Tales from the Attic
Volume XLV
Revolutions of a 45 and 33 kind…..
Second instalment of this desk clearing extended year end missive…..
Featured gatherers….
Popguns, captain bland and the revelators, switches, billy idol, janitors, wooden arms, primordial undermind, lutine, grimm grimm, Hannah Schneider, wand, chemistry set, dead leaf echo, adam leonard, superfjord, earthling society, September girls, teenage moods, midwich youth club, ste mccabe, chloe march, abigails, leslie king, unseen, daisy Victoria, lykathen, menace ruine, spectres, animal house, victories at sea, sproatly smith, the hare and the moon, prom, noveller, john j presley, bordellos, my autumn empire, ephemeral man, ty seagall, firestations, martin carr, necro deathmort, asteroids galaxy tour, palace of swords, gulaab, sleepyard, the harrow, slow readers club
Loosely back with Fruits de Mer who we mentioned a second or so ago, the label fresh from pretty much selling out of their recent ‘7 and 7 is’ box set and that spiffing Simones 7 inch have listed their November schedule which of course will include that by all accounts dandy subscribers double disc of Floyd covers entitled ‘a momentary lapse of vinyl’. A limited seven from the adored chemistry set heads the charge followed in hot pursuit the ‘coltrane’ 7 inch which sees Earthling Society contributing a new mix of ‘journey into satchidananda’ with superfjord’s ‘a love supreme’ on the flip – as an additional bonus there’s a cd featuring 70 minutes worth of grooviness from the wax protagonists with assistance from Astralasia and VHShead. All said the most eye catching of all is a 10 flexi disc box set featuring an all star gathering of the luck of eden hall, crystal Jacqueline, schizo fun addict, the past tense, Icarus peel, astralasia, the thanes, the crawlin hex, the loons and the blue giant zeta puppies. Entitled ‘postcards from the deep’ the set finds each bands track housed on its own square flexi disc accompanied by a square postcard all housed in a fold out poster inside a clam shell shaped box – as if that wasn’t spoiling you enough the tracks also feature on a bonus CD with many of the cuts tweaked, extended and re-rephrased. http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/discography.html
You’ll have to forgive us with this one because we’ve lost the press blurb, all we know is that it marks the return of the mighty popguns, that it’s on matinee and that it kicks like a mule. ‘lovejunky’ is your primed, loaded and ready for adoration pristine pop hand grenade ablaze in trimmings of power chord purrs, lost abandonment and the fleeting tug of memories of thoughtful lazy nights marooned around the bedroom dansette playing heyday Sarah records platters until the grooves wore flat. A three and a half minutes shoehorning of stand by swoons frantic toe tapping boog-a-loo that sweeps you off your feet peppers kisses upon your cheek and in the blink of an eye is gone, vamoosh, see ya – a kind of Darling buds with tiny cute teeth if you must. https://soundcloud.com/matinee-recordings/the-popguns-lovejunky
Think we’re okay to post this, again something else for which we’ve laughingly lost the press release for. From what we can make out its on reverberation appreciation society imprint who sound like a label whose mailing list we seriously need to be on, anyhow this is by Christian Bland and the Revelators from their third full length ‘the unseen green obscene’ – seriously don’t ask – which is available on every imaginable variant your heart could possibly desire including on a cassette where the release credits are shared by those burger records dudes. From that set here’s ‘the last summer’ a kind of reverb thick head warping slab of woozy psychotropia that joins the invisible dots between Donovan – the butthole surfers and Cheval Sombre – all of them of course imbibing heavily on the transcendental gospel psych essences wafting from the altar of the Spacemen 3. https://soundcloud.com/reverberationappreciation/02-the-last-summer
Fancy a slice of stereophonic shakedown then the switches might just scratch that itch – they hail from Alberta, Edmonton if you’re really wanting to split hairs, three girls one lad, they’ve an album incoming titled ‘I just wanna’ scheduled for November record store counter action from which ’15 beers’ is being leaked as a teaser single. In truth one of the niftiest slabs of garage groove we’ve heard in a fair while – a whole heap of ripping rock-a-hula all sprayed in a 60’s vintage which rather than growl purrs with the kind of ear candy bare arsed pop prowess that has you falling in love with records all over again, add in to the formula Hammond drenched struts, swaggers and swoons aplenty and the kind of smoking cool lip sneering aloofness that just makes you sigh – reference wise should you need them imagine a Suzi Q hosted studio party attended by Shangri-La’s, the Sirens and the Shaggs types. Nuff said.
Holy shit Troy. Now if this had been jukebox jury I’d have been struggling to guess who this was by only. Are you sure that this is Billy Idol. Says so on this here tin so it must be. It’s not so much the sound or style, though we will get to that in a second, but the voice, I can only assume that my hearing is fading because there’s none of that cocksure and sneering lip curled scowl, this is Idol on the ropes and throwing his all in, its deeper more smoked and pretty much unrecognisable when this loosens itself from the shackles and goes for it for the chorus. We here though have a soft spot for Idol, Generation X where our first love, ‘Valley of the Dolls’ a much underrated album and disappointingly crucified critically while parting shot ‘Kiss me Deadly’ is pretty much a foretelling soundtrack of MTV’s coming and in to the bargain the near naked and vulnerable blueprint for classic Idol to come to which America embraced – ‘dancing with myself’ still resonates with a subtle and enviable ahead of the curve cool that literally pissed over most of the class of 76. As to the song itself, it’s your fist to the sky punching effervescence, admittedly a little too saccharine for our taste buds but certainly evidence aplenty that the Idol now has connected to the Idol of a former younger self c. ‘Rebel Yell’ and with that rediscovering his mojo which be honest is about time given the late 80’s and 90’s where a fairly rum period creativity wise. So to ‘can’t break me down’ – is Idol the only one who can make the 80’s sound so – well er – modern and relevant, all-out aural attack brimming teeth bearing boogaloo which admittedly after several plays really begins to kick in, searing riffolo all blessed with the kind of breathless eye jabbing punch that sweeps you along avalanche like whether you fancy it or not into its path all kissed with a prowling purr and a f*** you teen spirited speaker splitting euphoric chorus line. New album ‘kings and queens of the underground’ looms large on the horizon.
