Further Out Than the Edge is the debut studio album by South London jazz band Speakers Corner Quartet, released on June 2, 2023, by OTIH Records.[5][3][6] The album features guest appearances from Coby Sey, Kelsey Lu, Tirzah, Confucius MC, Joe Armon-Jones, Léa Sen, Kae Tempest, Sampha, Leilah, James Massiah, Tawiah, Lafawndah, Trustfall, Shabaka Hutchings, and Mica Levi.
Further Out Than the Edge | |
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Studio album by Speakers Corner Quartet | |
Released | June 2, 2023 |
Recorded | 2016–2023[1] |
Genre | |
Length | 49:18 |
Label | OTIH |
Producer | Speakers Cornet Quartet |
Singles from Further Out Than the Edge | |
|
Background
editSpeakers Corner Quartet was formed in 2006. The group derived their name from the open mic spoken word and hip-hop jam night at the Brixton Jamm nightclub where they performed as the house band.[3][7][8][1] Since forming, the group has worked with artists including Sampha, Kae Tempest, Tirzah, Dean Blunt, MF DOOM, Lianne La Havas, Mica Levi, Chris Ofili and Herbie Hancock.[7][4][9] The group consists of Alan Ross "Biscuit" Harris on flute, Giles Kwakeulati "Kwake Bass" King-Ashong on drums & percussion, Peter Bennie on bass, and Raven Bush on violin.[7][10][11]
The album began production in 2016 when Biscuit started editing recordings of the band's jam sessions, splicing, chopping, looping, and self-sampling the band's instrumentals.[7][1][12] Over the next seven years, the group worked with various London musicians that they had previously collaborated with to bring vocal performances and additional instrumentation to the album.[7][1] All vocals on the album are from guest features.[10]
Release
editOn February 15, 2023, Speakers Corner Quartet released the album's first single "Can We Do This?" featuring English singer Sampha.[13][14][15] On March 22, 2023, the album's second single "Fix" featuring English singer Tirzah was released.[16][17] The album's third single, "On Grounds" featuring English singer Coby Sey, was released on April 12, 2023.[3][18] On May 3, 2023, the album's fourth single "Geronimo Blues" featuring English poet Kae Tempest was released.[19][20][21] The album's fifth single, "Soapbox Soliloquy" featuring British singer Leilah, was released on May 24, 2023.[22][23] A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 10, 2023.[24]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 68/100[25] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash Magazine | 8/10[4] |
Loud and Quiet | 9/10[9] |
The Observer | [8] |
Pitchfork | 7.1/10[1] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Further Out Than The Edge received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[25]
Ammar Kalia of The Observer praised the album's instrumentation as "remarkably cohesive" with "dark, downbeat textures" that support the album's features.[8] Writing for Resident Advisor, Fred Garratt-Stanley praised the album's instrumentation as a mix of "sparse, hip-hop-speckled rhythm sections with expressive jazz melodies and flashes of abstract orchestral instrumentation."[10] He also praised the writing from the album's guest appearances for its "politically conscious storytelling, exposing social dilemmas and inequalities with clarity and grit."[10] Clash Magazine's Ana Lamond praised the album's instrumentation, writing: "Melding together the freeing elements of jazz with subtle electronics and poetry, the group’s succinct instrumentation ties everything together into one, cohesive body of work."[4] Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork describes the album as "elegant, reflective, and immaculately constructed" and "reflects the group’s open-mic origins."[1] Writing for Loud and Quiet, Dhruva Balram praised the album's production as "making each of the individual guests’ talents shine even brighter."[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Alan Ross Harris, Giles Kwakeulati King-Ashong, Peter Bennie, and Raven Bush.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "On Grounds" (with Coby Sey) | 3:10 |
2. | "Acute Truth" (with Kelsey Lu) | 3:41 |
3. | "fix" (with Tirzah) | 2:39 |
4. | "Wavelet" (with Confucius MC and Joe Armon-Jones) | 3:25 |
5. | "Dreaded!" (with Léa Sen) | 4:03 |
6. | "Geronimo Blues" (with Kae Tempest) | 4:26 |
7. | "Can We Do This?" (with Sampha) | 2:57 |
8. | "Soapbox Soliloquy" (with LEILAH) | 3:58 |
9. | "Hither Green" (with James Massiah) | 2:42 |
10. | "Round Again" (with Tawiah) | 4:45 |
