Secret Meeting score: 72

by Phil Scarisbrick

Tunng and Laura Marling have been among the most high profile artists on the British folk scene over the last ten years or so. Both have been able to create music that not only tells compelling tales, but is also melodically engaging enough to crossover to a much wider audience. So the news of a collaboration between Marling and Mike Lindsay was always going to be exciting for those who are fans.

Over seven tracks, their two creative worlds collide to create a record that is compelling and, at times, breathtaking. The atmospheric Morodorian synth stylings of Lindsay flirt with Marling’s acoustic guitar to create a cinematic soundtrack that allows her vocals the chance to go where they never have before. Influence seems to be taken from a much wider framework than their usual work, with the likes of Nancy Sinartra, Lee Hazelwood, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and even Joan Jett audible at various points across the record.

Final track – LUMP is a Product –  ties the whole thing together and acts as the closing credits to this film noir experiment. That choice of name may be just be the pair being playfully obtuse, or perhaps pointing to this being a one-off experiment. Either way, the two composers’ collective creativity is thoroughly engaging, and you’d hope that this is just the beginning of their collaboration.

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