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Product Description
Review
First, a little background. Kenny ‘King Creosote’ Anderson is a Fife-based singer-songwriter and patriarch figure of a loose conglomerate of folk-inspired musicians, the Fence Collective. Architect of a good three-dozen records since 1998, mostly self-released, but some appearing on bigger labels – see 2005’s KC Rules OK and 2007’s Bombshell, which saw the light on 679 Recordings – his style is so intimate, low-key, but often surprisingly affecting songs that accrue a real emotional weight.
His collaborator here on Diamond Mine is one Jon Hopkins, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Music who has worked on a couple of big projects recently: he contributed keyboard and sound effects to Coldplay’s last album, and collaborated with Brian Eno, composing material for the ambient pioneer’s 2010 album Small Craft on a Milk Sea. King Creosote has none of the stadium bombast of Coldplay, or the experimental tendencies of Eno – but all the same, this is a collaboration that makes sense. Both share a taste for a rather languid tempo, that of small-town life and the more tender, bittersweet emotions; and theirs is a pairing that’s complementary, Hopkins colouring in the spaces around Anderson’s wearied voice, guitar and woozy accordion.
It starts with a splash of such colour in the shape of First Watch, a field recording of a bustling café, spare piano slowly picking its way round the clink of cutlery and the counting out of change. This segues into John Taylor’s Month Away, which ponders the sorry lot of a sailor, "With shattered boyhood dreams / And not much sleep," and it’s rendered beautifully, strummed guitar and droning accordion slowly subsumed beneath watery ambience.
Aging, and its effects, is a common theme here: Bats in the Attic sees Anderson contemplating his greying temples over sparse drum pads and piano, while Running on Fumes finds him asking "So why do we bother with all this fighting / Especially at our age?" as Hopkins’ choral synths call a troubled note. You sense, though, that Anderson is the sort to sing a sad song to make himself feel better, and it all concludes with the serene Your Young Voice, which fits a familiar King Creosote mould: a paean to his daughter, sung tenderly and gently, to fade.
--Louis Pattison
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CD Description
Diamond Mine' is a unique and heartrending collaboration between Scottish Fence Collective boss and singer King Creosote and electronic talent and sound sculptor Jon Hopkins. Described by King Creosote as a "soundtrack to a romanticised version of a life lived in a Scottish coastal village", the record weaves in field recordings of Fife life, bike wheels, spring tides, tea cups and café chatter to produce a beautiful, unique and timeless album.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of those albums where the cover picture kind of gives the game away. Redolent of the small fishing villages on the East Neuk of Fife this album represents the sort of music you might hear a couple of guys playing in the corner, playing for themselves as much as anyone else, but knowing that the beauty in the songs has captured everyone's attention. Hopkins' lush electronic ambience and keyboards backs up Kenny "King Creosote" Anderson's crystal clear vocals - his voice has never sounded better by the way. With no more than some gentle strumming and accordian work on top of that, this is a minimalist, almost sombre album that somehow lights up your day as the ethereal beauty shines through. I am given to understand that there are reasons for it being quite a short album (in today's terms at least) but as they say, you should leave them wanting more which is certainly the case here. So hit the "repeat" button and enjoy again
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What a gorgeous piece of music. I've been a long time devotee of King Creosote and The Fence Collective and was a wee bit disappointed by Kenny (KC's) last album Flick the V's. Alas...haven't heard the Burns Unit offering yet. This album which I downloaded this morning has been on constant play. It made an instant impression on me which is unusual. Kenny's languid vocals perfectly complimenting the instrumentals of Jon Hopkins. It's a dreamy,melodic and totally mellow.As another reviewer suggests,A perfect chill out album to soundtrack a weekend evening.It was great to see the album featured on the frontpage of The Guardian recently. Both musicians deserve far wider recognition but such is the dumbing down of UK culture this century that it's highly unlikely that either will ever achieve this.Ahh well...the wider public's loss is the Fence devotees gain!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I purchased this album on the back of the Mercury nomination. The reviews on here really are bang on, this is a lovely calming reflective album. It is so well produced and you can tell it has taken a long time to get this album exactly right. The review stating that you should enjoy with a glass of wine is very true.
Take some "you time", turn the phone off and enjoy this masterpiece
Take some "you time", turn the phone off and enjoy this masterpiece
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic
This is an amazing album.
I bought this because I really liked the single "bubble", which was the first King Creosote / Jon Hopkins track that I had heard. Read more
I bought this because I really liked the single "bubble", which was the first King Creosote / Jon Hopkins track that I had heard. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Andy Campbell
These are honest songs - and brilliant too
I have become slightly obsessed by this record for reasons I am still trying to figure out. You see it didn't totally grab me the first time I heard it - having been a long time... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Don Panik
Where dd the time go
I was caught from the first track. Then perhaps listened too many times in a row. Having a rest now.
Stunning album. Read more
Stunning album. Read more
Published 11 days ago by MOT
I honestly don't know another album that beats this
As the title says, I cannot seem to find any album that I would prefer to listen to at the moment. I have been a huge fan of Jon Hopkins after watching the film "Monsters" and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Deborah Brailey
rather lovely album!
I discovered King creosote through a free compilation cd that i'd received with a magazine recently, I immediately wanted to buy the Diamond Mine cd. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. M. A. C. Button
Beautiful modern folk album..
'Diamond Mine' is an enchanting,ethereal,mesmerizing piece of work.An album to be enjoyed as a whole rather then as individual tracks. Read more
Published 2 months ago by os
The most beautiful album of 2011
This is a short CD of beautifully crafted songs sung with great heart. I saw KC around the time of his Rules OK album and thought he was something special as a tunesmith. Read more
Published 2 months ago by BrynG
Hard to describe, but Ambient Folk is close enough!
I can't write very well, i was always better at Maths than English. So this isn't going to be some literal masterpiece! Read more
Published 3 months ago by PDCMAN
Quiet Magic
Subtle, powerful, sublime, magical and breathtaking all at the same time. The real gem of 2011, the opening tune with the sounds of the pub going makes you feel like you are... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. M. J. Law
Great music and Scottish lilt
Great music from an artist I knew little about but is now a favourite. Tracks are sole-full and haunting and I love the Scottish heritage. Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. J. Wright
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