Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2021 April 19 • Monday

A new vinyl release from one of our favorite labels, Trunk Records, is the 670th Soundtrack of the Week: Roger Webb's music for Bartleby.

The names of the cues are "Bartleby 1", "Bartleby 2", "Bartleby 3" and so on. Side A has one through six the on the B side you'll find seven through eleven.

There are basically two different moods and atmospheres. The first one you hear is a delicate, pastoral one, with harmonica, harp, strings and occasional statements from upright bass.

It then slides smoothly into the other zone of the score, an irresistibly groovy funky backbeat sort of thing with flute handling melody on top of a fantastically solid rhythm section.

There's a lot of interesting cutting back and forth between these two ideas, often using long tones from the strings (with vibes, too, I think) as a transition device.

There's also a bit which is kind of a lounge jazz take on Satie. The whole thing is a very pleasant listening experience.

I think that Jonny Trunk said that this music had been much sampled for its sick beats. I believe it!