A
David Axelrod for the alt-rock and electronic generation!
Not a remake of the
Fleetwood Mac bestselling LP as some might hope, this is an entirely
different beast made up of arty instrumentals. In much the same way
that Daxid Axelrod mixed rhythm and blues with third stream music to
create something contemplative and with a deeper resonance, Paolo
Spaccamonti mixes alt-rock, looped chord sequences and soundscapes
that at first listen seem beguiling but over time reveal a
transporting power all of their own.
His technique of
repetition and layering is at times in danger of being bogged down by
its own seriousness but he does do it rather well. Deeper listening
shows there to be a myriad of influences and styles at play;
post-punk industrial guitars, a nod to OMD's Dazzle Ships, a
touch of sludge-rock on the album's heavier moments, and even some
Robert Kirby style pastoral strings on the closing track 'Fango'.
Spaccamonti already has some impressive collaborations to his name
both live and in the studio. This solo outing will cement his already
growing reputation.
Old
dogs, new tricks! New Hampshire proggers' latest EP!
It's something of a
mystery that Dreadnaught are not more widely known. It's nineteen
years since they formed (yep nineteen!) and as their latest EP
Gettin' Tight With shows, descending into blandness or stasis
is not an option for these chaps. The five-song EP opens with the
dense prog calling card of 'Nervous Little Dogs', all intricate
virtuoso playing which for all its complicated twists and turns
manages to hold together and er.. rock!
The prog tag is
somewhat misleading as over the course of the EP there's traces of
country rock, skewed funk, jazz fusion and Steely Dan-style
sophistication and smoothness to be heard. It's this freedom in their
approach which appeals most, along with their sense of humour. You
get the feeling they take the music seriously but not themselves.
Fans of old school prog bands such as ELP, King Crimson, Genesis and
the like will wet their pants over this stuff. As will open-minded
fans of good music in general. Get on board!
Southern
Gothic epitomised. The American Civil War inspires album and
documentary.
The American Civil War was a brutal, harsh affair
which set brother against brother. It still resonates and haunts
modern America as illustrated by the recent controversy over the
Confederate flag and its continued use in the Southern states. It
still fascinates but is rarely used as subject matter in contemporary
roots music. The Orphan Brigade: Soundtrack To A Ghost Story
is a suite of songs featured in a documentary about Octagon Hall –
a Civil War-era plantation house, reputed to be haunted. Soldiers of
the First Kentucky Brigade were stationed nearby, and it's their
writings and journals that that have inspired the songs featured in
the film and on the accompanying soundtrack album. The musical
collective also took their name from the unit's nickname.
The story of the American South is complicated,
but the music here will teach you as much as any history book. A
project such as this could easily have come across as dry, stilted
and worthy but such is the skill of the musicians and writers
involved this is not the case. Each song focusses on the personal,
human stories that take you into the heart of the subject in a deep
and powerful way. The music is mighty fine too, a hugely enjoyable
example of Americana, which also displays some European and Celtic
roots. It may also contain the finest (and sadly prescient) new
Christmas song you'll hear this year, 'We Were Marching On Christmas
Day'. Whether you believe in ghosts matters little, but it's
difficult to deny how actions and events echo down the years.
Cult
Liverpool musicians' new album searches for truth, beauty and meaning
in a messed up world!
Musicians reforming for the coin may garner more
column inches but when they do so for the music, and because they
have something to say, the results are infinitely more interesting
and worthy of our attention. Such is the case with Beauty Will
Save The World. After an 18 year hiatus RAIJ feel the time is
right for for the world to hear their latest work. A low-key release
it may be, but one that deserves and needs to be heard.
With such a loaded
album title (a Dostoevsky quote), the music has a lot to live up to.
It doesn't disappoint. Comprised of ambient, soft cinematic
soundscapes with poetical spoken word passages drifting in from the
ether in a variety of languages. Over several listens a central
thrust emerges, one concerned with religion, beauty, truth and
transcendence. The music is gentle and tinged with sadness yet
manages to be both elegiac and hopeful. Although there are several
languages throughout the album (every continent represented), the
album is about connections rather than differences. Truly music for
the healing of nations. It may get overlooked in the
end-of-year/Christmas scramble but you're unlikely to find a more
affecting and unique album. Recommended.
South Londoners' latest 7”, very limited and
very very good!
There's a lot of fuss
currently about 1966, due in no small part to Jon Savage's book, 1966
The Year The Decade Exploded. Those of us in the garage world
have always known that the year represented some sort of high water
mark for guitar bands before fragmenting into either drug addled
psych, overblown proto-metal, or back-to-the-country navel-gazing.
Which brings me to The
Fallen Leaves, whose latest single on Market Square Records harks
back to that classic and timeless '66 Beat Explosion, all taut riffs, snappy beats and
guitar jangle. Neither overproduced or overblown, just great taut
songwriting and playing which evokes every era of back-to-basic
bands, from the '60s garage scene, through punk and onto the DIY
ethos of '80s indie.
B-side 'The Inside Of A
Chair' is a more aggressive affair, all instrumental apart from the
spoken “Hello” and “Goodbye” that bookend its short sharp
blast. All in all this 7” is a cracking double header, managing to
bring together all the threads and strands of what a great four piece
band is all about. Get it while it's hot!
