Bugs in Amber
Bugs in Amber is the second album by the Bristol based jazz rock quartet Get the Blessing, released in 2009 (see 2008 in music).
| Bugs in Amber | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]()  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 April 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | jazz rock | |||
| Label | Cake/Candid | |||
| Get the Blessing chronology | ||||
  | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| The Guardian | |
| The Sunday Times | |
| The Independent | (not rated)[3] | 
The tracks are all instrumental, although other versions of "The Unnameable" and "Bugs in Amber" (re-titled "Moot") have been performed with vocals live,[4] and recorded in session for the BBC 6Music Freakzone programme.[5]
The album was favourably received by the British broadsheets. The Sunday Times stated that "Get the Blessing care little for the rule book: “wonky rock-jazz” is how the Bristol quartet sum up the sax and trumpet interplay. There’s a cool intelligence at work... Deamer lays down the firmest of beats without drowning his colleagues in the backwash. One of the quirkiest British releases of the year".[2] The Guardian noted that "this follow-up... cuts the excellent Judge and McMurchie a lot more solo slack, while sustaining the strength of the composing, the deafening dancefloor drive and the ensemble inventiveness", and summed up with "This is a really varied and inventive genre-crossing set".[1] The Independent felt the band "sound even more live and dangerous on this follow-up" and "like Big Air, the horns now take their thrashy/delicate influences from the Balkans as much as free jazz".[3]
Track listing
    
- "Music Style Product" – 3:56
 - "The Word For Moonlight Is Moonlight" – 4:22
 - "The Unnameable" – 6:33
 - "Bugs in Amber" – 4:41
 - "Tarp" – 7:00
 - "Einstein Action Figure" – 4:09
 - "The Speed Of Dark" – 5:23
 - "So It Goes" – 3:08
 - "Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes" – 2:09
 - "Trapdoor" – 1:21
 
Personnel
    
- Jake McMurchie – saxophone, treated piano, vibraphone, effects, bells
 - Pete Judge – trumpet, flugelhorn, celeste, effects, bells
 - Jim Barr – bass guitar, baritone guitar, effects, bells
 - Clive Deamer – drums, maracas, bells
 
Guests
    
- Adrian Utley – electric guitar
 - Tammy Payne – backing vocals ("Music Style Product")
 - Beth Porter – cello ("The Unnameable")
 - Jeff Spencer – viola ("Music Style Product")
 
Technical
    
- Produced by Jim Barr and Get the Blessing
 - Engineered by Jim Barr and Rik Dowding
 - Mixed by Jim Barr and Get the Blessing
 - Mastered by Shawn Joseph, Optimum Studios
 
Release history
    
- 22 April 2009: Cake Music (Candid Records, CACD78558)[6]
 
References
    
- John Fordham (5 June 2009). "the Blessing, Bugs in Amber(Cake/Candid)". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 - Clive Davis (26 April 2009). "Get The Blessing: Bugs in Amber". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 - Phil Johnson (3 May 2009). "Album: Get the Blessing, Bugs in Amber, (Cake)". The Independent. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 - "Jazz on 3 – Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2009". BBC Radio 3. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 - "Freakzone tracklisting". BBC 6Music. 17 May 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 - "Get The Blessing – Bugs in Amber". Retrieved 17 November 2009.
 
