due north

As I've pointed out before, The Blue Nile is a band that doesn't play by the usual rules of music promotion. It appears that they don't mind if you don't find out about a release of theirs, even if you're a rabid fan.

While the guest appearances on Quiet City's Public Face Private Face (a project by the longtime studio drummer for the Blue Nile) don't count as a proper Blue Nile release, certainly I was surprised to find out they were out there. I'm not sure how much involvement there is from the guys in the band, but the sinewy and unusual bass line sounds like it could be a Robert Bell creation, and those odd synth textures (veering between cheesy and magnificent) could very well be Paul Joseph Moore, especially since these songs date from before he left the group. Singer Paul Buchanan is of course in stunning form.

I sat back and put this on, and enjoyed that combination of familiarity and newness and excellence that one rarely gets. (The last time was probably the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.)

Dynamic, soaring, beautiful.

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