Mentioned this a little while back, new thing by the janitors entitled ‘here they come’ ripped from their spanking new psychedelic white out set ‘evil doing of an evil kind’ for the esteemed bad afro imprint. Now adorned by an absolutely head tripping video directed by Sten Backman and featuring actress Salka Backman that enhances perfectly the mesmeric mantra that these high priests of psych appear adept of dropping into your listening space, sand dry snake charms dabbling in black arts endow this with a deeply darkening ceremonial mind frying experience, easily filed under bad trip voodoo boogie.
Oh my, this is an emotional rollercoaster of some majestic measure that manages to crush and caress with the merest inflection of a deftly turned note, such emotional heartbreak and exquisite attention to detail of the type that these days you rarely find executed better than on releases shyly emerging from the Gizeh imprint, the poise, the classicism and the wonderment seductively purred into a widescreen watercolour imparts a fading and touching romantic incline that has you rushing to it to embrace it with consoling arms. It’s by Wooden Arms it’s called ‘December’ and it’s coaxed from a debuting full length ‘tide’ for butterfly collectors.
Many thanks to Eric for posting this on our facebook page – ensures we don’t mislay the blighter as appears to be the case these days – occurring with evermore disturbing regularity. Anyhow this slab of bluesian ju-ju comes from the much admired (even if they don’t send records) primordial undermind. Not sure if this is going to be made readily available but it’s the quartet recorded live at Berry Feast performing the mellowing and mind altering ’glass / spit / revelation’ which by our well worn ear trumpet sounds like something emerging from a sleepy haze procured from the first Woodstock having been in some comatose state these last forty or so years which now awoken is tooting merrily on bong pipes doing mind morphing mosaics out of a stoned out recipe equal part ingredients drawn from Gratefuls, Lynrds, Jeffersons and the occasional slash of Neil Young and Zeppelin-esque essences- total wig out. https://soundcloud.com/primordial-undermind/glass-spitt-revelation-live-at
‘white flowers’ – the debut full length from Brighton duo Lutine has been getting a fair amount of affectionate glances of late, which pains me considerably given that we haven’t as yet committed to type a review. That said words of fondness were bestowed upon a sneak teaser track ‘sallow tree’ a week or so ago here which gives hope to those who think we sit on our hands all day. So before we get scribbling words of undying affection here’s something of a treat from that self same album in the shape of ‘to the sea’ – utterly divine strange pop, demurred and ethereal and quite unlike anything you’ll hear in an age for Lutine’s sepia trimmed ghostly folk noir seductively canters, caresses and coos like a spectral Laura J Martin. Quite slyly sublime if you ask me.
Just out the first issue of ‘it’s psychedelic baby’ – trippy art work upon a wall to wall 130 page extravaganza of both eye and ear fantasia that’s even had respected psych / garage authority Vernon Joynson literally frothing at the mouth with undying praise and which per the press release is perfect reading matter for those tuned into shindig, ugly things and flashback. Emerging from the respected website of the same name issue #1 promises to be a Texan psychedelia special featuring a plethora of interviews and features among the roll call – Moving sidewalks, lemon fog, golden dawn, corpus to name but a small select few as well as a very rare interview with Witch – one for the real purists and as though that wasn’t enough inside you’ll find tucked a head warping CD of sounds lost and found. Expect full reviews sometime near future. https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/issue-1
on one side the delightfully dinky ‘kazega fuitara sayonara’ whilst other on the flip the disturbingly beautiful ‘tell the truth’ occupy the grooving lines of a new single for the pickpocket imprint by Grimm Grimm who in case you are previously unacquainted with is the solo project of one Koichi Yamanoha of screaming tea party. Seriously hearing these two tracks it’s hard to believe it’s the same creative mind at work such is their diversity in terms of style, texture and sound. Lead out track perhaps provides the perkiest and poppiest of listening activities, its clockwork rhythms and syncopating modulations craft a child like expressionism that admirers of the resource centre, Raymond scott and a young starry eyed ISAN might fall for this sleepy headed posy yawns, stretches and rubs its eyes before emerging to life to court something that can only be best described as a fairy dust sprinkled lullaby love note which to its bow ties together the hidden dots drawing together Orla Wren, Aritomo and the more playful moments from Bearsuit records esteemed back catalogue. Arresting as it might be we here are a little somewhat smitten by ‘tell the truth’ – in the lulling glow of a shimmering minimalist strum, what first appears sparse, hollowed and ghostly soon assumes a warm intensity purred in hazy swathes of baroque psych folk that pulsates delicately to seductively slipstream into sonic corridors more associated with Cheval Sombre. Does it for us just need to bag a copy now.
