• 5 years ago
http://www.balconytv.co.uk 07/03/2009
PRESENTED BY LAYLA ANNA-LEE

"One of England's best kept musical secrets". - Rolling Stone These words from Rolling Stone seem to sum up Devon based Peter Bruntnell's career so far. A handful of albums for Almo and Ryko in the 90s coincided with the emergence of Britpop (RIP) and despite the best efforts of a very supportive music press the records mellifluous and introspective nature didn't fully satisfy a "mad for it" general public. But for those that did take the time to check out this softly spoken songwriter the rewards have been plentiful. His subsequent albums for Loose (Ends Of The Earth, Played Out and 2005's Ghost In A Spitfire) featured the kind of startling tales of small town romance and big city isolation, the erosion of community and the wonders of family life that ticked all the right sonic boxes for a fiecely loyal fanbase that has ensured that over the course of six acclaimed albums Bruntnell has managed to sustain a very healthy career in this most fickle of industries. He has also retained the respect of his peers. To return to Rolling Stone, he may be one of this country's best kept secrets but if you ask the likes of Kurt Wagner, Peter Buck, Mark Eitzel (Bruntnell supports American Music Club on a UK tour in September), Jay Farrar or Kathleen Edwards they'll all agree that he's a writer of many qualities. All of which are more than in evidence on Peter And The Murder Of Crows - his seventh studio album. Recorded mainly in his home studio in Devon and co-written by long-term and long distance (they swap lyrics and melodies over the telephone) Canada based writing partner Bill Ritchie, the album finds Peter in a reflective yet settled frame of mind. Since relocating to the west coast from London he's taken time out to help raise an ever expanding family and indulge in his passion for surfing and although he still takes time out to hit the road, one listen to the track Domestico will make it clear where his loyalties now stand. It lies amongst all the trademarks of a classic Bruntnell album - acoustic driven folk based pop with just a hint of psychedelic that's all delivered in a very British fashion. - Domestico is in many ways the lynchpin of the record as it examines his family loyalty, contentment with his lot in life and a slight but contradictory desire for perhaps a little bit more.

Check out his myspace below;

www.myspace.com/peterbruntnell

And his website;

www.peterbruntnell.com

Tune in again tomorrow!