Thursday, February 11, 2010

Luka Bloom - Between The Mountain And The Moon

MINE

Forgotten Gem!  I love Luka - that Irish accent just makes me weak at the knees, doesn't it girls? - but I'm so predictable when it comes to what I play of his, whenever I'm tempted to give his CDs a spin.  It's either my first Bloom - The Acoustic Motorbike - or Turf, or his covers collection, Keeper of the Flame.  All of which are delightful in their way, but I've only played this one once or twice. 

And now I have to put all my Luka on the iPod so I can have that supreme relaxing, everything's-going-to-be-alright feel on tap.  Just the thing after a hard day at work, or after a fight with my mother (all too often these days), or when I'm just feeling a bit out of sorts.  Guaranteed to dispel road rage - maybe he should be required listening for courier drivers and taxis, so they don't act like hooligans all over the road.

He's a big fan of the Antipodes, and I've seen him lots and lots of times.  A real showman, I recall one great performance when Sydney threw on one of her big summer storms - thunderbolts and lightning didn't seem to faze him, though he did have to turn the volume up a bit!  Wonder when he's coming again? (YourZ sez: yeah, lets go see him again - I'm keen!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (aah, I'm relaxing already!)


YOURZ


One of the first concerts Mine and YourZ (truly) went to as a couple was to see Luka in a solo show.  So keen was Mine to see him, she got online very early and got us seats in the front row.  I can't remember who the supports were because they absolutely paled next to Luka.  He sang and played and told stories like he was playing to a group of friends instead of a few thousand people.  It absolutely blew me away and is still one of the most memorable live performances I've ever seen. (Mine says: remember the girl in the audience who sang Sunny Sailor Boy with him?  Goosebumps!)

Having said this, I now have to admit I don't listen to his recorded material despite the fact we have a number of his discs in our collection.  I've heard The Acoustic Motorbike lots over the years and his album of covers a few times as well (His version of Radiohead's No Surprises is worth the price of the album alone).  But I've not heard Between The Mountain And The Moon before. What a treat it is.  I can't go the whole hog and call it a Forgotten Gem like Mine has done because I didn't know it was in the collection to start with, but it's well deserving of  the title regardless.

The think about Luka I enjoy is his ability to maintain my interest.  I'm not much into this kind of music, generally speaking.  But I happily listened to Between The Mountain... a number of times in a row.  I didn't feel bored or skip through any of the tracks.  His is the music of joy and light and I will just as happily listen to it again soon, along with the others in our collection.  And no, I'm not going soft either.


VERDICT: TURN IT UP


For more information: http://www.lukabloom.com/

In our collection we also have The Acoustic Motorbike, Keeper Of The Flame, Turf, Salty Heaven and Before Sleep Comes

No comments:

Post a Comment