punches this music home with horns and strident rhythms (Dream of You) but also pulls back into moody ballads (Oceans with delicious slide guitar) and Ghost of Light is a melancholy acoustic ballad, again delivered in that confident voice.

He also has a thing for influences from Mexico (the horns on Your Money or Your Life) and both Deep Water and the steamy Flame of Love sounds like they belong in a contemporary Western set in expansive Montana.

This album opens with the catchy adult soul-rock of Nothin' in the Pod and ends with the heroic, cinematic Bowie-esque title track.

Between those two points Jollands covers – as always – a lot of musical and geographical territory. But – again, as always – manages to sound just like himself despite those reference points noted.

.

You can hear and buy this and Blair Jollands' previous albums at his bandcamp page.

There is more about Blair Jollands, including an interview, at Elsewhere here.



Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Various: Motown Love (Motown/Universal)

Various: Motown Love (Motown/Universal)

This triple-disc set suffers from the same problem as the previously released and quite dreadful Motown 50 collection: an unacceptable and unnatural inclusion of Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 and Diana... > Read more

Procol Harum: The Best of, Then and Now (Salvo)

Procol Harum: The Best of, Then and Now (Salvo)

It is hard to believe -- and somewhat sad -- that the authorship of Whiter Shade of Pale, this group's defining moment (and which also captured the dreamy, surreal English Summer of Love in '67),... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Julia Vorontsova; Over (Privet)

Julia Vorontsova; Over (Privet)

In the manner of television game show hosts from the Sixties, Elsewhere is going to  . . .  "flip all the card" (to reveal the quiz question answer) and say . . . We've... > Read more

Orchestra of Spheres: Nonagonic Now (Sound Explorers)

Orchestra of Spheres: Nonagonic Now (Sound Explorers)

This rhythm-driven four-piece from Wellington is one part early Talking Heads (or the Feelies as a jazz ensemble), a slug of Sun Ra if he'd come from South East Asia and not Saturn, some seriously... > Read more