Limited to 300 copies
complete with a hand-numbered postcard.
Ex-members
of That Petrol Emotion return for more manic pop thrills!
That Petrol Emotion
were a band whose critical reputation was not matched by record
sales. If anything they were a band out of time. For a band made up
of former members of The Undertones, a smaller following did however
mean the band had more artistic freedom after casting off the pop
shackles. With a sound that was spiky and angular, but bolstered a
solid rock-funk groove the band were out of step with the populist
Britpop sounds when they split in 1994. It was a further ten years
before Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Maximo Park and the like
cashed in with a style that owed much to TPE.
Twenty years on from
their dissolution the final line-up of TPE return with a new name, a
new outlook and no diminishing of their talents or enthusiasm. On
their debut album as The Everlasting Yeah round all four members
share vocal duties along with writing credits. Egos and genres are
left at the door leaving the band free to go where the muse takes
them. They describe their sound as Keltic Kosmische Musik on their
website. While that may be a somewhat bold claim there is a sense of
freedom, an abandonment of tried and tested routes, but with a
remaining belief in the power of a good strong tune.
The Keltic Kosmische
claim is most evident on closing opus 'The Grind' where the band
stretch out into an extended hypnotic jam. Elsewhere top session
saxophonist and indie music biz lifer Terry Edwards makes a guest
appearance on 'Taking That Damn Train Again', a sterling lesson in
skronk 'n' roll. There's even room for some indie-funk on '(Whatever
Happened To The) Hoodlum Angels'. Fans of boundary pushing guitar
music from Television through to QOTSA will find much common ground
here, and much to like!
To title your 2nd
album Cosmic Radio Station is a bold move but not if the
sounds it contains can back it up. Fortunately New Zealand trio The
Shifting Sands have concocted a pleasing mix of hazy shoegaze and
indie thrum and chime which more than backs up the claim. Softly sung
vocals and poppy melodies break through the wall of sound making the
album as much about tunes as it is about textures.
Highlights include the
moody 'Making It Through' where the band get a chance to max out
their pedal boards, 'Coming Back', a pop tune in noisy wolf's
clothing, and the short instrumental 'Whareakeake', a nod to where
the album was recorded, its yearning folk melody adorned with baroque
strings. Throughout the record noise is tempered by melodies, which
break through the shimmer like sunshine through clouds.
Fans of Chaptehouse,
Slowdive and the like will feel right at home, as will those of The
Jesus and Mary Chain. Other signposts include The Psychedelic Furs,
Kurt Vile, and Ultra Vivid Scene. That said, there ain't nobody
around right now quite like The Shifting Sands. Check 'em out!
Lost
recordings from the Brooklynite's mid-noughties reformation.
Much like that other
New York band The Velvet Underground, The Optic Nerve may not have
played much outside their home city, or sold many records in their
brief first flowering. But posthumous LP releases by Get Hip and
Screaming Apple Records have resulted in a well deserved re-appraisal
of the band's sound.
In 1985 on our side of
the pond, bands such as Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream, The
Bodines et al were taking inspiration from mid '60s folk rock,
dressing like Sterling Morrisson and finding an appreciative
audience. In the US such back-to-the-garage mentality was out of step
with what mainstream audiences wanted. Punk rock had yet to go
overground.
Skip forward to 2005
and The Optic Nerve mainstays Bobby Belfiore and Tony Matura form a
new line-up of the band to record an album's worth of material. These
recordings ended up shelved for a further ten years. It's only now,
that State Records are issuing two cuts from these sessions.
'Penelope Tuesday' is
the upbeat, poppy A-side, sounding like a summer smash best heard on
AM Radio. Flipside is a more considered moodier affair, big on
jangle, vocal harmonies and descending chord sequences. Both sides
are worthy of your attention though. Let's hope that full album will
sometime see the light of day.
Long
awaited fourth long-player from TM & HL takes an intelligent and
compassionate look at the hard times of old/new England.
For their
previous album, 2012's La Ferme De Fontenaille, husband
and wife duo Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou spent ten days recording in a
barn located in the Pay De La Loire, France, aided by little more
than a pair of guitars and a 4-track cassette recorder. For their
latest album they've enlisted the help of recording legend Ethan
Johns whose label Three Crows Records is jointly releasing the record
with Trevor and Hannah-Lou's own Anglophone Recording Company.
The
pair have busied themselves between album with a series of tours,
most notably opening for Tori Amos throughout Europe and North
America. Fortunately for us listeners they've also found time to
write. Matching Ethan John's heightened sonic focus on the new album is
the song-writing which is as sharp and incisive as anything from
their back catalogue. As hinted at by the album title's play on
words, EXPATRIOT sees
the duo explore a recurring theme in their writing, that of
nationality, what it means to be British, or more specifically
English. And also just how deep rooted are the systems that
perpetuate our problems with ourselves and the rest of the world.
The
opening title track sets the tone, a rallying wake-up call to a
population whose “daydreaming days may be done”. 'Galley Hill'
casts a compassionate eye at the refugee crisis over an early Beatles
chord sequence while 'Up Mercatoria' paints everyday vignettes of
working life in an area of the duo's hometown and subtly references
the founding blocks of how we interact with the rest of the
world. 'Babe To Cradle' is an album highlight, a genuinely sublime
track with Dylan-ish use of alliteration, examining monarchy as well
as warmongering and extremism. For all the serious topics the album
ends on an optimistic note with 'A Better Day' complete with a
sing-a-long chorus and kazoo solos.
