Wonderful words by the ever erudite Adam Turner. 

Luke Una’s latest compilation album is a late night special, a carefully compiled selection of songs for after hours reflection and quiet moments- not to mention a testament to his skills as a crate digger. The promise Luke makes with Everything Above The Sky is that these songs will accompany the listener on a journey, a voyage of ‘enlightenment through sound’, that they will provide a soundtrack to ‘alleviate the monotony of everyday life… the things that block us from the spirit of the universe.’ No small promise then – but when taken as a whole, Luke more than delivers.

Everything Above The Sky sets out its stall with a genuine late night wonder, John Martyn’s Small Hours. Martyn led a troubled and troubling existence but was capable of moments of absolute beauty and here he finds something transcendent, a song that crosses the borders between ambient, folk and dub. Recorded at 3AM by the edge of the lake at Real World Studios, he makes use of his surroundings and field recordings. Waves and a flock of geese are very present in the song, as John’s guitar and the peels of delay from his Echoplex pedal create an aural balm (1). At three and a half minutes John’s voice, a soft croon, drifts in. Selecting Small Hours as your opening song on a twenty track compilation is a brave move. The temptation is to either immediately play the song again or switch the stereo/ listening device off. Nothing’s going to top that tonight.

However, we let Side One play on, and let Luke pick his way through the late night introspection. The folk sound continues with Stephen Whynott’s A Better Way, another song from 1978 and another long one. Ten minutes of American 70s folk rock, this is a song best listened to beside an open fire. It’s followed by April Fulladosa’s Sunlit Horizon, which also keeps the folk flag flying.

Across the rest of the album there are more delights from the Una treasure trove. Other highlights for me include the jazz juice of Sylvain Kassap’s avant orchestral Plancoet, and Manu Dibango’s ace afro work out, Night In Zeralda. Another real gem is Graham Massey’s stripped down Conga Mix of 808 State’s Pacific, which has all the `89 rave elements taken out to leave just the birdsong, clarinet, some FX and, of course, congas. There’s more Mancunian riches in the shape of Homelife. Their Strangers is a marvel of pedal steel, sweet croon – care of Faron Brooks – and bass clarinet, from Graham Massey (him again)(2).

Mel & Tim’s Keep the Faith is supremely laid back soul. Camaron’s De La Isla Romance Del Amargo is hand-clapping, finger-snapping flamenco. There’s Michael Gregory Jackson’s Unspoken Magic – weightless, lilting, otherworldliness, summoned from a soaring voice and gently plucked acoustic guitar. There’s much, much more besides. The comp is a seemingly endless collection of songs that’ll keep you from turning the lights out and hitting the hay, until, eventually, you realise that the introspection gives way to something else. Something that comes from seeing dawn’s first rays – a new day. These are songs that’ll keep you company, make you smile, make you feel something warm.

Notes

1. Vini Reilly was surely among those who took something from John Martyn’s guitar playing. 

2. Paddy Steer, one of the founders of Homelife, is also an alumni of both Yargo  and Lionrock.

Luke Una’s Everything Above The Sky/ Astral Travelling is out now on Warm.

You can find more proper, on point, prose from Adam Turner over at his own brilliant blog, The Bagging Area. Adam is also part of the admin team at the mighty Flightpath Estate.