Prized from a forthcoming third album ‘red lines’ via lojinx / sony Denmark, according to the attaching press blurb this comes wrapped in ‘epic dark electro’ which we’d tend to agree if it weren’t for the fact that to these threadbare ear lobes ‘butterfly lovers’ finds Hannah Schneider sultrily smouldered in all manner of lights lowered late night sophisticat pop that temptingly breezes through succulently trimmed in sepia framed noir swathes all honey crushed in slick down tempo treatments purring soft seduction amid a delicate svelte widescreen smothering that ought to finds admiring glances from devotees of massive attack and ROC. https://soundcloud.com/lojinx/hannah-schneider-butterfly-lovers
Damn this has been causing some serious damage since appearing on our listening radar, one side of a collaborative split release from the Aagoo and goodbye boozy sound houses, this particular track ripped from Wand’s side of the equation – the other side features Inutili who regular observers of these pages may recall we raved mucho about when their colossal ‘music to watch the clouds on a sunny day’ opus kicked our stereo to splinters. Anyhow alas we only have the Wands side (missives of a begging nature have been duly dispatched) – and what a beast it is.’self hypnosis in three days’ is a right royal head kick – fuzzed out bubble groove which initially cuts a dash with some neatly wayward Ramones vibes before dropkicking itself and imploding into a sweetly hazy slab of acutely skewed glam gashed fried and schizophrenic freaky psych pop which amid the gouging buzz drilled motifs we swear we hear the hazily glazed after burns of a shock treated and youthful Of Montreal losing their minds. The absolute danders in short. https://soundcloud.com/aagoo/wand-self-hypnosis-in-three
This is part of the forthcoming Fruits de Mer late winter collection and a track that has had Keith at FdM literally proud and frothing at the mouth noting along the way that had the label a sure fire pop chart botherer then this would be it. To whom do we refer – why it be the Chemistry Set – primo purveyors in the art of psych pop and a band who at cruise control are head and shoulders above their peers, but when they hit their stride they are pretty much outer orbit and ahead of the curve. ‘elapsed memories’ is the lead out track on a limited coloured wax 7 inch (with poster) scheduled to arrive in record world at the fall of November. An immense skull top fracturing five and a half minute trip-a-delic odyssey trading upon a classic progressive psychedelia weaving and blooded in a richly honed classicism that swoons to monumental hook heavy tides and a lushly driven baroque symphonic rush peppered in crystalline harp shimmers that ripple into momentary psyche white dream sequences to veer into a Love supreme cornucopia of colour replete with subtle washes of arabesque swirls murmured in ‘Ocean Rain’ garlands. Exquisite.
<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/92756740″>The Chemistry Set – Elapsed Memories – New Single Available from 22 November 2014</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3212846″>Captain Psych</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
The chemistry set also appear on two compilations – first up ‘live and let live’ from their recent FdM single (part of the ‘7 and 7 is’ box set) which finds them rephrasing sublimely the Love lost nugget of yore – is featured on psychgaze 49 which you can find somewhere here https://www.facebook.com/Psychgazer/photos/a.477370195712696.1073741828.476359449147104/602388063210908/?type=1 which also features Spacemen3, la gell gang, brian Jonestown massacre, Pontiacs, the out, haunter and free sunshine acid whose ‘carbon’ caught our ear lobes being of the sunny disposition it is and sounding into the bargain like a super chilled and smoked out Spectrum replete with some nifty side winding riffage not to say some classic ghost rider wooziness which those much loving of their northern star ‘psychedelic’ comps will surely swoon to….
Free sunshine acid…..
The chemistry set…..
<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/99380287″>The Chemistry Set – Live and Let Live – Forthcoming 7″ vinyl single, part of the “7&7 is” Box Set</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3212846″>Captain Psych</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
Staying with the Chemistry ones they also appear on a three disc tribute to the Floyd entitled ‘the many faces of …..’ – a gargantuan feast of sound that’s admittedly been out for a while and a copy of which we are a little light on. Anyhow the Set take on ‘see Emily play’ – alas no sound cloud links – among the roll call they are paired up against – deep breath – ready go – psychic TV, Wakeman, king crimson, fee waybill, ian Anderson, steve howe, nik turner, al stewart, the green telescope, banco de gaia – like wow.
In time to celebrate a short stateside tour dead leaf echo have crafted a video for the track ‘so.wrong’ which as you might recall featured on their acclaimed ‘true.deep.sleeper’ EP released earlier this year – typically trippy, transcendental and murmured seductively in all manner of demurred dream popping drowsiness this honey arrests to sweetly tingle glassy eyed whilst drawing together the invisible dots snagging the likes of gene loves jezebel, chapterhouse and the kitchens of distinction.
Maybe it’s the lateness of the hour, tiredness playing tricks or the hearing fading but do we hear the feint whiff of the Soft Hearted Scientists serenading the opening track from the third part of AB Leonard’s exhaustive ‘Octopus’ opus. A cover of the kitchen cynics’ ‘the place you hid’ – the original a crookedly kooky folk ramble blessed with a Ray Davies autumn glow now devilishly dinked in maypole recitals, roving rustics and the adept archaic artistry and old worldly traditionalist folk weaving that once upon a time appeared to be the forte of such timeless tune travellers as tunng and the owl service. Full reviews will appear here somewhere later…… http://adamleonard.bandcamp.com/
And there we were musing over forthcoming Fruits de Mer goodies when along arrives a gratefully received package housing hot off the press promos of said releases. First up the aforementioned ‘elapsed memories’ by the Chemistry Set comes adorned on 7 inches of coloured wax limited to just 700 copies replete with fold out poster. Lead out track we’ve mentioned at affectionate length elsewhere here – it is quite sublime believe you me – is backed by two further turntable turn ons – the self-penned ‘a cure for the inflicted afflicted’ and a rephrasing of Hendrix’s ‘love or confusion’. The former an edgy romp grizzled in stoner blues ruptures, subtle 60’s beat grooved motifs, dreamy mirages and by its near end a particularly wig lifting freak out which all translates sound wise into something of animalistic cutie that smokes with the kind of raw primal grooving rarely witnessed let alone ventured outside of a Troggs treat. As to ‘love or confusion’ – mellow, all daubed in woozy sitar swirls that dimple mind weaving hypnotic Eastern essences, the vibes chilled and arrested in an out of body drifting morph seductively loose and relaxed to exude a hazily glazed trippy aura – do you think we can get this bottled?