As
a nation we precariously balance hope and despair, pride and shame.
The latter pairing none more so when it comes to how we view and
treat the rest of the world. Our borders may be made by God, but our
frustrating insularity is wholly our own. It's a sensitive area and
one that a lot of musicians shy away from. Not Trevor Moss &
Hannah Lou. If only more musicians were prepared to examine these
issues in such an intelligent and compassionate way. Especially now
we need them to more than ever.
Tir
na nOg's newest mystical masterpiece! A taster from their first
studio LP in over 40 years!
Tir na nOg were and are
trailblazers of genre defying acoustic music. The duo formed in 1970,
released a string of critically acclaimed albums. and achieved a
sizeable cult following before splitting in 1974. The pair re-united
in 1985 for sporadic live shows and have recently stepped their
touring up a gear, much to the delight of fans old and new.
Their reputation as
acid-folk luminaries is now further cemented by the release of new
track 'Ricochet' on a coloured vinyl 7”. Taken from the forthcoming
album The Dark Dance, (their first in over 40 years), it
resembles a devotional Sufi song more than it does Irish or English
folk, with echoes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, acoustic Zep and even The
Sisters Of Mercy. Drone, Arabic scales and percussion are the order
of the day, lending the song an air of urgent mysticism.
The flipside features a
previously unreleased live version 'Tir na nOg'. It's a cracking take
on their signature song and proof that the pairs' talents and
enthusiasm show no signs of diminishing just yet. Land of eternal
youth indeed!
A double pronged ode to love gone wrong from
Hamburg's newest garage band.
One of the garage
scene's default lyrical themes, (hell one of life's themes I guess!)
is love gone wrong, being mystreated by a lover who you'd put all
hope and faith in. With this in mind it could be a case of treading
(dirty) water for German garage band The Wrong Society whose second
single, and first for Paul Messis' Market Square Records, has this
staple subject at its core.
Through sheer spirit
and conviction however this is not the case. She Destroyed Me is a
four chord stormer charting the love-gone-wrong aftermath. It's
bolstered by high-in-the-mix tambourine and a Vox Super Continental
keyboard solo. The Hamburg based quartet have a more measured,
reflective take on the situation on the flipside Without You, where the protagonist's feelings turn from anger to sadness. A nice addition to any deejay's 7" box.
On 7” black vinyl,
limited to 300 copies complete with a hand-numbered postcard.
Check out The Wrong
Society at one of their upcoming German gigs -
Devon
band's take on the Canterbury sound is as warm and welcome as a ray
of late summer sun.
Magic Bus make music
that lives up to their name; it delights, dazzles, and takes you
places you want to go. Their first single for the Fruits de Mer label
contains an original A-side, Seven Wonders, backed with their take on
The Byrds' Eight Miles High. It may just be the pick of the crop of
FDM's early Autumn releases.
If you want comparisons
think Caravan and the Canterbury sound. Think gentle, pastoral home
counties psychedelia. Think Englishness as encapsulated by Robert
Wyatt-esque vocals. Think hops fields, sunny days and games of
cricket. But really don't think at all, just listen. You won't be
disappointed.
The initiated may have
already heard Seven Wonders as it's taken from their Transmission
From Sogmore's Garden album, their 2nd for Static
Caravan Records. For the rest of us this first meeting is as warm and
welcome as a ray of late summer sun. Along with its strong melody and
harmonies worthy of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the band prove equally
adept at wigging out as evidenced in the song's proggy coda.
Eight Miles High is a
slowed down take on The Byrds classic with an almost Gregorian vocal
intro. Any folk-rock urgency is replaced by a more measured jazz
swing. Similarly it's flute and synthesizer that take flight on the
solos instead of McGuin's garbled guitar. Very nice indeed!
'80s
lost psych classic gets a well deserved reissue on Fruits De Mer
Records.
Cult musician Nick
Nicely may not be known to many outside of the psych-scene
cognoscenti, but he sure as hell knows how to make great music. The
lead track of this 4 track EP is actually a B-side from his 1982
single Hilly Fields. Hilly Fields was actually reissued by FDM
several years ago but now it's 49 Cigars that's getting some well
deserved attention.
All the hallmarks of
classic British Psychedelia are present, incorrect and there to
disorientate your senses. Chug and drone, lyrics that engage but
don't always make sense, sampled sonics that swoop in unexpectedly,
along with backwards guitar breaks and a trumpet blast that's part
fox-hunt bugle, part Proms pomp but mostly a reveille directed at the
straight world.
Also included on this
EP is a revelatory live version of 49 Cigars that brims over with
brio and energy, an exclusive remix of Belinda (taken from Nick's
latest solo LP) and Lobster Dobbs, a track taken from his Space Of A
Second LP for LO Recordings. Fans of all things lysergic will find
this as good an entry point as any into Nick's work.
Brooklyn acid-heads trip out into poppy psych
and blissful soul on their latest single.
Market Square Records,
the rapidly blossoming garage rock label, have diversified somewhat
with their latest batch of releases which includes this limited 7”
single by New York acid heads Worthless. It's the sound of '60s pop
going psychedelic. The track's simplistic melody nicely draped in
swirly atmospherics, echo and disorientating reverb.
