Further Out Than the Edge

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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

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.

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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