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Further Out Than the Edge

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Further Out Than the Edge is the debut studio album by South London jazz band Speakers Corner Quartet, released on June 2, 2023, by OTIH Records.[5][3][6] The album features guest appearances from Coby Sey, Kelsey Lu, Tirzah, Confucius MC, Joe Armon-Jones, Léa Sen, Kae Tempest, Sampha, Leilah, James Massiah, Tawiah, Lafawndah, Trustfall, Shabaka Hutchings, and Mica Levi.

Further Out Than the Edge
Studio album by
Speakers Corner Quartet
ReleasedJune 2, 2023 (2023-06-02)
Recorded2016–2023[1]
Genre
Length49:18
LabelOTIH
ProducerSpeakers Cornet Quartet
Singles from Further Out Than the Edge
  1. "Can We Do This?"
    Released: February 15, 2023
  2. "Fix"
    Released: March 22, 2023
  3. "On Grounds"
    Released: April 12, 2023
  4. "Geronimo Blues"
    Released: May 3, 2023
  5. "Soapbox Soliloquy"
    Released: May 24, 2023

Background edit

Speakers Corner Quartet was formed in 2006. The group derived their name from the open mic spoken word and hip-hop jam night at the Brixton Jamm nightclub where they performed as the house band.[3][7][8][1] Since forming, the group has worked with artists including Sampha, Kae Tempest, Tirzah, Dean Blunt, MF DOOM, Lianne La Havas, Mica Levi, Chris Ofili and Herbie Hancock.[7][4][9] The group consists of Alan Ross "Biscuit" Harris on flute, Giles Kwakeulati "Kwake Bass" King-Ashong on drums & percussion, Peter Bennie on bass, and Raven Bush on violin.[7][10][11]

The album began production in 2016 when Biscuit started editing recordings of the band's jam sessions, splicing, chopping, looping, and self-sampling the band's instrumentals.[7][1][12] Over the next seven years, the group worked with various London musicians that they had previously collaborated with to bring vocal performances and additional instrumentation to the album.[7][1] All vocals on the album are from guest features.[10]

Release edit

On February 15, 2023, Speakers Corner Quartet released the album's first single "Can We Do This?" featuring English singer Sampha.[13][14][15] On March 22, 2023, the album's second single "Fix" featuring English singer Tirzah was released.[16][17] The album's third single, "On Grounds" featuring English singer Coby Sey, was released on April 12, 2023.[3][18] On May 3, 2023, the album's fourth single "Geronimo Blues" featuring English poet Kae Tempest was released.[19][20][21] The album's fifth single, "Soapbox Soliloquy" featuring British singer Leilah, was released on May 24, 2023.[22][23] A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 10, 2023.[24]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash Magazine8/10[4]
Loud and Quiet9/10[9]
The Observer     [8]
Pitchfork7.1/10[1]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Further Out Than The Edge received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[25]

Ammar Kalia of The Observer praised the album's instrumentation as "remarkably cohesive" with "dark, downbeat textures" that support the album's features.[8] Writing for Resident Advisor, Fred Garratt-Stanley praised the album's instrumentation as a mix of "sparse, hip-hop-speckled rhythm sections with expressive jazz melodies and flashes of abstract orchestral instrumentation."[10] He also praised the writing from the album's guest appearances for its "politically conscious storytelling, exposing social dilemmas and inequalities with clarity and grit."[10] Clash Magazine's Ana Lamond praised the album's instrumentation, writing: "Melding together the freeing elements of jazz with subtle electronics and poetry, the group’s succinct instrumentation ties everything together into one, cohesive body of work."[4] Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork describes the album as "elegant, reflective, and immaculately constructed" and "reflects the group’s open-mic origins."[1] Writing for Loud and Quiet, Dhruva Balram praised the album's production as "making each of the individual guests’ talents shine even brighter."[9]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Alan Ross Harris, Giles Kwakeulati King-Ashong, Peter Bennie, and Raven Bush.

Further Out Than the Edge track listing
No.TitleLength
1."On Grounds" (with Coby Sey)3:10
2."Acute Truth" (with Kelsey Lu)3:41
3."fix" (with Tirzah)2:39
4."Wavelet" (with Confucius MC and Joe Armon-Jones)3:25
5."Dreaded!" (with Léa Sen)4:03
6."Geronimo Blues" (with Kae Tempest)4:26
7."Can We Do This?" (with Sampha)2:57
8."Soapbox Soliloquy" (with LEILAH)3:58
9."Hither Green" (with James Massiah)2:42
10."Round Again" (with Tawiah)4:45
11."Behind The Sun" (with Lafawndah and Trustfall)6:40
12."Shabz Needs Sun" (with Shabaka Hutchings)1:45
13."Karainagar" (with Mica Levi)5:21
Total length:49:18
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleLength
1."Can We Do This? - Original Demo" (with Sampha)1:31
2."Take Your Dreams Off Of The Shelf" (with Laraaji)4:21
3."Scorpion Yard" (with Mica Levi)6:14
4."Wavelet - Live at The Portico" (with Confucius MC and Joe Armon-Jones)3:53
5."fix - Live at The Portico" (with Tirzah)2:50
6."Geronimo Blues - Live at The Portico" (with Kae Tempest)5:20
7."On Grounds - Live at The Portico" (with Coby Sey)4:44
8."Can We Do This? - Instrumental"2:58
9."On Grounds - Instrumental"3:14
10."Soapbox Soliloquy - Instrumental"3:40
Total length:88:03

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Sherburne, Philip. "Speakers Corner Quartet: Further Out Than the Edge". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  2. ^ "Speakers Corner Quartet Detail Debut LP, 'Further Out Than The Edge'". The Quietus. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lawson, Michael (13 April 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet announce debut album featuring Tirzah, Sampha, Mica Levi". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  4. ^ a b c d Lamond, Ana (2023-06-01). "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge Reviews". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  5. ^ "New Music Friday: Stream projects from Foo Fighters, Protomartyr, Metro Boomin, and more". The FADER. June 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  6. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Bloom, Madison (2023-06-02). "9 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  7. ^ a b c d e Kalia, Ammar (2023-09-20). "Speakers Corner Quartet Step Into the Spotlight". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  8. ^ a b c Kalia, Ammar (2023-06-04). "Speakers Corner Quartet: Further Out Than the Edge review – flawless hymn to fusion". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  9. ^ a b c Balram, Dhruva. "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  10. ^ a b c d Garratt-Stanley, Fred (20 Jun 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  11. ^ Hannigan, Christine (November 8, 2021). "Speakers Corner Quartet Blesses the Barbican With a Powerful Night of Jazz and Poetry". Jazzwise. ISSN 1368-0021. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  12. ^ "Speakers Corner Quartet Talk New Album & Headline Show". Wonderland. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (2023-02-15). "Speakers Corner Quartet Link With Sampha On Profound New Single 'Can We Do This?' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  14. ^ Okazawa, Ben (February 15, 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet Get Sampha on New Single "Can We Do This?"". Exclaim!.
  15. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (16 February 2023). "Sampha joins Speakers Corner Quartet on new cut "Can We Do This?"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  16. ^ Rettig, James (2023-03-22). "Tirzah Teams Up With Speakers Corner Quartet On "Fix": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  17. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (2023-03-22). "Tirzah Joins Speakers Corner Quartet on New Single 'fix'". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  18. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (12 April 2023). "Tirzah, Kae Tempest and Kelsey Lu feature on Speakers Corner Quartet debut album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  19. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (3 May 2023). "Speakers Corner Quartet release Kae Tempest collaboration "Geronimo Blues"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  20. ^ Murray, Robin (2023-05-03). "Speakers Corner Quartet Align With Kae Tempest On 'Geronimo Blues' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  21. ^ Rettig, James (2023-05-03). "Speakers Corner Quartet Release New Kae Tempest Collab "Geronimo Blues": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  22. ^ Deville, Chris (2023-05-24). "Speakers Corner Quartet & LEILAH Share "Soapbox Soliloquy": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  23. ^ Lynch, Joe; Lipshutz, Jason; Havens, Lyndsey (2023-05-30). "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Lauren Spencer Smith, Claud, Brothers Osborne & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  24. ^ Lavorgna, Michael (2023-11-10). "#NewMusicFriday: November 10, 2023". Twittering Machines. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  25. ^ a b "Further Out Than the Edge by Speakers Corner Quartet". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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