Softest features a
blissfully stoned circular groove, and comes across like an out-take
from Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson. The sound of
innocence getting experienced. Loping bass and drums that sound like
they could fall apart into fits of giggles at any point. Midway
through this mutates into a solid psychedelic soul groove worthy of
Isaac Hayes, or The (Norman Whitfield produced) Temptations.
Limited to 300 copies
only, this platter comes in a hand-numbered fold over sleeve, the
inner side featuring a collage by Worthless' Curtis Godino, plus a
free postcard. Get one now or regret it later!
Psychedelic
Monkee business and heavy Traffic aboard the Lovecraft.
With Mickey Dolenz and
Peter Tork heading out on their latest nostalgic cash-in for the
first time in ten years it's a happy coincidence that Vibravoid are
releasing a brand new 7” featuring their take on The Monkees
classic (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone. The garage rock staple gets a
Freakbeat makeover complete with backward guitar solo. Neat!
If the Monkees cover
doesn't float your boat there's always their version of Traffic's
Hole In My Shoe which features guest vocals from Italian mod jazz
singer Viola Road. A fairly straight take on the Brit-psych save for
the middle eight section which is sung as opposed to spoken
Completing this 3 track
7” is a new mix of H.P. Lovecraft's The White Ship. Less about
melody and more of a mood piece with atmospherics, synth shimmer and
pulsating bass, it completes a pretty impressive 3 tracker!
Sixth solo single from Sussex-based garage
outsider.
Those of you who are unfamiliar with the recorded
output of Paul Messis should listen up. For my money he makes some of
the most authentic garage psych out there at the moment. And not only
that his songs actually say something. That's right kids, music that
actually speaks to you!
On his latest solo single he takes a stand against
the hypocrisy of the modern world. For all its vocal dissatisfaction
with the mores of today, the backing sounds just like an unearthed
folk-rock nugget from the mid '60s. Two minutes of garage-psych
spleen venting that brings to mind Arthur Lee's Love or early Byrds.
The flipside is an altogether more reflective
affair with a tears-of-a-clown theme. Its C86 vibe provides a sweet
counterpoint to the A-side's fuzzy snarl and bite.
Out now and limited to 300 copies on trad black
vinyl housed in 'Market Square' company sleeve, all copies come with
a hand-numbered Poster.
First 100 buyers of the 45, will get
the record in a DIY photocopied fold-over sleeve made by Paul Messis.
Lancashire's
one man band releases latest ragbag of ideas, invention and razor
sharp guitars.
Remember when indie
meant music unshackled by label or audience expectations, rather the
bland compromised genre it subsequently became in the wake of '90s
Britpop? If you do or wish you did then you'll probably like Don't
Drink The Water by ZX+. A ragbag of no fixed genre but brimming
with energy and razor sharp guitars.
ZX+ is not a home
computer revamped and re-branded by Sir Clive Sinclair, but the
musical conduit for one Stephen Evans. The Lancashire-based musician
has written, sang and played pretty much everything on the album, bar
the drums. Neatly trimmed and non-indulgent for a self-produced
record, it shape shifts between up-tempo wordy
romps Ã
la Arctic
Monkeys and melodic McCartney-esque folksiness, with some Cardiacs
style quirkiness thrown in for good measure.
This feeling of not
quite knowing what to expect is one of the record's main strengths.
The album opens with The Crazies which contains quiet/loud dynamics
and Mick Ronson style guitar hooks. From thereon in were treated to
delicate folksy instrumentals and rum tales over punky backing, all
held together by excellent musicianship, attention to detail, quality
song writing, and Evans' northwestern brogue. A highly enjoyable
album that deserves to be heard.
An
aural love letter to pop's last age of innocence. Papernut
Cambridge's latest LP pays homage to the soundtrack of their youth.
One album I enjoyed
last year was There's No Underground by Papernut Cambridge. A
strong LP which mixed suburban sadness with soft psychedelia and '70s
glam. It was a record that wore its influences on its sleeve. Those
influences are now honoured in the form of 10 cover versions on their
latest LP, Nutlets 1967-80.
It's a fan's labour of
love. An unashamed sepia-toned trawl through the tracks of one's youth. At first
glance it's a disparate selection of tunes but on listening it all
makes sense. So what ties all these songs together? Apart from being
of the same decade (almost), they all share a melodic inventiveness,
invite you to sing along, and have a high feel-good factor.
There are big hits such
as Jesamine and Love Grows Where My Rosemary Grows by The Casuals and
Edison Lighthouse respectively, along with tracks not so well served
by oldies radio stations – Lynsey de Paul's Sugar Me, Alvin
Stardust's Jealous Mind and What Ruth Said by Cockney Rebel. The
album ends with PC's take on Mikey Dread's 1980 track Rockers
Delight. The reggae rhythms slightly at odds with the rest of the
album's bittersweet pop, though no less engaging.
The 1980 cut off point
is telling. By this time Thatcher was in power, the Cold War was at
its height, music was getting increasingly digital, more machine
based and somehow colder and less human. And though things wouldn't
always stay that way a chapter of pop's history had ended. This album
serves as a fitting tribute to those times. Redolent of flared jeans,
star jumpers, Angel Delight, Smash instant mash potato and spending
pocket money on 7” singles sold from a provincial town's white
goods store.
