Crate Digging: Jonny Budd, Junior Music Supervisor

​“I really tried to approach this like I would in a record shop, and realistically I’ve gone with my usual of picking up an old favourite that I’ve never gotten round to buying, and one that I really know I should listen to. It’s fun to pick up two albums that are so far apart from each other in terms of style, pace and feel.”

Cunningham Bird by Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham

I absolutely love Buckingham Nicks, and what these two new folk masters have done with Cunningham Bird is a real treat. The way their vocals compliment each other, combined with the expert original storytelling, is joyful. It’s hard to envisage any modern vocal pairing that could replicate or come close to Buckingham Nicks, but it’s not far off.

I’ve loved Madison Cunningham’s output ever since I stumbled across her Tiny Desk concert a few years ago. And while Andrew Bird’s name was one that I’d heard crop up in conversation a fair bit, this album’s release last year was the first time I gave him a proper listen. It’s one that really stuck with me, maybe because the original album was one I’d heard in passing but never given the attention it deserved. When I trained in classical music, there was often a discussion of two interpretations of a work being “in conversation with each other”, and that’s the feeling I get here. Each listen to the new version helps you appreciate the original more, and vice versa. I think that’s testament to the way the pair approached this project, knowing when to tread carefully and sensitively, and when to bring their own strengths to the fore.

They’ve been sensitive without ever playing it too safe, it’s earthy but also ethereal, and I love how much you can really hear the space and tension between the two voices. There’s plenty here for the fans of Andrew Bird’s masterful musicianship, and as a huge Madison Cunningham fan, I love hearing her lend her voice to such iconic music.

I especially love ‘Crystal’, for me it’s the one that actually improves on the original. It’s much more subtle and tender, and allows the lyrics to really be at the forefront. Maybe it’s because it’s the best known track and was picked up and re-recorded for Fleetwood Mac’s eponymous album, but it feels like this is the one they really ran with, especially vocally.

Surely we can get ‘Stephanie’ a nice sync placement? I can really see it lending itself to something slow and bright in a cinematic setting. It’s almost melancholic, and has that lovely nostalgic homemade feeling. I love that a track that was essentially in the original album to showcase Buckingham’s guitar playing is being used in this version for Bird to show off some of his own virtuosity on the violin, albeit with slightly more subtle techniques. It makes for a breathy and broad feeling, which can often be a strength in sync world.

The Last Trane by John Coltrane

As for Coltrane, I’ve been a huge fan since my teenage years but this is one I’ve never managed to sit down and listen to properly before. No one commands the art form, masterfully dancing between the chaos and the calm, like Coltrane.

So much of this is about virtuosity, creativity, skill and style. You can hear the conversation between Coltrane and Red Garland on keys. It’s exciting and visceral, and makes me wish I was in the room with them. My standout track is ‘By the Numbers’, almost purely for that filthy, quite honestly disgusting, piano opening. Messiaen would be proud.

Coltrane is essential listening. To me this album is like an excellent Thai meal. There’ll be some bits that blow your socks off and you’re not sure if you like it or not, and then there’ll be some gorgeous aromatics and beautifully cooked rices and meats and it’ll be all lovely and warm and make you feel held. Maybe you don’t like Thai food, and your annoying mate keeps telling you how much you’ll love this Thai place, but at the end of the day it’s just really good Thai food, and no matter how good or perfectly executed the Thai food is, it’s still Thai food and you don’t like Thai food, and that’s okay. But still, good to give it a go. Maybe I’m overthinking and maybe it’s a bit cliché, but I genuinely believe in an age where we’re told to seek comfort and predictability, sticking on a bit of Coltrane is fantastic for the soul, and means his works are still extremely relevant today.

I feel like we get a surprising amount of ‘chaos jazz’ briefs. Maybe it’s the legacy of Whiplash and Birdman still going strong. For that reason, I think we can find a place for Coltrane’s ‘Lover’, maybe placed over a super-fast-paced edit whipping round the streets of Brooklyn?

If you’d like to know more, or you’re keen to discover more of our repertoire, please contact: labelsyncuk@concord.com.