After debut album The Return of the Durutti Column was released, Vini Reilly decided to record its follow-up himself on a four-track cassette deck at home. Teaming up with drummer and fellow Manchester native Bruce Mitchell, the second Durutti Column album LC (named after Lotta Continua, a far-left radical Italian group) was another inspired musical collaboration. Though self-produced, the album retained traces of Reilly’s earlier work with Martin Hannett. This second set of evocative electric guitar compositions features a melding of Reilly’s urbane, contemplative style with Mitchell’s crisp, deliberate drumming. LC opens with “Sketch for Dawn (1)”, incorporating Reilly’s unadorned spoken / sung vocals. The duo syncs up perfectly on album highlights such as the up-tempo “Jacqueline,” the intimate “Messidor,” and “The Missing Boy,” a tribute to Reilly’s friend Ian Curtis of Joy Division. As equally powerful and in some ways better than the Durutti Column’s debut, LC expands on the emotional promise of that album by continuing to transcend genre while offering a more song-oriented and accessible take on an increasingly unique approach to composition. It’s an understated and inspiring masterpiece from the pre-shoegaze guitar maestro.
CD $13.00
02/19/2013
The Durutti Column was formed in 1978 at the behest of Factory Records owner Tony Wilson; through a quick series of personnel departures, the group soon became the sole province of guitarist Vini Reilly. The Durutti Column would be a vehicle for Reilly’s compositions and vision throughout the 1980s, and The Return of the Durutti Column marked the beginning of a history of crucial collaborations. While still a live fixture at Factory’s Hacienda club, Reilly entered the studio with legendary producer Martin Hannett to work on a spontaneous, organic recording that would become the Durutti Column’s classic debut LP. The album was comprised of gentle guitar instrumentals incorporating jazz, folk and classical touches, and sounded unlike anything produced by other post-punk bands of the time. Hannett provided the album’s primitive synth background and the guitar sound for which Reilly was searching, and gave the compositions a warm, mysterious sheen. The free-flowing yet melodic album contains standouts such as the interwoven “Conduct,” the rhythmic “Requiem for a Father” and the haunting “Sketch for Winter.” The Return of the Durutti Column has proved as influential as anything released on Factory in the early ’80s. Its sonic innovations have been echoed through experimental electronic to chillwave, and Reilly’s inventive guitar playing (a mixture of Bert Jansch, Fred Frith and Bill Frisell) continues to influence the solo guitar scene. Though its music defies categorization, The Return of the Durutti Column has a lasting allure. Reilly explains the reason himself: “In the end, I don’t...
CD $13.00
02/19/2013