Before I Crack

It is often said that expectant parents begin a sudden flurry of activity prior to the arrival of the newborn baby, trying to achieve long-held ambitions. In the case of the Bookshop Band – the duo of Ben Please (guitar, harmonium, glockenspiel) and Beth Porter (cello, ukulele, recorder) – this urge is quite exceptional. They have recorded nine albums in nine months, this being the ninth. Each of the albums is based around literary works on a certain theme. The Bookshop Band began as a response to author's works at their local independent bookshop. It has led to their USP: a band who create music inspired by books. In the case (no pun intended) of this album, it is books concerned with the human body and mind, with growing old and with the fragility inherent in the human condition.
The album takes its title from a phrase in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and, although Rushdie is sadly not involved, Patrick Gale (author of Rough Music) appears on cello and Emma Hooper (author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James) crops up on viola and saw. The final track features author Rachel Joyce reading from her novel, Perfect. The result is a soft, restful concept album that is a testament to the unbounded creative energy of this very singular band.