These New Puritans new album, Crooked Wing released on Domino back in May, tells a grand sweeping story with a little help from some friends.
“shifting from the brutal to the beautiful” is how the album is descried in the brief album notes on Bandcamp, and opener “Waiting” features 10-year-old Alex Miller, a member of the Southend Boys Choir accompanied by church organ singing, “I am buried / I am deep underground / I am listening / for any sound.” A track that has beauty covered and then some leading into chimes, piano, and vocals from Jack Barnett that sounds like Steve Reich had a hand in its minimal repetitive loveliness. As things get darker, I also hear traces of The Fall, Talk Talk, and Scott Walker all fine company indeed.
Caroline Polachek, Canadian soprano Patricia Auchterlonie, and double bassist Chris Laurence (and others) also join in adding up to an ecstatic ramble around genres with operatic ambition.