ANDREW POPPY ‘The Beating Of Wings’ (ZTT IQ5)
There’s an almost overwhelming temptation to refer to young Andrew Poppy as a poor man’s Mike Oldfield. And yet, with the current trends in retail pricing, the only cheap thing about ‘The Beating Of Wings’ is likely to be its contents.
Contrived, pretentious and monotonous to the point of infuriation, there’s not much wrong with this LP that a total rewrite wouldn’t fix. Exciting it isn’t. Sure, Andrew’s a great technician, but give him an inch and he’ll measure it.
With any sense of emotion conspicuous by its absence, the four tracks are as inspiring and as innovative as a three year old at piano practice. But credit where credit’s due. Mr Poppy does take tedium one step further than most might manage —
Highlight of the ‘work’ is a brief moment when his ‘Frames For Orchestra’ almost generates a state of melody. But I can still think of a few thousand things I’d rather see his orchestra play. Dominoes, for example.
Come on ZTT, it’s time to pull out that collective finger. ☆