St Gregory Orange - Things We Said In Bedrooms

The background story to this album is most intriguing. Apparently this is the work of one man putting down his thoughts over about a year into a cheap Dictaphone type mic. He then added them to music for imaginary scenes in a film that didn’t exist and put them together as a narrative and vaguely cohesive document. This isn’t a linear narrative like The Streets but makes sense in the way that life doesn’t always follow a logical path. In between he gave up his job to do this.

As a record this is strange but worth persevering with. There are no obvious attempts at a single and no daytime radio concessions either. However, this is atmospheric and at times extremely poignant, and lyrically has a stream of conscious flow which probably couldn’t be found within the usual constraints of label pleasing and “product”.

Elements of Massive Attack, the Beta Band, and Phillip Glass are brought to mind in the shuffling scratchy electronic backdrop painted by St Gregory Orange but with a different lyrical slant. “House is full of tape machines but all they play is Leonard Cohen / I just called to get my records back” are not your usual album opening lyrics, and in the murky crackles and hiss it almost sounds like the work of a somnambulist.

Moving from lo-fi track to lo-fi track is rather like being trapped inside this mans head as he shuffles around a darkened house peering through curtains and making mental notes and commentaries to himself (only occasionally stopping to prod a vintage synth!). We really hope this record gets the cult following it deserves as it is a fantastically brave move (in all senses) and we could do with more individualists like St Gregory Orange.

Sermon over!