Again limited to just 700 copies and pressed up on 7 inches of coloured wax with an additional bonus CD of extended mixes, guest remixes, live renditions and various odds n’ sods – ‘Coltrane’ finds both Superfjord and the Earthling Society on opposite sides of vinyl smoking out the grooves with some seriously wired sonic investigations in to the Coltrane musical legacy with the former setting sights on John Coltrane’s ‘a love supreme’ and the latter re-trimming Alice’s ‘journey in satchidananda’. The release by all accounts a fortuitous accident of sorts with the FdM receiving the Superfjord cut a little while back and unable to find a way to release it. Step in Earthling Society whose freaked cover of the Alice classic was the highlight of their recent Riot Season opus ‘england have my bones’ and still by our reckoning one of the finest tracks we’ve heard all year – was heard by Keith FdM. He recalled that lost Superfjord nugget and suddenly an idea was hatched – get the Earthling ones to trim their cover to fit a possible seven. The blighters however had beaten him to the punch and handed over a new pre-prepared ‘cosmic joy mix’ – and so back he was in touch with Superfjord who by happy coincidence had re-tweaked their mix. And so a seven was born. Quite possibly the most stoned out and blissful outing on FdM if that is you don’t count Astralasia’s return from the wilderness early this year. Earthling Society’s new revisioning of ‘Satchidananda’ is a tripping cornucopia of sound and colour that veers into heart of 70’s trip-a-delic krauts Embryo albeit as though mushied up on the woozy wig flipped vibes tripping from the grooves of the Walking Seeds ‘bad orb…whirling ball’ and so far out and mind fried in transcendental textures that where it not for nailing the blighters down beforehand then various bits of your listening space start dissolve and dissipate into gaseous lysergic hazes. As to Superfjord – they hold their end up sublimely to cook up a fringe parting psychotropic dream coat which for the best part sounds as though its time tunnelled its way from a late 60’s happening having fallen out of the back of the magic bus, a head expanding stereophonic trip pill that ought to turn on the magic mushroom band and astralasia purists along with anyone who ever subscribed to the hallucinogenic ambi-psych tones eked out by the much missed Delirium imprint in the early 90’s – far out.
Ooh, heavenly pop softly allured in whispering woozy choral harmonies and freckled in frost flakes blessed with a radiance that burns attractively like a lit love note and swooned by the embracing honey glowed trickle of starry eyed electro purrs. It’s by Prom who hail from Brooklyn, a duo Gabe and Ella who from the evidence heard by way of new single ‘switch on’ have graduated from the Eurythmics school of svelte pop and blossomed their candy crushed pop repertoire to incorporate a tease taster flavouring of Dollar, Dubstar, the lover speaks and SPC ECO essences to delicately dream something that by rights ought to have those dudes over at emerald and Doreen records suffering mild fainting bouts. https://soundcloud.com/promisaband/switchon
okay admittedly this has been out for a while but this just has to be heard it is immense and guaranteed to leave you struck dumb in awe and disbelief that somehow perhaps you have survived thus far through life’s daily grind without having this at your shoulder to offer solace and escape. Seriously I’ve played this twice, cried 6 times and quite frankly – hate to get maudlin on you – but elevated it to the top of the records at my funeral playlist – it could well be the last record – that good – I’ll go as far as to say I’ve not been this blown away by a track since hearing Peel playing Bang Bang Machine’s ‘geek love’ – the extended mix – for the first time. The atmospherics, the resonance, that sense that you are in the company of something truly monumental, emotionally unravelling, statuesque and beyond mere pop / sound. Conveying a multitude of moods and feelings that veer from loss – hope – and the nothingness of it all – this bleakly beautiful honey – incidentally titled ‘no dreams’ – is as unreal as it is ethereal, a polar opposite of my bloody valentine, spectral, fragile and divinely minimalist in craft and technique and without doubt informed by the noise core purists emanating from New Zealand in the late 80’s and with that possessed of a reverential gravitas that suggests a celestial visitation has passed your way. It’s by Noveller – in essence one Sarah Lipstate who I believe is visiting Europe on tour, should you get the chance I suggest you drop everything and make the necessary pilgrimage to see her.
Ready for a total shakedown, then allow me to introduce you to John J Presley who I’m suspecting gave those Jim Jones Revue dudes a run for their money whilst opening for them recently whilst his press people sold us on the mere promise of sounding like something sitting between Jack White, Jon Spencer and Mark Lanegan. Be honest were we ever going to pass up such a listening experience. Hellfire ‘honeybee’ his imminent single for killing moon is your full on nailed to the crossroads bad blues boogie and comes scowled and gouged in the dirtiest three minutes you’ll hear in a fair old while for this fuzz howled bruiser prowls, lusts and opines with such primal intensity that a cold shower is highly advised after even listen, a whole heap of scorched and scuzzed out soul blues badness that nods to the kick ass groove of Hendrix, the seductive prowess of Bolan and the primal horniness of the Troggs. https://soundcloud.com/john-j-presley/honeybee
Yes we’d like to know how come this has so far missed the cut, a new, old Bordellos cut rescued from the vaults which we happened upon very early this morning. Entitled ‘Aaron’s Spectre’ it’s pulled from the darker entries of the Bordellos back catalogue that these days appears with deft ease to freewheel between the psychotic, the schizoid, the minimalist, the Velvet-esque, the Fall-esque and the quite sublime. One trick ponies they are not, though I have to admit I’m slightly affectionate of their sparser and acutely lo-fi dalliances of which this manages to fire off all the buttons and has had us rooting frantically through the amassed records to locate and reacquaint ourselves with Left Hand’s criminally overlooked ‘minus 8’ debut. Brooding, dark and tantalisingly chilled in a kind of senses unravelling vice gripping high tension all grizzled in the kind of spared and stripped to the bone oblique pop carcass that has you thinking that that Albini bloke has been tucking into. https://soundcloud.com/bordellossavant/aarons-spectre-1
