Album Review: ‘I Love What We Do’ – It’s Geoffrey O’Connor’s world and we are delighted to be immersed in his luscious sonic romanticism.

Geoffrey O’Connor creates a world of breathlessly beautiful chamber pop, rich and luscious with an infectious sensibility that takes its genesis from the sixties – a sort of Burt Bacharach/Max Bygraves/Frank Sinatra world, mixed with a contemporary Pulp/Lightning Seeds theatricality via ABC.

‘I Love What We Do’ is like a theme park filled with love and romanticism, every ride a blinding kaleidoscope of colours and emotion that sweeps you up and down with louche, insouciant vivacity – from the soaring anthems of ‘Let’s Make Love Feel Good Again’ to the delicious ‘I Don’t Want To Be Loved’. O’Connor says of the latter track:

When I’m feeling sad I like to write pretty, cynical songs about the love lives of people I barely know. It’s a good thing that many of them never get released. While this one started off in that fashion, it also ended up having a cautious optimism that I’m happy to unleash into the world. It features some beautiful flute work by Hank Clifton-Williamson and superb harmonies by Chloe Sanger.

O’Connor has the ability to paint brilliant sonic portraits that positively shimmer with his deep resonant vocals and ultra bright production. The result is a dramatic sonic tableau that is rich and luscious, chamber pop of the highest order.

O’Connor presents the optimsm of love but contrasts this with the loss as well. He says:

I find rain both exciting and soothing – two very different yet complementary feelings. Similarly, the title ‘I Love What We Do’ makes me think of both the wild and mundane things lovers do. This all feels appropriate for a collection of songs about small moments that feel big.

The instrumentation is fittingly vast – sweeping strings, burbling flutes and delicious cool backing vocals.

Tracks like ‘Late To Love’ have a crystalline grace with the sort of sixties feel with it’s percussive beats and guitars that weep, replete with a soaring chorus infused with a Pet Shop Boys aching beauty and melancholia.

The entire album has a luscious late night feel – rich and complex, as if a soundtrack to a sixties spy film like The Ipcress File starring Michael Caine and feature a dark rain swept Berlin.

‘I Love What We Do’ features the virtuosic Hank Clifton-Williamson (Sarah Mary Chadwick, Mystery Shopper) on piano, violin and flute, Genevieve Fry (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) on harp, Jessica Venables (Jessica Says) on cello, and Emma Kelley on musical saw and violin. Backing vocalists include 80 year old folk/blues legend Margret RoadKnight, as well as Emma Russack (Snowy Band) and Chloe Sanger (Good Morning). He also returns to duet mode on album closer ‘It’s Nice To Think’ with the inimitable Sarah Mary Chadwick.

‘I Love What We Do’ is out now through Dinosaur City Records and available to download and stream through the link above and here.

Feature Photograph: Darren Sylvester