kellar

First of all apologies to all interested parties for the delay with getting around to this, truth is we played it on day of receipt way back many, many weeks ago then mislaid the sleeve, then the CD and eventually the press release. Its discovery was only sealed when a scouting party was sent forth to track down a blevin blectum CD, which you might be happy to hear or might not as the case may be we found incidentally – we’ll see when it turns up in this missive later on. Any way enough blathering, the latest opus from Messrs Cross an Pyne better known to the taste making scene-sters as Kellar with their fourth full length ’four square cipher’. as ever ridiculously limited in nature – this one just 50 copies all of which I’m hoping have now flown the coup and are currently receiving due care, love and attention on a deserving turntable in some trendy pad – I’ve said it before that the foolproof projects back catalogue is sure to be in years to come one of those imprints talked off in hushed reverential tones by record collectors and future hipsters. ‘four square cipher’ sees the duo expanding their repertoire to shape shifting effect drawing to their core a vast multi weaved melodic tapestry which in turn fuses elements of psych, dub, prog, jazz, art pop (’trading 5 for 7‘ springs to mind – could be any number of Henry Cow misfits here tinkering to a lost Stockhausen score), kraut and Acid Mothers liker freeform strangeness – as on ‘commelina’ – with the only common denominator being that you the listener are constantly caught out hopping on your back foot. ‘blistered bones’ opens the account, a milky montage of mind wiring earth beat drizzled dub dream weaves all aglow in the subtle spray of psych trimmings give matters a hitherto Sun Ra grounding albeit as though channelling this heat. The same abstract melodic effect is again encountered on ’not a common practice’ though here as though hoodwinked from spy mission tape recording of a studio session performed by a ’flowers of romance’ era PIL and only recently re-discovered and then passed to those Gnod dudes to commit all manner of weirdness on. For those among you ever left lying awake at night troubled by questions such as what might a king crimson and hawkwind love in sound like might be best to fast track to ‘hysteresis’ a hulking Balkan grooved cosmic cruiser. ’four square cipher’ shapes up as a master class in old school cosmic boogie that’s more than enough of a match for the days current lunar brigade, this honey amassing in intensity like a supernova Mugstar replete with built in hyper drive motors. All said it the monumental ’bellfounder’s craft’ that seals our vote as the sets best moment, with its intricate micro sound detailing and panoramic vision, there’s a kind of hollowed hymnal classicism attaching here, dislocated and scraping church keys underpinned by some epic percussive beats instil a Delia led White Noise astuteness to proceedings. Comfortingly wired, impish and irregular sore thumbs – bless ‘em.
http://www.foolproofprojects.co.uk