This idea of the 1970s
as a golden age of innocence has since proved to be somewhat
misguided but this collection proves that the decade did at least
have some great tunes. Pop would never be so unashamedly catchy
again. Hats off to Papernut Cambridge for highlighting these
overlooked gems.
Nutlets 1967-80 is
an infectious, highly enjoyable companion piece to There's
No Underground, and as with their previous recorded output is
available on various formats, each containing different versions and
mixes. It will put a spring
in your step, a smile on your face, and tunes in your head that won't
leave for days. You can't ask for much more than that can you.
One of the best albums I've been listening to this year is Ormythology by The Seventh Ring Of Saturn. The band have recently followed this up with an excellent double A-sided 7" single which sees the band return to their bubblegum rock/pop sound with cover versions of The Grateful Dead's Mountains Of The Moon and The Hollies' All The World Is Love. TSROS head honcho Ted Selke has very kindly agreed to share his thoughts on all things musical - discovering Middle Eastern music, favourite childhood 45s, studio techniques and more!
Taken as a whole it's a
rewarding experience, but each individual track stands up well. Not
least in part to the pairs' innate understanding of each others
singing and playing. The are echoes of other great collaborative duos
throughout, most obviously Difford and Tilbrook, Tim and Neil Finn
and Lennon and McCartney. It also reminded me of the kind of song
suite Ray Davies might have made during the 1970s as the soundtrack
for a made for TV special. Factor in some some Everly Brothers'
harmonies and some pre-fame Bowie folk-rock and you have a winning
sound right there. But it's the meticulously crafted songs and
cinematic sweep of story that impress the most.
The Lancashire Hustlers
play The Stage Door, Waterloo, London on September 12th.
Southern
Gothic tradition found alive and well in. Currently residing in the
deep south of Blighty!
Despite the band's
fascination with nascent Americana, The Magic City Trio actually hail
from the deep south of good ol' Blighty, deep in the heart of London.
Not for them is grime music or the kitchen-sink observational
brit-pop one usually associates with the nation's capital . Instead
they make music that owes more to the American deep south -
supersticious settler music, pre-war old-timey ballads, God-fearing
folk songs, Mariachi and early country music are the basic tenets of
their sound. Throw in a bit of Spaghetti Western vibe, some Duane
Eddy twang and you have a pretty tasty recipe!
The band have travelled
and gigged extensively and have just released their debut EP, A
Funnel Cloud In Albuquerque, which features the title track along
with another original track (A Prayer For Hope And Happy Times), and
a traditional Baptist Hymn (The Lone Pilgrim). The deluxe CD version
also features alternate takes of the two original songs.
Fans of The Louvin
Brothers, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, The Band, and early
Americana in general will surely find much to like in their time and
space hopping music. Look at for the band this year as they make a
transatlantic tour of open mic nights. Even better get in touch and
book them for a show or house gig.
Latest issue of garage, punk & psych zine, available from all good stores & distros is out now!
Always a pleasure to get hold of the latest Bananas Magazine and this issue doesn't disappoint. Alongside the sharp, insighful reviews there's the usual bumper-fest of features and interviews with the scene's latest movers and shakers. Bands such as Thee Marvin Gays, Thee Tsunamis and The Youth all share their thoughts with us humble readers, as do labels such as Dead Beat Records, State, and Hidden Volume.
If that's not enough there's volume 2 of their Bananas Peel Sessions, their accompanying online compilations. I've shared the Bandcamp link below but be sure to head over to the mag's website to check out the equally awesome volume 1, subscribe to the mag or track down those elusive back issues. For bonus fun play count the number of stripy breton tops in the mag's photos. No prizes though, this one's for fun only!
Inspired by Jain
philosophy, Will Z.'s new album is one to immerse yourself in. A
meditative spiritual journey unlike anything else you'll hear all
year.
He may have the last
name in the phone book but who is Will Z.? The answer is he's a
singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist who first came to
prominence as a member of Cosmic Trip Machine. His solo output has
all had a similarly exploratory psychedelic bent, be it dark rock,
folk or psych-pop. More recently his involvement with The Book Of
Am project and work with Gong main man Daevid Allen (RIP), has
lead him towards music of a more introspective, meditative nature.
His latest outing is New Start, a serious though highly
enjoyable and rewarding work inspired by Jain philosophy.
The album length
release is broken down into six pieces, with each track based around
a simple repeated musical phrase or motif which is then added to and
embellished. With an emphasis on spirituality, philosophy and self
improvement, the results are as meditative as the mandala on the
record's sleeve. As the title infers there's something cleansing
about this music, encouraging a dumping of previous methods and
baggage, and replacing with a fresh approach, blank slate or
beginner's mind.
Jain Devotion (Parts I
– III) starts with a swampy, dense sound reminiscent of being in
the deep rainforest. Eventually some electronic sound claw through
the sonic swamp - morse, radar, and radio waves merging to find a
harmonious drone. From this a slow mantra-like song builds, implying
the beginning of a journey. And indeed it is, over the course of the
album we're treated a delicious array of textures and musical
pairings. From sitar and flute, oud and mellotron, to more familiar
electric piano and bass. The overall effect is hypnotic, entrancing
and nourishing. And best listened to in one devotional sitting. Turn
off your phone, relax and float downstream indeed!
