Everything is Recorded is the star-studded collaborative project headed by Richard Russell, record producer and owner of XL Recordings. The project’s third studio release, Temporary, is out now, featuring a remarkable roster of collaborating artists, including (but certainly not limited to) the likes of Sampha, Alabaster DePlume, and Kamasi Washington.
Intro track October sets the tone perfectly. Snippets of conversation float and intertwine with each other in an embodiment of the record’s themes; Russell knits together elements from his collaborators to fabricate a wonderfully told story, exploring the dark underlying themes of death, and the transient human state of life, love and loss.
My And Me is the tune tasked with properly kicking off the album. The instantly recognisable voice of Sampha and the wonderfully unique, raspy saxophone tones of Alabaster DePlume are married with vocals from Laura Groves and a flute solo from Rickey Washington. The result is a delightful first track. Porcupine Tattoo moves into a more folky feel, with the standout feature being the contrasting vocals of Noah Cyrus with Bill Callahan’s signature baritone.
What Russell does brilliantly here, and throughout Temporary, is play to the strengths of each artist enlisted, and extract the absolute most out of every one. Whether its the saxophone playing from DePlume, the ever-blissful vocals from Sampha, or layering of Cyrus and Callahan’s starkly different vocals, it’s all done perfectly. The effect is an excellent multiplying effect of each individual talent.
Florence + The Machine are next to feature, in Never Felt Better, and folk singer Maddy Prior in Ether. These are two slightly slower tracks, but maintain the flow of the album, and meddle with electronic elements and eerie backings, again playing to vocal strengths: this time of Florence + The Machine and Prior.
Losing You is the tune that properly got me hooked on the prospect of this album, when it was first released as a single, back in November; Listening to it back then, I knew this album was going to be special – job well done from an artist’s perspective, I suppose. It’s a fantastically produced track, from front to back, and one of the most stacked: From the call and response of Sampha’s voice to the reverberating trumpet tones of Yazz Ahmed, and the plucky basslines of Jah Wobble to Laura Grove’s soft backings, it’s a layered masterpiece of a track, and goes down as my favourite.
Firelight emphatically shifts the mood again, this time to an eerie piece featuring warbling vocals, warbling saxophone, and a slightly unexpected yet very nice verse from BERWYN (another strong name added to the list).
The vocals of Roses Gabor and Jack Peñate are next to be showcased, alongside a returning Wobble and Ahmed, in No More Rehearsals, a tune which is difficult to pin down genre-wise, but features elements of folk, soul and electronica, blended excellently.
You Were Smiling brings yet another slightly eerie aura, and yet another featured artist – Sam Morton – before Bill Callahan is re-recruited for Norm.
Clari Freeman-Taylor from mary in the junkyard contributes her ethereal vocals to Swamp Dream #3, whilst plucky strings give a slight cinematic feel. The Meadows is a jazzier piece, fittingly with a Kamasi Washington feature, and father Rickey back again to nicely begin bringing the album to a close.
Goodbye (Hell Of A Ride) is the final track on Temporary. It’s an acoustic version of Nourished by Time’s 2024 track, Hell Of A Ride. Played in a bit of a janky style, it finishes the album on that haunted, eerie theme which runs throughout, and really solidifies the record’s core themes and dark nature.
A list of artists that would make a decent entire festival lineup, Russell’s masterful production skills, and a beautifully crafted tracklist make this a unique and eclectic record. Whilst I am always a staunch supporter of listening to albums from front to back, I think it’s especially important with Temporary, to truly explore the story, and appreciate Russell’s ability to mould and gel the variety of artists and genres used here – in particular the differences between them.
Temporary is an album that thrives in its diversity. It is Temporary and Russell’s greatest strength, and enables the production of a truly fantastic genre-hopping, eclectic, yet beautifully cohesive piece of work.
Waxing Lyrical 