Prospect of Skelmersdale

"The Magnetic North apply a spooky, floaty filter to the titular town's history, assisted by a few archive samples and an ear for an (often familiar-sounding) tune, whether it be rousing or frankly rather sad in complexion. The overall tone is indeed a little wintry, all thwarted dreams and hibernation, but this makes for a rather good, cohesive, well-appointed collection. It has all the majesty one expects from the contributors, and all the ingredients that one expects to result in its pieces being used for indie film soundtracks and the like. One very much hopes they make it to the presumed final part of their trilogy".

"Tong is a respected British rock musician - with stints in the Verve and Blur -- reprising his role as part of the collaborative trio the Magnetic North. The group, which also includes Erland Cooper and Hannah Peel, first debuted in 2012 with Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North, a stirring chamber pop suite informed by the rugged Scottish islands of Cooper's homeland. For their second project, it's Tong's turn to revisit his home on the pastoral Prospects of Skelmersdale. Where the cinematic beauty of the Orkney archipelago must have provided ample inspiration, Skem's mix of blocky, run-down estates and new age mysticism no doubt presented a unique challenge for the trio. Rather than an outright concept album, Prospects of Skelmersdale feels like an abstract tribute to its strange subject, glancing over different aspects of the city's still-changing landscape in brief, lightly orchestrated snapshots peppered with strings, brass, and guitars, and threaded with vintageaudiosamples from the Skelmersdale Development Corporation".

Read review