Pastoral
psychedelia, acid folk, bright psych-lite pop and a Status Quo cover! It's
all there on the second solo LP from Devon's Crystal Jacqueline.
A glance at the track
listing tells you something of this second solo LP from The Honey Pot
vocalist Crystal Jacqueline. Multiple references to the seasons,
nature, mysterious and unobtainable female spirits, all the hallmarks
of an acid-folk album you'd think. A record in the vein of Vashti
Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day or Shelagh McDonald's
Stargazer. And that's true to a point but there's much more to
it than that. From the almost industrial sounds of opening track
Siren it's obvious things are not so clear cut. Leave your
expectations at the door sonic travellers for scattered among the
Nick Drake-esque pastoral folk tracks are enough surprises, twists
and turns to make this a much more multi-hued and varied affair.
For a start there's the
inclusion two cover versions. A stab at Status Quo's In My Chair and
a lovely assured take on Pink Floyd's Grantchester Meadows. The
former is a tight Chicago R&B shuffle, souped up with
effects-laden guitars, whereas Grantchester Meadows blue-sky folk
gets an added space-rock edge. Strange Bloom has echoes of San
Francisco's golden era, all bluesy and meditative, whereas Daisy
Chain is a bright, psych-lite pop tune that in a fairer world would
have a stay in the top 20.
As the album title
suggests Rainflower thematically revolves around nature,
seasons and the weather. For all its sonic diversity these lyrical
concerns somehow piece it all together. A celebration of deep-winter
and high summer, there's mystery, folklore, the beauty of bloom and
the beauty of decay. And for all it's modern production it still
resonates with the wyrd, deep-rooted ways of Old England. An album to
re-visit and treasure.
Heavy blues rockers Vivunder are out on tour this month promoting their latest album Oracles And Prophets (Crusher Records). As a taster of what to expect check out this new video for Son Of Every Lie, taken from the album.
Those tour dates in full -
JUN 12 - DE, Kassel, Goldgrube JUN 13 - DE, Regensburg, Tiki Beat JUN 14 - AT, Vienna, Arena, w/ Black Mountain JUN 16 - XX, Secret Location, Secret Festival JUN 17 - AT, Salzburg, Rockhouse JUN 19 - IT, Castel d'Ario MN, Roccanroll Festival JUN 20 - IT, Milano, Lo Fi Milano JUN 21 - DE, Munich, Backstage, w/ Danava JUN 22 - DE, Solingen, Waldmeister Club JUN 23 - DE, Berlin, Tiefgrund, w/ Danava JUN 24 - DE, Erfurt, Cafe Tiko JUN 25 - DE, Leipzig, Goldhorn JUN 26 - DE, Würzburg, Immerhin JUN 27 - DE, Kiel, Kieler Woche
I was reminded of this LP recently after discussing Bubblegum pop with a pal of mine. I dug it when it came out but it sounds even sweeter now! My original review ran on Subba Cultcha when the album was first released.
Mick
Collins and co. finally release their much promised Bubblegum LP!
Think you know The
Dirtbombs? Purveyors of Detroit garage rock for what seems like
forever, with front man Mick Collins previously responsible for the
force of nature that was The Gories? Yes that band. The band that
have been promising an album of bubblegum pop for almost a decade, an
album most people thought would never materialise. You could almost
think of it as some sort of ruse or joke. Well that album is here and
it's pretty damn good!
Quick history lesson –
Bubblegum for those that don't know is a genre of music that was
created by journeymen record producers back in the late '60s as a
kid-friendly cash-in. With musical roots in the accessible end of
flower-power, beat music and folk-rock, it was often fronted by
manufactured cartoon friendly bands, blokes in animal costumes or
actual cartoons. Think The Banana Splits, The Archies, or 1910
Fruitgum Company. Though despised by serious music fans at the time,
it's since developed a kitsch charm and appeal.
There's something about
the music of one's childhood, it's deeply ingrained and has a sway
over you that the music you hear later doesn't. It's obvious
listening to Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey! (best album title of
the year?) that Mick Collins has a deep affection for this music. The
ten original songs pay homage to this strain of sunshine pop. It's
twee, not in a sexless C86 way, there's just the right amount of fuzz
and groove to keep the faithful happy.
Candy, ice cream,
sunshine and fairground rides all get a look in on this LP of
innocence re-found. The Gories this ain't, but it sure is fun dammit!
I defy anyone to listen to the album's opening track “Sugar On Top”
and not have a smile on their face. Also listen out for the
deliberate melodic steal form The Beach Boys' “God Only Knows” on
album closer “We Come In The Sunshine.”
Garage rock is a genre
that often prides itself in being a ghetto. Mick Collins may upset
the garage rock purists by opting to make music that has roots in
exploitative pop, but hey how cool is it to exploit the exploiters!
Sweet indeed!
The
long awaited second album from Atlanta's TSROS. Mixes psych-rock with
middle eastern scales and rhythms in a most appealing way!
I first became aware of
TSROS when they featured on Fruits De Mer Records' recent 7&7
Is box set of 7” singles covering The Grateful Dead. They were
good at that but what's more of a revelation is the band doing their
own material. Ormythology is the band's second full length
album, several years in the making, self released on a lovingly
hand-stamped CD. It contains a pleasing mix of what some people call
college rock and music of an altogether more Byzantine/Arabesque
nature.
