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Issue 646

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Cinderella

Cinderella

(4 stars)9 Dec 2009

From the sumptuous decoration around the foyer (yes, they’ve even painted the pink elephants silver — don’t worry, it’s only temporary) to the gorgeous, delicate Baroque set, the Citz’ first original commissioned Christmas production in years announces…

Pinocchio

Pinocchio

(2 stars)9 Dec 2009

Perth Theatre eschews thigh slapping, portly gents in hoop skirts and cries of ‘it’s behind you’ for a family musical; to call Pinocchio a panto would result in a vastly elongated nose. The tricky thing with a non-traditional Christmas show is to…

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

It’s perhaps understandable, given the venue, that this version of the classic fairy tale comes across as a very Glasgow indie Christmas show. Alasdair Macrae, Mary Gapinski and Ewan Donald narrate the story in soft Jackanory-style accents, while…

Miss Thing - Nora Chassler

Miss Thing - Nora Chassler

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Two Ravens) Nora Chassler’s debut novel marks the arrival of a distinctive new voice onto the Scottish literary scene. Or perhaps that should be ‘voices’ as her novel is littered with first person accounts, ranging from the narration of the two…

The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott

The Coral Thief - Rebecca Stott

(1 star)9 Dec 2009

(Weidenfeld & Nicolson) Paris 1815. A city in turmoil following the defeat of Napoleon, a city where lowlife scum meets high society, and a city where every conceivable historical novel cliché gets thrown at the wall to see which particularly…

Burke & Hare by Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering

Burke & Hare - Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Vigil/Insomnia) A delve into Edinburgh’s sinister past seems to fit the tradition of period ghost stories for Christmas, though of course the tale of Burke and Hare is all too real. Perhaps the most important aspect of their history which writer…

Chiaroscuro - Ralph Towner & Paolo Fresu

Chiaroscuro - Ralph Towner & Paolo Fresu

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(ECM Records) Label veteran Ralph Towner teams up with ECM debutant Paolo Fresu in this quietly refined guitar and trumpet duo. The pair prove well-matched in musical sensibility on a collection of Towner’s tunes, both new and revisited, and a…

John Smith - Map Or Direction

John Smith - Map Or Direction

(4 stars)9 Dec 2009

(9PR) Another honey-voiced guitar virtuoso? Isn’t folk music packed with them anyway? Well, make room for one more – Glasgow-raised folk legend John Martyn and blues guitarist Davy Graham both held John Smith in high regard, and rightly so. David…

Codeine Velvet Club - Codeine Velvet Club

Codeine Velvet Club - Codeine Velvet Club

(2 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Island) Different people have a different idea about what makes for glamour. Those who are into a bit of monochromatic 60s chic will go ape for the breathy duo behind Codeine Velvet Club, perhaps realising only too late that this is largely a…

Fit The Paradigm - Jack Butler

Fit The Paradigm - Jack Butler

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Whimsical) Starting with 20th Century Fox-esque snare drums, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re about to be hit by something dramatic and cinematic, grandiose even. Instead, you’re nodding your head before you realise it, thinking how unlikely it…

Is There Nothing We Could Do? - Badly Drawn Boy

Is There Nothing We Could Do? - Badly Drawn Boy

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Big Life) Pedestrian versifier Badly Drawn Boy – aka Manchester's Damon Gough – has long been a daft-hatted poster boy for fans of ambling pop psalms and prosaic surveillance. This is his second soundtrack endeavour – the first being 2002's…

The Voice Inside - Lyell Cresswell

The Voice Inside - Lyell Cresswell

(4 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Naxos) Quirky, atmospheric, funny, intense, dramatic are all adjectives which can be used to describe Edinburgh adoptee but New Zealand-born composer Lyell Cresswell’s concerto for violin, soprano and orchestra, The Voice Inside. Settings of seven…

Position Normal - Position Normal

Position Normal - Position Normal

(3 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Rum Records) Position Normal’s position would appear to be way out in leftfield, somewhere past The Beta Band and Boards of Canada, judging by this scattershot collage of weird instrumentation, field recordings and likeable bampottery. A duo of…

Sweet Bells - Kate Rusby

Sweet Bells - Kate Rusby

(5 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Pure) If you missed its under-promoted first release a year ago, this is a lovely Christmas tonic, drawing on the carol-singing traditions of South Yorkshire to make the familiar charmingly new. The airy innocence of Kate Rusby’s girlish delivery…

The Stark Palace - The Stark Palace

The Stark Palace - The Stark Palace

(4 stars)9 Dec 2009

(Shark Batter) It’s been a long time since we heard from Scottish Borders outfit, Dawn Of the Replicants. Former psychiatric nurse turned zine-scriber, Roger Simian (and co), seemed to have just fallen off the musical map. But here with gravedigger…

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