Can anyone help, we tumbled across this around the same time as tripping over the Bordellos cut – see above – and now can’t remember where the hell we got it from let alone any details as to who they are. It’s by my autumn empire and it’s called ‘the strange wave’ – that much we do know. This little honey ought to appeal to those who get starry eyed and light headed each and every time the soothing tones of the Warm Digits swoon into view, teased in 70’s styled retro electro garlands and lunar lilted pulsars there’s an acutely cute nod to the Go Team’s debut 7 inch here for the much missed pickled egg imprint as well as a fond wander back in time in admiration of TV test card tune trims and the strange sound pioneers who graduated through childhood’s lulled by those dinky Radiophonic Workshop idents. https://soundcloud.com/myautumnempire/the-strange-wave
One of these days we will get around to devoting the hours deserved in covering / featuring Leigh Wright’s hugely informative Wyrd Daze multi media resource – later this missive in fact we’ll be scouting over a recent Alrealon Musique special. Aside the Wyrd Daze project though and before it was even conceived Mr Wright frequented record world with all manner of strangeness and weirdness as the Ephemeral Man peppering listening device with left field ambient / electronic sound scapes. After a somewhat lengthy sabbatical he returns with the quite remarkable and impressive ‘Endless’ which by his usually standards is beautifully inclined and dare we say romantically trimmed in the silken swathing of neo classicist sighsand the kind of widescreen tempting more associated with Thomas newman a la ‘the adjustment bureau’ which just when you think it’s going to go all Floydian raptures suddenly pulls back from the brink resetting itself on a loop that both charms and mesmerises the listener. Of course this being the Ephemeral Man matters have a habit of turning decidedly dark with fearful portent looming obliquely at its close. https://ephemeral-man.bandcamp.com/track/endless
ripped from his universally acclaimed ‘manipulator’ set Ty Segall goes all loved up and radiantly transcendental for the glam psych purred anthem ‘the singer’ itself due for its moment in the sun when it gets released next month, a gorgeously attractive slice of 50’s bubble grooved aural ear candy that imagines a lysergic refuelling point where lolling around the hallucinogenic scenery T-Rex, of montreal, doleful lions and neutral milk hotel go all ghostly glam gospel on your hides whilst transmitting love noted subliminal messages – desirably trippy stuff with kooky video to boot……
Okay I know for a fact that somewhere in our inbox – around the time we went off radar – we got something from Birdpen which we really will endeavour over the coming days to root – now I mention all this – as not only a heads up to possible Birdpen happenings here but also to note that this particular lovely from Walt Time records (who you may recall released that spiffing Chin of Britain set) really does have a certain charm of them about its wares albeit as though dinked and trimmed with the aftertaste of dark captain light captain. That said you won’t be too surprised to hear we’ve mislaid the press release with all the usual handy to know gubbins – but it’s by Firestations – it’s called ‘forgetful man’ and it’s their new single due very soon i think). Pretty smart it is to if that is your listening preferences extend back to those early Swimmer one singles, subtle electro buzzes pulsed upon a delicately alluring clockwork motif and finitely smoked with a coolly shimmered caress that teasingly whittles its way beneath your defences with an arresting and breezily understated pure pop prowess. Over on the flip the same cut given a bit cloudy treatment and jettisoned far out into the cosmic realms whereupon it acquires something of a lights lowered snow falling kind of feel good warmth, deceptively tasty in short. Alas no links just yet……
Blimey this is mellow, new thing from Martin Carr – he of Boo Radleys and brave captain fame, taken from his recent ‘the breaks’ set, new single ‘mainstream’ is a bit radio 2 or should that be radio 1 – well whatever, whichever one is the not the new / old radio 1, gone are the days i guess of the radiant three minute pop crushes, perhaps age or boredom has brought to bear this more considered persona and with it an economy of song craft, that’s not say there’s anything lacking here, in fact its quite breezily lazy eyed and flavoured in a hazy 60’s floatiness that’s adrift in bitter sweet reflection and framed with sighing brass fanfares which owe something of a nod to Bacharach to which case admirers of the Brigadier will duly adore and rightly so. And before I forget – on tapete.
Been a seriously long time since we featured anything by distraction records – erstwhile home of d_rradio and warm digits not to mention upstarts the Big Oaks, longer still since we tripped over sore thumbs Necro Deathmort. These dudes are seriously fucked up and are midway through a promised trilogy of misery with EP2 not so much following in hot pursuit of last years EP1 but rathermore ripping itself from some hellish womb after a breath period of gestation and slavishly dragging itself forth through dark oblivion stopping off at intervals to suck the souls of unfortunate hikers along the way. Now in truth we were only going to hang around and listen to the opening track and then fire of missives of a begging nature to secure promos but then track two kicked in and we thought what the f we’ll stay a little longer, because this isn’t quite the suffocating death drilled doom we’d come to expect and remember from our last necro deathmort encounter. Agreed it is dark, it is foreboding and it does retain that edgy disquiet with opening number ‘sundive’ possessed of all the hallmarks of a dark ambient barren post apocalyptic wasteland soundtrack committed to tape by a ‘pandemonium’ era Killing Joke. That said what attracted us was the aforementioned second cut ‘mirus’ – a dark colossus bleached in hopelessness and gouged and gutted in a foreboding bleakness framed in a joyless widescreen presence, both brooding and prowling it’s a slo-core death rattle of titanic terror-phonic proportions. http://distractionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ep2
Ridiculously infectious, acutely cute and wiggy and ziggy with it, is this not the sassiest thing around at the moment, a cornucopia of joy radiating affectionately dimpling your earspace in all manner of intoxicating eye swirling florescent shades of colour with its buzz bopping trip hop-a-delic armoury of shuffling riff struts, smoked out and woozy brass inclines and cheerfully excitable sultry vocals – new thing from Danish combo the Asteroids Galaxy Tour entitled ‘rock the ride’ comes pulled from their third full length ‘bring us together’ – a set that’s quite frankly impossible not to tap toes to unless of course you nail the blighters down. The ensemble are currently showcasing their carnival of sound stateside at present returning to Europe in November where they’ll land in the UK for one show only. For now though fill your boots with this frisky and flighty one stop party platter.
