Manchester musician Matthew C Whitaker is better known as the Zpor, the light bulb be-hatted lead singer of Henge, aliens from outer space come to warn us about the threat of climate change, and taking their message to local venues as diverse as Bluedot and the Foxlowe in Leek.
Anyone who knows their boopy, quirky blend of prog, dance, psychedelia and rock will not be expecting this: gentle, serene music that is somewhere between acoustic Pink Floyd, late night jazz, soft vocals, and that music that used to follow the shipping forecast (“Sailing By” – Nautical Ed), with some bossa nova thrown in. Guest musicians include Rob Turner (GoGo Penguin, Mammal Hands) and his fellow Henge aliens, Goo, Sol and Nom.
The album opens with “Overture”, a lush string orchestra over a melody “Sailing By” style, then “Mind How You Go” is a dreamy lullaby, but lyrically a mother urging her loved one to stay safe on the roads: “take all the corners slow / precious cargo on the back seat / you be careful where you go”.
“Chestnut Tree” is jauntier, a twangy guitar associated more with desert islands than with Manchester, a song brimming with gentle, jaunty charm and a nostalgic sense of old fashioned Englishness.
“Lucid Dreamer” is a bit cosmic in theme but sounds like a B side from Andy Williams about life on the Riviera, circa 1965. “Logan Stone” has a very slight Latin feel, while “For The Weary” opens with whistling, a melody akin to a slowed down “Girl Like You”, Alabaster DePlume on sax and a late night feel.
“A Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man” is a bit like early Floyd in sound. “Stand Up to the Man” opens with a Beatles ish string as Whitaker urges people to stand out whatever they believe, presumably just very gently and politely (“Excuse me old boy while I glue myself to this tree”).
It’s a charming and delightful album, giving out a warm glow of nostalgia, not so much a time as a feeling: lying in the bath on a Sunday night while your parents do something homely and predictable, a sign that all is well with the world.
The album’s artwork is an oil painting by Simon Davis, showing a weary looking Whitaker depicted as an old man.
He’s touring it and plays Band on the Wall, Manchester, on 10 March 2026.
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