Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
In a world not obsessed by gossip and the latest celebratory fashion, there are many artists who work quietly and with conscience in the seemingly dark background that would be seen for the absolute stars that they are, they would be taken on a journey around the lights of Piccadilly Circus or the incandescent displays of Broadway and Time Square instead of perhaps being seen on the billboards of the local train stations of Birmingham, calling at all stations between Stechford and Lee Green.
It is in the art of the composer that the beauty of a journey is always given greater depth than the vain and the vacuous can imagine, the sense that the Trans-Siberian express is only useful for those who see romance where others prefer functionality; however, it is in the romance of the haunting thought that the journey should be seen, enjoyed, perfected, not just as purpose from getting from a to b.
Operation Lightfoot’s Luke Moore is one of those true modern composers, the creation is not only important, it is vital to the pursuit of knowledge and imagination, and in the new single Trans-Siberian, that pursuit is enhanced by the inclusion of the haunting, evocative voice of Dorothy Bird. There are ways to convey feeling, of immersing the listener into the direction of travel to which you wishing to attain, and then there are those who gently perform but who know that you will flag the train down of their accord and constantly look out of the window at the scenery, continually taking note and finding nothing but evocative memories being formed.
It is in the lingering melancholy, the touching refrain of harmony between vocal and the sincerity of the melody that makes Trans-Siberian one of the most chilling, most inspiring songs to date this year; a perfect blend to which you cannot but help listen to over and over again. Luke Moore and Operation Lightfoot have once again found a way to defy expectation and bring the art of composing to a new level.
Operation Lightfoot, featuring Dorothy Bird, Trans-Siberian is out now.
Ian D. Hall