It is like where the great instrumental (primarily) band The Shadows meets some sounds from Canal Street in New York City, circa 1950s. And perhaps Henry Mancini walks by. Tom Verlaine’s all-instrumental Warm and Cool after Marquee Moon is my favorite of his work. It was recorded in two days, and mostly with Billy Ficca on drums and Patrick A. Derivaz on bass, except for one cut. There is a great variety of sounds/melodies, but they are filtered through Verlaine’s ultra-cool approach to his material.
I mention The Shadows and something there connects Hank Marvin’s guitar sound to Verlaine’s approach to his compositions. It’s majestic but in a quiet series of moments, and there is nothing ambient about Warm and Cool. It sounds like a collection of theme songs to TV episodic crime shows but is only played late at night. Come to think of it, I don’t think I would ever play this album during the daylight hours. And it’s not noir-cliché, but more like a Baudelaire lurking in a bookstore before closing hours at midnight.
I don’t know how it is done, but there is an electronic hum or strings on a holding note as Verlaine picks and strums his electric guitar. The sustained note sounds orchestral in its depth but small and precise as a sound. It makes an ambient sound, but the result is more of a textural presence against Verlaine’s guitar. This is elegant music not on velvet or silk but for concrete and neon lighting as it turns on for the evening as the daylight disappears.
there is a song on there called Sleepwalkin, that was used in a movie I saw called Bad Love.. its very much a Hank Marvin tone.. I need to listen to the whole album again.. my fave of his is Dreamtime and the first solo
Wonderful album.