Court & Spark – Witch Season

Airier than Lambchop or Tindersticks, brighter than Willard Grant conspiracy, less arty than Sparklehorse, Fruit Bats or Pinetop Seven, the Court And Spark’s fourth release continues to delight in a broader, more accessible aesthetic range than any of those bands, yet befuddle anyone insistent on separating country-folk from funky soul, urbane jazz from rustic acoustic, and above all, popular from pointy-headed.

With more players than a chamber orchestra, they project a stripped-down sensibility, invoking pipe organ, clavinet, handclaps, French horn or washes of trumpet all in light doses as arrangements warrant, around immensely likable songs with hooks and grooves to burn. Setting the pace, opener “Suffolk Down Upon The Night” begins with a small electronic circle, followed by a short, deconstructed drum roll, then a French horn riff before evolving into a semi-hokey groove that matures into an outright funky bass part. Ennio Moriconi lurks in the subtle guitar solo pattern, and light breaks through a processed guitar and chime effects.

“Out On The Water” is all Byrdsy tambourine, open-road music with a beautiful hook and a light touch of harmony. “Titov Sang The Blues”, an ode to the second Russian cosmonaut in space, broods a simple orchestral hymn of sympathy for frustrated ambition. “St. John The Evangelist” feels like a buggy ride. “Steeplechasing” spirals down irregularly in the jazz invention of dissonant bass and drum, while “Sundowner” evokes an almost Appalachian feel offset by a booming kick drum and clackety percussion.

Melange, smelange. It’s all music, why not play it together?