Blessed Union ...
Penguin Cafe Orchestra's studio swansong is a delightful summation of their entire musical career. Jaunty little ragtime melodies rub shoulders with achingly beautiful piano miniatures and longer moodier orchestral works that recall the more discursive tracks on their debut. There's even a return to 'telephone tones turned into music' first essayed on Telephone and Rubber Band. What makes this selection an added delight is the warmth of the sound: slightly more classical/chamber music-y, but never less than deeply melodic. The temptation to bask in the melodic sunshine is only heightened by the length of the album - at 73 minutes it feels like an old fashioned double album - the sort I used to lose myself in as a teenager. Perhaps you could view Union Cafe as the anti-Wall...