11. | "Behind The Sun" (with Lafawndah and Trustfall) | 6:40 |
12. | "Shabz Needs Sun" (with Shabaka Hutchings) | 1:45 |
13. | "Karainagar" (with Mica Levi) | 5:21 |
Total length: | 49:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Can We Do This? - Original Demo" (with Sampha) | 1:31 |
2. | "Take Your Dreams Off Of The Shelf" (with Laraaji) | 4:21 |
3. | "Scorpion Yard" (with Mica Levi) | 6:14 |
4. | "Wavelet - Live at The Portico" (with Confucius MC and Joe Armon-Jones) | 3:53 |
5. | "fix - Live at The Portico" (with Tirzah) | 2:50 |
6. | "Geronimo Blues - Live at The Portico" (with Kae Tempest) | 5:20 |
7. | "On Grounds - Live at The Portico" (with Coby Sey) | 4:44 |
8. | "Can We Do This? - Instrumental" | 2:58 |
9. | "On Grounds - Instrumental" | 3:14 |
10. | "Soapbox Soliloquy - Instrumental" | 3:40 |
Total length: | 88:03 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Sherburne, Philip. "Speakers Corner Quartet: Further Out Than the Edge". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Speakers Corner Quartet Detail Debut LP, 'Further Out Than The Edge'". The Quietus. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e Lawson, Michael (13 April 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet announce debut album featuring Tirzah, Sampha, Mica Levi". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ a b c d Lamond, Ana (2023-06-01). "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge Reviews". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "New Music Friday: Stream projects from Foo Fighters, Protomartyr, Metro Boomin, and more". The FADER. June 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz; Bloom, Madison (2023-06-02). "9 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e Kalia, Ammar (2023-09-20). "Speakers Corner Quartet Step Into the Spotlight". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ a b c Kalia, Ammar (2023-06-04). "Speakers Corner Quartet: Further Out Than the Edge review – flawless hymn to fusion". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ a b c Balram, Dhruva. "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ a b c d Garratt-Stanley, Fred (20 Jun 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Hannigan, Christine (November 8, 2021). "Speakers Corner Quartet Blesses the Barbican With a Powerful Night of Jazz and Poetry". Jazzwise. ISSN 1368-0021. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "Speakers Corner Quartet Talk New Album & Headline Show". Wonderland. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Murray, Robin (2023-02-15). "Speakers Corner Quartet Link With Sampha On Profound New Single 'Can We Do This?' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Okazawa, Ben (February 15, 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet Get Sampha on New Single "Can We Do This?"". Exclaim!.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (16 February 2023). "Sampha joins Speakers Corner Quartet on new cut "Can We Do This?"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Rettig, James (2023-03-22). "Tirzah Teams Up With Speakers Corner Quartet On "Fix": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (2023-03-22). "Tirzah Joins Speakers Corner Quartet on New Single 'fix'". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (12 April 2023). "Tirzah, Kae Tempest and Kelsey Lu feature on Speakers Corner Quartet debut album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (3 May 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet release Kae Tempest collaboration "Geronimo Blues"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Murray, Robin (2023-05-03). "Speakers Corner Quartet Align With Kae Tempest On 'Geronimo Blues' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Rettig, James (2023-05-03). "Speakers Corner Quartet Release New Kae Tempest Collab "Geronimo Blues": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Deville, Chris (2023-05-24). "Speakers Corner Quartet & LEILAH Share "Soapbox Soliloquy": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Lynch, Joe; Lipshutz, Jason; Havens, Lyndsey (2023-05-30). "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Lauren Spencer Smith, Claud, Brothers Osborne & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Lavorgna, Michael (2023-11-10). "#NewMusicFriday: November 10, 2023". Twittering Machines. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ a b "Further Out Than the Edge by Speakers Corner Quartet". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2023.