A brief but essential slice of dream drifting cosmicalia from aural astral travellers palace of swords, word is that there’ll be a re-imagining of this cut docking into record world orbit soon, for now ‘live at Aberdeen witch trials 1597’ offers two minutes of serene star gazing kosmiche symphonia on a super chill Vangelis setting.
With a second album due to land sometime next year – going by the title we think – of ‘and everyone was a bird’ here’s a deliciously dainty teaser from duo Grasscut who are discovered here turning their quietly admired artistry in the general direction of Robert Wyatt’s ‘catholic architecture’ for what might be best described as a divinely demurred slice of chamber folk noir enchantment. Delicately fracturing and woven to an autumnal palette there’s a sweetly mysterious detachment afoot amid this ghostly woodland waltz as it sighs reflectively to a fragile timbre that recalls a thoughtfully sorrow Lupen Crook in a shared moment with a youthful oddfellows casino. Out via lo recordings via shortly as a download only release. https://soundcloud.com/grasscutmusic/grasscut-catholic-architecture
I must admit a certain affection for the sound of church bells, there’s something safe and re-assuring about their jubilance which makes this particular soul at peace and one with everything. I say this not to up the word count on this particular missive though I do note that its creeping along at a thesis length rate, but rather more to welcome you in to something which caught us on the hop as I’m sure it will you to. We eyed this originally whilst having a nose at the ‘its psychedelic baby’ bandcamp page,for there sits a rare find rescued from 1979 and made available via the original master tapes onto vinyl and CD. Described in the press preamble as ‘the mystic holy grail of 70’s kraut folk’ its Gulaab an acoustic virtuoso and the album goes by the title ‘ritt durch den Hades’ – an amazing listening experience from start to finish which even now some four decades later is liable to have a fair few jaws a dropping. That said back to the church bells which as it happens – albeit just briefly – intro the parting cut ‘heimkehr’ before that is it goes of all skipping excitedly for what might be reasonably referred to as an Eastern European hoedown framed in echoes of Fahey delta blues folk sprays albeit joyously crooked in the rustic reverie of the Weddoes splinter band the Ukrainians – fans of David A Jaycock are advised to seek out. https://merlinsnoserecords.bandcamp.com/album/ritt-durch-den-hades
A festooning of fond felicitations greeted the grooves of this lot when they last had occasion to grace these pages courtesy of their ‘black sails sessions’ set – shame the blighters never sent a copy – ho hum. Several months down the line and Norway’s Sleepyard have sneaked into the listening world a kind of early progress report by airing new fruit ‘sketch for winter’. A delicately murmured slice of electro cool coiled in a star gazing vintage and at first sound wise not so far removed from the kind of groove once upon a time happened upon turntables by J Xaverre possessed of trace elements of tex la homa and occasioned by brief appearances of soulful sunbursts which by its recline go off road on a kooky lounge detour, frisky stuff. https://soundcloud.com/sleepyard/back-of-my-mind
i mean really – this is getting beyond the ridiculous now, like how many times in recent months have those dudes at everything is chemical turned up the goodies and had us tripping over our tongues. Just when you thought they couldn’t top the high calibre release roster they appear at ease and without abandon to dispatch into record world then now comes the Harrow. This is drop dead gorgeous and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see this lot at some stage in the not too distant future being picked up by moon glyph and before long moving on to being a household name with the likes of bella union heading the chasing pack. With poise, precision and a post punk purposefulness, the minimalist shadow electro of ‘mouth to mouth’ immediately holds you in its icy glare from the word go, what first atmospherically chills like a ’81 winter playlist with B-Movie and Modern Eon slyly smouldering the austere airwaves soon thaws, unfurls and blossoms with the kind of fragile majesty that used to seduce those rarest of releases by Ex Post Facto. If anything flipside ‘ringing the changes’ edges matters ever so slightly in the affection stakes, all haloed in hushed ethereal chorals and bathed in a crystalline calm that imagines a ‘pornography’ era Cure shimmying up to a rather becalmed Chameleons with sly side traces of Tubeway Army filtering through the ether – and then without warning at 3.26 the sweet alluring arrest of a ‘garlands’ era Cocteau Twins comes to bathe all in jaw dropped seduction and bewitching ice tipped elegance. Stunning. http://eicvirtual7inch.bandcamp.com/album/eicv7-no-86
Tendered with the kind of beautifully bruising and brooding epic grandeur that was once the uncontested trademark of iliketrains, ‘forever in your debt’ the forthcoming single from Manchester’s biggest secret the Slow Readers Club is set to swoon the listening cognoscenti and into the bargain blow away the competition. Flying through from the depths of despair to the heights of euphoria, between these opposing extreme spectrums a burning passion smoulders and stings with unbridled devotion aloft the kind of all-consuming storm swirled majesty that was once the groove gouged footprint of the Chameleons. Alas no sound links just yet.
What do you think you’d get if crossed say Wire with Pavement – we’d be none surprised to suspect you finding Teenage Moods staring back at you. ‘pool hair’ is a bit of a sweetie, with its meandering spidery riffage coming coiled to a softy shaggy sunny psych tapestry that’s punctuated to a jagged and angular motif that tattoos a punked out and dishevelled spot on your shoulder whose itch you can’t scratch and which mischievously whispers in your ear ‘play it again’ – how can you fail to resist. http://noproblemrecords.bandcamp.com/track/pool-hair
A sonic whirlpool of heady fuzz drenched psych wooziness – frankly how else can you describe the September Girls’ latest entitled ‘Veneer’. This shade adorned dark noir tearaway comes prematurely ripped from a forthcoming 12 inch for fortuna pop due November time and sounds for all the world as though Kevin Shields had rethreaded the Spector catalogue in the image of MBV, ‘Veneer’ finds its sunny pop purr routed in glazes of swooning strobes of lock grooved feedback with the resulting effect not unlike a darker half psychosis gouged Shangri-La’s kaleidoscopic mirage combusting on itself.
