Catherine Lamb- three bodies (moving)

After an initial listen to 'three bodies', Cat Lamb's piece for cello, violin and bass clarinet on Simon Reynell's Another Timbre (surely the finest record label in the country right now, certainly the home of more pleasing listening for these ears this year than any other label), I resolved never to listen to it again. I don't throw discs away, but this one was going to be hidden in a wardrobe somewhere- my antipathy towards it was that strong. Something about those slow, teetering, dizzying violin and cello lines was creating in me something very close to nausea- I was being physically affected by this music. And not in a way that I was happy paying money for.

But such is the way of things- I had paid money for this disc, I would endure a second listen. And everything changed. Not that it means much when you've heard as little new music as I've been able to this year, but 'three bodies' has gone from being a gift I would send to those I'd wish interesting illnesses upon, to my favourite recording of the year. I want to say it has an alien kind of beauty- the composer calls it, if I remember right, a bland beauty. So there you go- alien and bland. It's wonderful. Nausea? Lily-livered fool. It just sounds right now, though I'm still gong to opt out of inflicting it on the kids.