Matthew Herbert Big Band, The - Goodbye Swingtime

Matthew Herbert takes his one-of-a-kind sensibility back to the Roaring ‘20s, when big band swing music was all the rage. Goodbye Swingtime combines swing jazz and abstract electronics to startling and surprising effect. The vocals (like on “Fiction”) only enhance this feel of both retro and nouveau. There’s moodiness present (“The Three W’s”) as well as wistful (“The Many and the Few”). The surreal stop-start aspect of the music is enhanced by the fact that actual musicians are playing the music, rather than using samples. It’s an album that defies expectation and raises Herbert’s work to a completely different level. In a word: outstanding.

Manages to remain faithful to the big band blueprint, whilst retaining a total "herbert" vibe and being radically albeit subtlely experimental. Matthew Herbert is a rare talent, able to apply himself to different mediums and retains integrity and more importantly, originality in everything that he does.

It's really amazing to hear jamie lidell singing on tracks like evrything's changed but please do listen to it at home. i've recently play this tune at the party and no one knew what was going on. the record is worth every penny spent on thanks to surpising musical content and delightful package