Now here’s something of a rare treat, well we say rare treat because it’s been far too long since we had Ste McCabe occasion these pages, in fact not since the sadly missed days when we used to get releases from Cherryade flittering past our way. Self proclaimed spokesman for the queercore scene, Ste’s latest ‘cockroach’ finds a certain Billy Bragg muscling in on operations providing bleak political commentary on the desperate struggle of the have not’s at the hands of corporate greed with Mr McCabe, with tattered flag in hand, like some punk pied piper wading through the secret streets of the underclass summoning the massed ranks with insurgence in mind gathering the lost for one last uprising. Its sleazy, its dirty and hollowed in futility, a hopeless hurrah riddled in desperation and defiance, the tunes not bad either, Mr McCabe the voyeuristic ringmaster sitting somewhere between Lupen Crook and Andi Sex Gang presiding over a dark carnival whose sense of abandonment cuts deep and painfully just love the operation scene in the video as the protagonist is literally bled dry, incidentally comes pulled from Mr McCabe’s new full length platter ‘brains of britain’.
Must admit to having been enjoying the forthcoming Midwich Youth Club set ‘soft bodies’ which is due to dock into record orbit in the next fortnight or so, a hulking progian supercruiser to which this teaser cut has no doubt been sent on a reconnaissance scouting trip with the sole purpose of ruffling your fringes and serving hint of the mind trip to come. Navigating a similar sonic lay line as to Craig Padilla and those more cosmically fried folk occupying the grooves of selected fruits de mer happenings, ‘adventures of an 1980’s adolescent’ comes initially awed in Rush-ian ambi textures rippled in mind expanding crystalline riff growls that softly freewheel between moments of psych lucidity and skewed kraut awkwardness which occasion on more times than I can care to count the recalling of the Cardiacs albeit less skedaddled and frenetic but all the more equally crooked.
Arresting sleepy headed woozy baroque folk dreaminess from Chloe March whose ‘nights bright days’ is getting a deserved re-release on the much adored hidden shoal imprint, pulled from it this sweet sortie entitled ‘winter deep’ which I’ll be honest ought on first hearing to have those of you attuned to all things Linda Perhacs hearing alarm bells going off in all directions inside your headspace for this little woodcut wonder plays peek-a-boo between the grooves like some kind of shy eyed sibling of Lisa O Piu here found spell crafting all manner of enchantment and twilight twinkling with a forest folk backing band made up of members of Oddfellows Casino and Stereolab – the latter of whom craftily leaving behind their kraut lounge nuances at the entrance gate. The album due first week in November comes replete with a bonus EP of previously unreleased sounds. https://soundcloud.com/hidden_shoal/chloe-march-winter-deep
‘fucked up Satanic outlaw country jams’ is how those Burger records dudes describe their latest release by the Abigails entitled ‘tundra’ – indeed judging the worse for wear evidence provided for by teaser cut ‘medication’ we’d have to agree and say it was a good call, I mean be honest when was the last time you heard hiccups on a record not to mention something sounding so lolloping, lackadaisical and wasted that even if you hate it you keep tuned in till the end to see if it gets to the parting groove still standing – anyhow this scuffed up mullered on moonshine folk blues folk blues certainly does it for us. https://soundcloud.com/burgerrecords/the-abigails-medication-1
Available as a download, a limited cassette and an ultra rare limited tape version hand decorated with Hunter Gatherer dhiri rings which alas is sold out as source, Lykanthea’s latest EP ‘Migration’ is a ethereally epic release of pure ghostly beauty dimpled in stilled atmospherics, hushed tonalities and a serene chill tipped unworldliness which upon first approach should be high on the radar of those among you mourning the passing of Dead Can Dance. For those among you who’ve previously managed to saunter through the days completely unaware of her existence, Lykanthea is better known to family and friends as Italian based ambient composer Lakshmi Ramgopal. ‘migration’ her debut release came by our way courtesy of an adoring recommendation by Carolyn O’Neill who regular visitors to these pages will know as Alrealon Musique artist Rasplyn whose long promised debut full length incidentally is about to break cover at long last via the mythical imprint sometime November. The first of a series of planned releases inspired by the Sumerian Goddess Inanna, ‘migrations’ features five suites the first ‘Telos’ gently guiding you in Lykanthea’s mystical and elegiac world, a gorgeously sculptured slice of drifting dream drone emerging from twilight hazes sailing upon ghostly waves, the effect lulling, hypnotic almost hymnal sprays all around in a chill traced serene aura. ‘hand and eye’ – the most earthly pop treasure here is clipped in a surrendering feel good radiance dinked in cosmic whispers and the merest touch of electro minimalism while for ‘my sisters’ the mood somewhat sours between the sorrowed and the spellbinding – featuring the aforementioned Rasplyn on clarinet this aural apparition comes graced in a timeless grandeur shimmered in monastic chorals and flavoured in spectral folk florets themselves rooted deep down in our ancestral fabric to which sound and tonality wise draw favourable comparison with the much overlooked Preterite especially given the fact that at times it sounds not unlike some eerie soundtracking clarion the call of Charon as he transports the dead across Acheron. ‘Aphonia’ on the other hand is so sparse and almost airless you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a transmission from beyond the veil which at the 5 minute mark coalesces into unreal jubilant radiance leaving ‘parturition’ to guide you back to reality daubed in Oriental motifs, twinkling chimes, bowed drone recitals and a bathing of what can only be described as an at one with all peacefulness. In short beyond mere pop or sound – more an experience or more so a visitation. http://lykanthea.bandcamp.com/
