AMG Review of Anatomy of a Poet

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

The portentous opening track, "Bombed," makes for a fine start here, combining as it does the established ITN sound and approach -- Dolores Marguerite's sung/spoken lyrics, exquisite synth strings, and so forth, with such newer elements as Jill Crowther's oboe and a very arty but effective exploration of dance bass and beats. What makes Anatomy stand out even more, however, is hinted at in the album's title -- this collection very much explores poetry on a number of levels, taking the increasing narrative approach from Duality to newer heights. English author Colin Wilson is the featured spoken word performer throughout; his low but clear voice meshes well with the dramatic flow of the music, as on the title track, which features Wilson interpreting a poem by Victorian writer Ernest Dowson over an inspired, complex arrangement. Other poets quoted include Yeats, Wilde (Wilson's recital of one of his poems, over a lovely piano-based arrangement, features Crowther and is a definite album highlight), and the lesser known James Elroy Flecker, while other musical guests include Lemon Kittens/Shock Headed Peters veteran Karl Blake taking lead vocals on a moody version (featuring guitar!) of Scott Walker's "The Seventh Seal." Q continues his fine work on snare drum, as always, while electronic percussion takes the definite fore on such techno-based tracks as "In Perpetuum," featuring another of the brothers' now quite rare turns on vocals along with Marguerite, and a dramatically reworked version of the Ambush track "Hallucinations?," both combining the orchestral drama of ITN with the dancefloor better than anyone might have guessed. Proudly, self-consciously reaching for the artistic and unafraid to show it, Anatomy is yet another milestone in the Humberstones' continuing career.