ALBUM OF THE WEEK – MARK PRITCHARD – UNDER THE SUN – WARP

In the best possible sense, Mark Pritchard is an elusive bugger. He tends to work best with other people, and because of that we have had many glimpses of his talent through the likes of Global Communication, Africa HiTech and Harmonic 33 to name just a few examples. And that’s before we even get to his pioneering work with Steve Spacek. ‘Under The Sun’ is clearly an important work for him though, as it is the first to bear his name – and it shows just what an inventive and original writer he is. It is designed to be a whole experience, just like an album should be, and if you stick with it for its just-over-the-hour duration, you’ll enjoy a record that dips and soars alternately, with some inspired collaborations. Thom Yorke is a perfect fit for ‘Beautiful People’, but works even better in the wake of Bibio’s layered vocal harmonies on ‘Give It Your Choir’. Other successful cameos are from Beans and Linda Perhacs, but Pritchard also includes some wonderful instrumental tracks, of which ‘Falling’ and ‘Sad Alron’ are highlights – until we reach ‘Ems’, an epic track that sounds like waves breaking on the shore. A record you can immerse yourself in, preferably again and again.

5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood