Review: Twospeak - Fictions (None More Records)

Twospeak's third album, 'Fictions' is getting a wider audience with its release on None More Records this week.

We've been constantly impressed by None More Records, especially Joe Woodham's 'Worldwide Weather' (see review HERE) and the jazz-dub-reggae of Monzanto Sound (see review HERE) but it's clear that they do like a modern prog-jazz-rock as Twospeak have more that a forked tongue going on.

There's a hybrid of Portico Quartet, 70s prog a la Camel/Soft Machine with an added hard edge of, say, We Jazz.  

Twospeak are led by Ronan Perrett (sax) with Mike De Souza (guitar), Joseph Costi (keys, synths) and Ben Brown (drums). who have played in many a jazz group.

All tracks seven tracks are instrumentals (Ed. perhaps they should give Norma Winstone a call, apparently she's popular again) and each is based on artwork, be it painting, sculpture, literature or film.  There does seem to be a 'cinematic' Isotope running through the tracks, especially the opener 'Keep The Aspidistra Flying' and the moody, 'The Tower Of Blue Horses'.

As a band, they seem more than happy to go 'out-there', 'For Henry Moore (Reclining Figure 1984)' being an exceptional update of a Zappa/Henry Cow hybird and then pull back with the dreamy progression of 'An Astrologer's Day' with some echos of 'A Love Supreme'.

Cover artwork to match the Canterbury 'art school' vibe expect to hear on all the trendy jazz shows from Jez to Gilles, Patrick to Colin etc.

Artist: Twospeak

Title: Fictions

Release date: 17th November, 2023

Label: None More Records

Cat. No: -