Album opener “Burning
A Hole” contains Nirvana-esque melodies, lyrics of a decidedly 1967
vintage (“cellophane sunflowers, what do you think about time?”)
before nutmegging listeners with killer guitar solos that owe more to
Turkish or Greek music than that of your more traditional guitar
heroes. This is quickly followed by “Teli, Teli, Teli”, an
instrumental which ups the Byzantine ante with guitar flights of
fancy that both stretch out and wig-out in equal measure.
“Time To Fly” is a
more straight ahead Anglo-American rocker, which brings to mind
Teenage Fanclub or The Byrds, characterised by sumptuous vocal
harmonies, and power-pop chord progressions. There's still room for
the lead guitar to surprise and take the song somewhere new. Time To
Fly indeed!
It's refreshing to know
that some bands do look beyond the much mined seams of Hendrix, Page
et al for their inspiration. Time signatures look beyond the usual
rock-fayre, and the melodies are equally at home in a souk or incense
filled temple as they are in a western rock venue. A cliche-free and
illuminating experience is guaranteed for all who are adventurous
enough to listen!
Click here for more
from on The Seventh Ring Of Saturn.
Two
very limited 7” singles featuring Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd covers!
Available at the Fruits De Mer / Mega Dodo joint gig at Putney's Half
Moon this Sunday! (24th
May)
This weekend's hottest
gig ticket is surely the Fruits De Mer/Mega Dodo all-dayer at
Putney's Half Moon. Aside from the stellar line-up, there will also
be ultra-desirable goodie bags for early arrivals. If that wasn't
enough there'll also be a chance to get your your eager mitts on some
other sonic items. Two of which being this pair of limited edition 7”
singles featuring contemporary acts covering early Pink Floyd/Syd
Barrett tracks. Although they've been issued before on FDM's
Momentary Lapse Of Reason double CD (available to “club members”
only), this is their first airing on vinyl. Limited to only 300
copies each, chances are they won't be around for long.
Momentary One
features is marked out by it's sumptuous female vocals, while
Momentary Two is a Syd special. Floyd fans will love all seven
tunes as there's nary a duff track among them. If I was pushed to
pick a favourite I'd probably go for Max Kinghorn-Mills version of
Dark Globe, dreamy, wistful and melancholic. It had me searching out
Barrett's original version with fresh ears. But hey, that's just me.
Track down this pair of 7”s if you can and pick your own favourite,
they're all worthy!
Momentary One
Ilona V – Golden
Hair (Barrett)
Crystal Jacqueline
– Grantchester Meadows (Waters
Cary Grace –
Cirrus Minor (Waters)
Momentary Two
Max Kinghorn-Mills
– Dark Globe (Barrett)
Caudio Cataldi –
She Took A Long Cold Look (Barrett)
The Chemistry Set
– See Emily Play (Barrett)
Todd Dillingham
and Golly McCry – The Gnome (Barrett)
How
I survived the aftermath of the general election with a little help
from Kurt Vonnegut and Beau's latest LP.
After the all too
depressing results of the recent general election sank in, and the
prospect of another five years of Tory government became a reality,
my Twitter feed turned quickly from pre-election optimism and hope,
to despair and blame. It also filled with scaremongering about what
we as a society needed to prepare ourselves for. There was one tweet,
amongst the deluge, that stuck in my mind and seemed to sum up where
our society is heading. It highlighted a quote from Kurt Vonnegut's
Slaughterhouse 5, about how the American poor are encouraged
to despise themselves, perpetuating their position and lack of
opportunity while bolstering that of the rich and powerful. This,
Vonnegut states, is in contrast to many other countries which have
folk tales that value wisdom over wealth, and virtue over
self-serving ambition -
America is a nation
of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor
but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than
anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American
poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest
eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor,
is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question:
“If you’re so smart, why ain’t you rich?” (Kurt Vonnegut –
Slaughterhouse 5)
It's easy to see the
parallels in modern Britain where our underclass is routinely
ridiculed on TV, or attacked in the press, whereas corporations are
free to avoid taxes if they pay enough donations to the right
political parties. Timely then that the latest album from Beau should
drop through my letterbox around the same time as did many electoral
leaflets and voting reminders. It too chimes themes similar to those
found in Slaughterhouse 5, along with other cautionary tales
about corruption and misuse of wealth. Listening to Beau's latest
work did give me some hope for the spiritual well being of our
nation, which in the immediate wake of the election seemed somehow
broken and in need of some TLC.
Shoeless In The
Desert is a gentle compassionate album, and like those folk tales
it champions wisdom and virtue. Recorded simply and in the timeless
folk way of just voice and one 12-string guitar, no overdubs, it's an
album that's all about melody and message. Themes spread across the
album's fourteen songs include religion, immigration, environmental
concerns, alongside more personal takes on relationships, ageing, and
even a humorous sideswipe at coronary heart disease.
In our current
sound-bite and shuffle era it's encouraging to see long-form
songwriting done so well. And no wonder - Beau has been writing,
recording and performing music for over four and a half decades. His
early championing by John Peel tells you all you need to know about
the calibre of his work. (Peel released Beau's debut as the first
release on his Dandelion label). In a fairer world Beau would be a
much valued cultural treasure, up alongside Dylan, Mitchell, Cohen
and the like. As it is the world is not always fair, something that
may become all too apparent over the next few years. Thankfully we
have the likes of Beau to help fight our corner and cushion any
blows. Long may it be so.
