Rarely does an album fascinate me like the upcoming self-titled release from John Howard & the Night Mail. The story, in brief, goes something like this:
John Howard put out a sparkling piano/vocals record a in 1975 called Kid in a Big World, which was unfairly ignored. Though he released more albums in the 70s, they, too, never caught on. Howard then spent the majority of his career on the A&R side. Fast forward 40 years. Writer and musician Robert Rotifer put together a band and coaxed Howard from relative obscurity to collaborate on the current project. The result is a brilliant blend of 70s AM Gold, Kinks-esque pop, and Rufus Wainwright flourish that sounds unlike the majority of music today.
Take a listen to Intact and Smiling below:
While songs like Intact and Smiling and Control Freak feature more traditional pop structure, tracks such as London’s After-Work Drinking Culture, Deborah Fletcher, and Thunder in Vienna showcase the composers’ more unique arrangements and deft wordplay. Every listen unveils something new.
Grab a copy of John Howard & the Night Mail when it’s released later this summer. Easily one of my favorite records of the year.