Coincidence, perhaps – there we were just mentioning Preterite and in our in box this appears. If I recall rightly Montreal doom lords Menace Ruine feature in their collective ranks at least one member of Preterite – quite possibly both. ‘marriage in death’ comes culled from a new full length set ‘Venus Armata’ which despite its gloomy title actually emerges as something of a hollowed beauty scarred in the ache of tenderness and an undaunted gripping and transfixing passion, agreed we’ll give in to saying that its somewhat dropped in the depths of despair, the sparing application of sombre riff chimes instil a chilling chamber toned ceremonial disquiet to matters but the love note recital alone is alluring and should strike something of a must hear chord to those admiring of Alison O’Donnell. https://menaceruine.bandcamp.com/track/marriage-in-death
Latest addition to Sonic Cathedral’s formidable roster the Spectres are due to release their debuting long player platter sometime January. For now and serving as a taster the band have leaked the 9 minute head trip to oblivion that is ‘sea of trees’ – obvious attendees of the finishing school of Shields and Ride this honey comes framed with the pristine purr powered pulse of Sennen and the kool kudos savvy of working for a nuclear free city, add to the equation the shade adorned throb of the Church some divine spectral atmospherics and a lengthy detour wherein everything goes all white out and woozy and you have an extended mind melt into psych pop bliss. Any questions? http://www.wearespectres.com
Static Caravan sky blaze pop purveyors Victories at Sea have made available their latest single as a free download, ‘florentine’ is your last slice of sonic sun burn before the winter grip sets in, a shimmying dance floor dandy moulded in the kind of super sexy ultra cooled sassiness rarely heard around these here parts since the Seal Cub Clubbing Club went MIA on our turntable, add to the chemical dye some tasty motorik Moroder, some trace elements of a youthful Tears for Fears, a tasting of White Rose Movement and then take the resulting solution on a quick trip to the Balearic and give it a DNA cross match of New Order’s ‘technique’ for pop perfection. https://soundcloud.com/victoriesatsea/florentine
mentioned this lot a little while back – Aussie garage beat pop combo Animal House with their debuting platter ‘sour’ – reviewed here as it happens – https://marklosingtoday.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/animal-house/ – now with tasty video….
Ripe happenings for all you folklorists, seems the fruitful bounty delivered from reverb worship’s evergreen harvest shows no sign of running barren any day soon. We just happened to eye this little nugget, culled from a by all accounts remix album of Sproatly Smith ear fayre titled – er – ‘remixed’ – here’s the Hare and the Moon re-animating ‘O Willow Waly’ – and beautiful it is to seesawing ominous between the ethereal and seductive to the haunting and chilling all the time bridled to the kind of archaic folk tongue rooted centuries old deep into the psyche of these fair lands through nursery rhymes, pagan recitals, Tavern cheer and filmic soundtracks of classic era Brit Folk Horror Hammer films, behind the sweet trappings a sinister darkness lurks, eerily exquisite. http://sproatlysmith.bandcamp.com/track/o-willow-waly-the-hare-and-the-moon-2
you might recall us waxing fondly about Daisy Victoria many months ago when we roved the critical eye over her debuting ‘heart full of beef’ EP wherein comparisons as wide and as disparate as Carina Round, Patti Smith and Hole rubbed shoulders with John Barry, Ms Bush and All About Eve where all thrown into the ever challenging spectrum bending melting pot. So as you’d rightly expect, past experiences had us guarded for something special, and something special is what you get for ‘nobody dies’ is a seriously full blooded purring pop posy. Opening to the subtle strains of a traditional choral recital (‘the holly and the ivy’ I do believe) ‘nobody dies’ had us scrambling for our copy of Swimmer One’s quite remarkable ‘dead orchestras’ set mainly for its deceptive poise and embracing gusto,. Upon you like a rash in an instant this honey sweetly allures amid ice dripped pulsing electro motifs quickly shifting to a delicious motorik murmur, the vocal yearn hints at a former student from the ‘love is a stranger’ era Eurythmics finishing school all culminating in a gloriously lunar spinning top spectacle or more so a celestial carousel that sounds by its fall as though its lit by twinkle of Christmases past, present and future as it crystallises into a thousand heart beat skipping splinters. Perfect pop in short.
I swear I’m getting flashbacks of a ‘rosemary’s baby’ kind with this delectable slice of disturbia, pulled from – I believe – a forthcoming Reverb Worship release, it’s the Unseen (I think though quite likely the Holy tSee) with another of their lost soundtracks from banned 70’s horror films this one being ‘Mary’ from 1977 (‘the Goatman’ – another similarly lost slab of creepy horrorphonics – will I promise appear here in these pages soon). From the moment the eerie creak of the rocking horse looms into earshot there’s no doubting your entering into shadowy worlds for ‘mary’s tea party’ is classic chill gripped turntable terror – the childlike dreamy lullaby montages, the swirling key carousels and that sense of innocent playful bewitchment mask a macabre subtext grounded in Brit Horror folklore, the point comes home to roost when you realise it visually soundtracks the killer daintily dancing around the dead carcasses of her victims, themselves dressed in party frocks. https://soundcloud.com/villa-9-1/marys-tea-party
a slight departure from what we usually do here, but a quick heads up to Leslie King who many of you should know from his recordings as the Katie Winter and Uncle Black. Les has recently published a book of poetry entitled ‘the mice in the straw sack and other poems’ and in so doing has achieved a lifelong ambition to see his love of words and the connections they make in print. Alas we’ve no copies at this stage to review but you can grab yourself a little literary culture by stopping off at http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/2650378-the-mice-in-the-straw-sack-other-poems
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As ever take care of yourselves…..xx
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