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Until The Ribbon Breaks New Album:  V I S I T O R 

Album Review by Spencer Ide

In a month when fellow Welshman, John Cale releases a new album, POPitcal Illusion, the creative force that is Pete Lawrie Winfield operating under the recording name of Until The Ribbon Breaks re-surfaces with V I S I T O R, his third studio album. 

The two artists, Cale and Winfield, have a lot more in common than origins in the land of song.  Both explore how electronic technology can be used to form pleasing new sound waves, both have poetic sensibilities and each of these artists enjoy exploring structure and form in their pop music-friendly compositions.

From the first moments of For The Birds you sense that V I S I T O R is going to be an exceptional album.  A bit of rustling old school tech recording tape begins the album, as Winfield relaunches himself with, as he describes it, “…renewed emotional and creative clarity.”  I don’t know Winfield’s personal journey, but I was touched by these songs, the questions they pose, the stories they suggest.  

 

Great songs and poetry give the listener sufficient space to identify with the lyrics. V I S I T O R offers plenty such space.  I have played this album pretty much non-stop for the past two days and am still finding more and more to relish.  Every track sounds so fresh, every time I rewind. It is wondrous how much there is to enjoy each time.

 

The sound of the album is beautiful, the lyrics wonderful. “Like the trees, we are visitors, guests of the Earth.” is the first line of the first track, For The Birds, which in itself is a pretty mind-expanding concept. I could just keep putting the needle pack in the groove for this brief introductory number alone. 

 

Then the cheap IKEA alarm clock, a repeated, rapid "Peep-peep-peep-peeeep!" sparks off Carousel urges we sit up to listen to Winfield and Homeboy Sandman break the dream-like state with a warning, “If you don’t wanna go the way of the sabre-tooth / Tune out from the breaking news for breaking loose.”

 

The wondrous state continues in Strange Times, “Oh to be wide awake / And lost in a dream” with a search for “…some love left somewhere / Just to know / There’s some sugar in the sauce.” At each track a question is posed, along with a powerful hint to engage with living, appreciate our limited Earth-time in all its mystery, with love.

 

Even when explicitly exploring the inevitability of mortality there is gentleness and an appreciation that underlines the idea of us being guests, or indeed, visitors to the planet. In Under Red Skies Winfield addresses himself, Pete, to give a sage perspective “Time is a passer by / So just wave, wave goodbye / Goodbye.” It is a touching song, which rightly leaves aside the details of Pete’s circumstances.  We don’t need to know what they are, except that as the song develops, the idea of not being afraid to die, when that time comes, is quietly comforting.

 

This may seem a little deep for electronic-pop, but give yourself time to listen to The Pet Shop Boys addressing street homelessness in The Theatre from 1993 and you’ll recall that electro-pop has more to offer than bump’n’grind.  Pete Lawrie Winfield has put together a sumptuous album that is filled with uplifting songs of hope and acceptance.

HUMAN is the track selected as the album’s feature single and it is great! “Why would I want control? / I can finally feel.” The chorus sing “What a day / What a day” Yes, every day.  I can see myself playing this song for my sons, my grandchildren, myself.  The song reminds me of those momentous days of their births and all the good ones that have followed.  It’s a mighty fine song.

 

Whatever the artist has gone through in his struggle back to sobriety, this album is a vindication of the pain and difficulty he had to face up to.  There is no explicit reference to particular difficulty, but there is acknowledgement that life’s path is far from straight-forward. For now, Mr. Winfield is in a good place, which is all we need to know when listening to this.

 

I have banged on enough about the philosophical nature of this collection of songs, so I must also let you know that the music is tremendous too.  I Was Wrong features a classic saxophone solo , Back From The Blue (with Emoni Wilkins) has delicate piano and sweeping (they have to be sweeping) strings, with Wilkins stunning vocals building the song to a spine chilling conclusion.  I bet they applauded in the studio when she hit those notes.  A wonderful piece of soul music, in every sense.

 

The final track Everything Else But Rain is a duet with Lucius and after all that had been sung before, I was deeply moved. Every track has its correct place and the album feels complete.  The pop element, of the electro-pop simply encourages the album to spun again and again. Is this my album of the year?  So far undoubtedly, although Angélica Garcia’s Gemelo is right up there with this collection.

 

Pete Lawrie Winfield’s whole V I S I T O R album is perfect for this absolutely crappy summer.  You can wrap yourself into the sofa and wallow and joyously wonder at living.  This is an album that must be heard.  I hope you like it as much I do – I love it!

 

V I S I T O R is released on 21^st June 2024 by VERO Music. 

Spencer Ide

12th June 2024