Tag Archives: Jeremy Tuplin

Jeremy Tuplin : Space Magic, single released May 2020

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A new single from highly creative troubadour Jeremy Tuplin, a precursor to new album ‘Violet Waves’, due later this year.
In 2019 he released ‘Pink Mirror’, an LP absolutely crammed with musical and lyrical ideas. It embraced love, mythology, social comment along with detailed musings on the grand and mundane (see review below). With his understated vocal delivery and either a simple and elegant guitar accompaniment for ‘The Beast’ or the progressive band excursions of ‘Pandora’s Box’ the sounds always complemented the direction of the words.

‘Space Magic’ is a track featuring his band The Ultimate Power Assembly, contributing a mellow lounge-jazz bossa nova groove perfect for heady summer days. The guitar dances around the main chord sequence, ringing out and playing around with the main tune. The words are a spaced-out road trip of surreal and imaginative astronomical references, ‘…the Saturn moon Enceladus – supposedly nice this time of year….’ or ‘…let’s dance, Cassiopeia’s second chance….’, inviting us to join him for the ride and ‘….take a chance…at the black hole dance…’ which may feature ‘…Capital Gold Motown Classics…’.

This journey culminates in what sounds like the heaven of ‘….intergalactic truth love-manic wreaking havoc in the most beautiful manner….’.
An electric guitar solo flows seamlessly into the mix and then fades out as this evocative song floats off into the ether.

http://www.jeremytuplin.com/
http://www.trappedanimal.com
https://cambridgemusicreviews.net/2019/04/14/jeremy-tuplin-pink-mirror-lp-released-5-april-2019/

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Sunday Driver, Blue Moon, Cambridge, 21 September 2019

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A relaxed and atmospheric event at the Blue Moon, showcasing artists on the Trapped Animal record label…

Jeremy Tuplin opened the show, with his quiet tales of fleeting thoughts and emotions, mythologies and reflections. Having recently been touring with a full band tonight he was accompanied only by a warmly resonating hollow-body electric guitar, emphasising the wordplay and intimacy of the lyrics. An older song juxtaposed Einstein and Bowie but most of the set was drawn from his acclaimed 2019 album ‘Pink Mirror’, including the addictive rhymes of current single ‘Gaia’ and the melodic eloquence of ‘The Beast’.

Former frontman of neo-folk-classical outfit ‘Wooden Arms’ Alexander Carson sat at the piano for a short set of his own compositions. Introspective and unhurried, the haunting and very personal vocals are gently punctuated by impressionistic keyboard flourishes with overlaying textures and tempo changes. The one-word titles of the tracks on current long-player ‘Ellipsism’ are as enigmatic and evocative as the songs themselves.

Kerry Devine is the lead singer and guitarist of Trapped Animal’s premier punksters ‘The Baby Seals’; in her solo guise she performs ethereal folk pieces, weaving her own sensual vocals through guitar patterns that build and linger. She connects with the audience during straightforward explanations of the tracks and her clear commitment to her music. Alex was back at the piano to join Kerry for an effective cover of Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’, always a good song to hear.

The audience were seated around candlelit tables for the performances and that retro cabaret club setting was perfect for the tone of the show, especially the acoustic steampunk fusion of headliners Sunday Driver. The band opened with an extended instrumental featuring harp and sitar, driven by the electric bass and drums. Then singer Chandrika Nath joined the ensemble for signature song ‘Mechanical Angel’, with gorgeous harp accompaniment. With constant sonic explorations and surprises the songs move from pensive ballads to darker worlds populated by ‘Rats’, ‘Black Spider’ (featuring the rich tones of bass clarinet) and the sinister ‘The General’.

It was a great evening, four quality performances in an excellent setting!

http://www.trappedanimal.com/
http://www.sundaydriver.co.uk/
https://www.kerrydevine.org/
https://www.alexandercarsonmusic.co.uk/
http://www.jeremytuplin.com/

Jeremy Tuplin : Pink Mirror, LP released 5 April 2019

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A track by track review of the excellent new album from Jeremy Tuplin, the follow-up to his debut ‘I Dreamt I Was An Astronaut’ from 2017. With his distinctive voice and gift for words he has produced a heady concoction of attractive music and rewarding and complex lyrics.

1. Can We Be Strangers On this scene-setting opening track a gentle guitar welcomes you into his inverted lyrical world, ‘….secret, don’t tell me your secret, the purpose of a secret is that it is meant to remain a secret…’. Gradually the semi-orchestral sounds threaten to overwhelm the words.

2. Bad Lover Brilliant poppy up-tempo groove, driven by an addictive guitar figure, this was the preview single for this collection. Definitely a highlight, watch the video too with the band artfully succumbing to boredom during the mimed performance.

3. Just Cos Ur Handsome Another jaunty song, full of regret and wordplay, ‘…Too easily confused is the state…Of two hearts that are bound forever….In leather clad daydreams what do you even mean…’. The rhymes and assonance go across and through the lyric lines, as the guitar sparkles over the sympathetic rhythm track.

4. Gaia A paean of praise to planet Earth despite human shortcomings; featuring a series of great rhymes with the goddess’s name ‘…Gaia, D’you ever wish that cosmic rock had just slipped by ya….Guess it’s a risk of being the world’s most frequent flyer…’
The goddess herself makes a vocal appearance part way through. Divine!

5. Pandora’s Box An epic personalisation of the Ancient Greek myth, mixed in with nightmarish imagery and relationship paranoia. The central musical freeform section is unlike anything else on this collection before order and hope is restored. (although of course ‘…they say it’s the hope that kills you…’)

6. Pink Mirror Thoughtful but inscrutable lyrics on this one as the melody and instrumentation carry it along optimistically.

7. The Machine A bluesy, late night reflection powered by a compulsive bass beat and razor sharp drums. Personal social commentary ‘…Then I think of everything I do, think, feel or see…It barely contributes to the economy…’ as the narrator becomes lost in modern stresses.

8. Love’s Penitentiary This twisted love song opens with the winning couplet ‘….There goes my baby out the door again…She’s carrying my heart in a handbag made of my own skin…’ pulling you in to a lo-fi masterpiece, one of my favourites on the album.

9. Frankenstein Dark and moody, this slow burner features a ringing, roaming guitar and haunting words ‘…You’re like the internet personified but kept under wraps….Concealing the monsters you create ….’

10. Break Up Neat and sparse musically with honest and touching words. ‘…This is it we’ve reached the final threshold….Robotic people with smart telephones….’. The imagery of modern relationships is convincingly tinged with disappointment.

11. Humans This brilliant cinematic song is the centrepiece of the album for me; a winner as it is a ‘list song’ featuring a random cast of people to support the key theme ‘….Humans, I love you….Despite my seemingly best intentions not to….’ The leisurely six minutes is bookended by gentle acoustic guitar and the names range in prominence from ‘…Buddha, Blondie, Dostoevsky…’ to footballer Peter Crouch and the surprising pairing of ‘…George Bush, Kate Bush…’. Impressive indeed.

12. The Beast A quiet end to the LP; an ode to escape and realisation ‘…I’ve been lying to myself, living through a telephone…For once I’m gonna listen to my mother and wear that warm coat she bought me…..’ With just guitar arpeggios it is one of the loveliest melodies on the album reminiscent of a hidden gem on an Edwyn Collins solo disc.

http://www.jeremytuplin.com/
http://www.trappedanimal.com/