Documentary Evidence - Simon Fisher Turner

This is a notable Mute release in many respects, but one aspect truly stands out from other releases: this has been released only on a 'non physical' format, in other words it has only been made available as a high quality download, complete with sleeves, movie posters and liner notes written by Simon Fisher Turner himself. Last year, Mute began issuing download-only exclusive tracks by the likes of Goldfrapp, Erasure and Dave Gahan, but this is the first time that a whole album has been released in this way. Turner himself has remarked at being extremely pleased at being the first of Mute's artists to be released this way.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead sees Turner resuming his association with director Mike Hodges, with whom he collobatated on the movie The Croupier, which also starred widely-tipped future Bond, Clive Owen. As well as shaping the overall sound, Turner plays prepared piano and tapes, while also supplying home recordings created using his Mac and other pieces of kit. He is also joined by vocalist Reba, whose soulful wordless blues vocals he discovered while auditioning gospel choirs. As on 2002's Swift, reeds are provided by seminal jazz player Gilad Atzmon, joining Frank Harrison (keyboards), Asaf Sirkis (percussion), Yaron Stavi (bass) and Andrew Buck (trumpet) as The Orient House Ensemble.

Jazz informs these pieces, in much the same vein as Bernard Herrmann's score for Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver. There is a palpable sense of lazy late night crawls around London on 'Here And There', all brushed cymbals, double bass and piano sprinkles, with Atzmon turning in some sensual sax. However, in Turner's truly spot-on fashion, this is not merely a jazz album; on 'Reba's Song', alongside Reba's smokey vocal, he plays loops and noises in sharp contrast to her gorgeous voice. Elsewhere, some of the cleverest, most original soundtrack work arrives when the sound of the jazz ensemble collides with Turner's effects - check out the slow tension of 'Prepared Crunch' , where a low piano note becomes distorted and barely recognisable. Elsewhere, the improvising musicians find themselves playing against images of themselves as Turner introduces loops and delays, creating curiously intrciate and unexpected sound patterns. 'Hometunnel' also cuts loose with a very Miles Davis Bitches Brew processed trumpet and rolling percussion heads. The following passage of minimal piano and reed work ('DB Tunnel Test'), is, in contrast, nothing short of beguiling.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead deservedly sits among Turner's finest work. The tone is delicate and restrained, whilst providing all of the developing tensions and moments of serenity necessary to the perfect soundtrack. It is a breathtaking score.