Which leads us nicely to ‘the sun yard’ – the latest full length from Schizo Fun Addict. This has been a long time coming, aside the sporadic hushed hints from head honcho Jet throughout the year it seems ’the sun yard’ has been on and off the back burner in the idea stage going back as long as their debuting platter for the Bracken imprint (the label from which Fruits de Mer rose – incidentally that aforementioned cut appeared on a split with the boy from space entitled ‘Jericho son down‘ which along with their second for the label – ‘dream of the Portugal keeper’ – both happen to feature here). It hasn’t all been quiet on the Schizo related front, earlier this year Jet posted a new cut ’I’m gone’ co-written with Benbo aka Tris / Black Tulips. Elsewhere Schizo matters had taken a backseat with preoccupations consumed by various side projects, some manifesting considerably, most notably the ‘towers’ film which directed by Jet has since gone on to receive critical applause from the independent film cognoscenti.
And so to ‘the sun yard’ – three plays in and counting – the fourth full length from Schizo Fun Addict discounting 2008‘s ‘imperial quazar’ which according to its authors was ’an electro compilation’ of sorts available to download for free on Christmas Day – indeed free I kid you not and they say the seasonal spirit is lost. And so you might be thinking – okay where’s the catch, and if there is no catch, is it any cop or has it simply been cobbled together in haste. I admire your scepticism but think on for the last time a free to download album of such quality was drop kicked our way as a result causing much celebrated hoo-hah was the Crimea’s ‘secrets of the witching hour’ which ended up vying for affections with PTV3’s ‘hell is invisible, s/he is heaven’ as that years album of the year. Awaiting patiently sit 11 solid gold cuts comprising just shy of 34 minutes of perfection. No fillers, no flaws, no lightweights, just a collection of grooves that should by rights elevate the Schizo’s to critical praise and I don’t say this likely. A finite blending of soft psych, kaleidoscopic pop, beautified pastorals and buzz sawed bubble groove is what’s on offer. The set opens with ‘awesome lovin’ and from therein your hooked upon a dream weaving voyage final stop ‘Jericho son down’, between these bookends there’s a nifty Nada Surf cover ‘blizzard of ‘77’ (here cooled, smoked and served up to radiate in a wonderfully homely softly dimpled shelling that recalls a latter career Quickspace) and a kind of homage to Ramones and forest park via ‘forest park bandshell renegades’ (a buttoned down scowl at you scuzzed and scuffed riot of sound that cutely references ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’). elsewhere the smoked shimmer toned and spaced out milky white soft psych folk of ’St Andrews’ is cast upon a timeless misty enchantment that sees it sonically spell weaving aural apparitions traced in a lysergic magicalia which admirers of Broadcast may well appreciate.
Best moments of the set – so many to chose from though pricking our earlobes album opener the ultra sexy space rocking ‘awesome lovin‘, a trip-a-delic psychotropic dream weaved trance trip hopped honey that takes its initial cue from Primal Scream and then finds itself fed through the kaleidoscopic spin dryer of Fuxa to come on like a sumptuous tie-dyed slab of third eye peaking cosmicalia. Equally turning heads ‘pterodactyl’ with its laser locked riff struts shimmers in a hallucinogenic haze pouting and kicking to a dead eyed shock treated glam psych motif. All said we here are still I must admit somewhat smitten by the genteel afterglow emitting from ‘dream of the Portugal keeper’ which we still reckon sounds like a smoked slice of ethereal psyche folk exotica that imagines Camera Obscura under the woozy tutelage of an out there and softly sultry Burt Bacharach. A late but all to essential last minute addition to year end best of lists.
the sunday experience 