As part of an occasional series I'll be posting archive interviews, pieces and reviews I've done for other sites over the years. This is a short but sweet interview I did with James Skelly (The Coral) centred around the release of his Love Undercover LP back in 2013. The Interview originally appeared on Subba-Cultcha.
June 3rd sees the release of Love
Undercover, the
debut album by James Skelly & The Intenders. Skelly is best known
as the main vocalist and songwriter in The Coral, a band that have
released a string of critically acclaimed albums, gaining
Mercury nominations and the respect of their peers along the way.
It's now three years since the last album Butterfly House. With no
new Coral material on the horizon, having abandoned sessions with
producer John Leckie for a sixth album half way through, the
various members have kept themselves busy with side projects and solo
albums. James' brother (and Coral drummer) Ian recently released his
his album Cut
From A Star, a
record that maintains the Coral's gentle psychedelia. Hot on its
heels comes older brother James' effort with new backing band The
Intenders. It's an altogether more soulful, rootsy affair. though
with just enough of The Coral's folk-rock to keep the faithful happy.
Keen to point out that it's a group effort, the band will be touring
throughout the summer (dates below). We caught up with James prior to
the album's release to talk soul music, psych bands and gap years.
Harmonic Distortion – The album's
opening track “You've Got It All” was co-written with Paul
Weller. How did that come about and what's he like to work with?
James Skelly - He sent me a demo,
but it had no words on it. He asked me if I could finish it, so I
wrote the words and the chorus, and then we finished it in his
studio. Ian loved the song and thought it would be right for the
album, so I rang Weller and asked him if I could use it. He said yes.
HD – There's are real live
band dynamic on the album, and I know you're keen to point out the
rest of the band's input on the album. Who have you got playing on
the record and was there an instant chemistry when you all first got
together in the rehearsal room?
JS - I played guitar & vocals,
Paul Duffy - guitar, organ, & vocals, Alfie Skelly - guitar, Nick
Power-piano, Ian Skelly - drums, James Redmond -bass. We've all
played with each other before and we're all close friends, so it was
very natural.
HD – You've worked with some
big name producers in the past, whereas this record is self-produced.
You obviously feel at home in the studio, are there any plans to do
any more production work either for yourself for other artists?
JS - Yes, I love being in the
studio and I've been working with a couple of young bands, Sundowners
and The Circles, It's something I’d like to get into.
HD – Without going as far as
to call Love Undercover a soul album, there's a definite Northern
Soul/R&B vibe going on. Would that be an indication of what
you've been listening to recently?
JS - I've always loved blues and
soul music, I go through phases but that’s what I always go back
to.
HD – I'm really enjoying your
song “Searching For The Sun”, could you tell us a little bit
about how you wrote the song and what inspired it.
JS - I've had that song for a
while, we demoed it with The Coral, then I demoed it. I ended up with
something inbetween the two versions.
HD – The songs on Love
Undercover
come across as less oblique than your songs for The Coral, there's a
tenderness and warmth to a lot of the songs too. It seems to me these
songs are a lot more personal than much of your previous work, would
that be a fair observation?
JS - I'd say the songs are more
direct. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter. I thought the
lyrics on Butterfly House were as good as I was going to get in that
style, so I felt it was time for a change.
HD – I'd say there's a good
case to be made for having one of the most instantly recognisable
male voices from the last decade with Love
Undercover
containing some of your best vocal performances, there seems to be a
real sense of spontaneity and joy in them. Who would you say were
your main influences as a vocalist?
JS - Van Morrison, Steve Marriott,
Ronnie Spector, Dion DiMucci, Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, Ben
E. King, Robert Johnson, Willie Deville, I could go on, but I'll
leave it there.
HD - Would you say there was
less pressure and expectation on this record than say there would be
on a Coral album?
JS - In a way, because I only had
to answer to myself, but I'm my harshest critic, so it didn’t make
a big difference.
HD – Sorry to bring up the
C-word but I have to ask, it's three years since Butterfly
House was
released, is there likely to be another Coral album or tour at any
time in the near future?
JS - Yes, I hope so, it has to be
right though, I wouldn’t want to do it just for the sake of it.
HD – Your song “I'm A Man”
has that Arthur Lee-style Mariachi vibe on it, I'm assuming you still
dig Love, Beefheart and all? Do you keep up with any of the current
crop of psychedelic flavoured acts such Temples or Jacco Gardner?
JS - I've heard Temples, it's good
but there's a lot of lo-fi stuff around, I’m waiting for a young
band to come and smash it.
HD – The song “Darkest
Days” is a sublime ending to the record, with warm sentiments that
characterise much of the album. Do you find yourself getting more
drawn towards introspection as you get older?
JS - I've always been like that,
I'm just hiding it less these days.
HD – You've been releasing critically acclaimed music for over twelve
years. So many flavour-of-the-month bands have come and gone, yet
you're still around, without courting the gossip columns, and still
making great music. What do you put this longevity down to?
JS
- I'd still be doing it even if no one was listening. It's all I
know. I get the impression a lot of bands are just on a gap year.