‘lo-fi’ compilation – freaksville

Many thanks to Brian Bordello for giving us a heads up on a free to download set from the much loved Freaksville imprint who in recent memory have been responsible for the serving up of some sterling releases most notably that recent ‘ela’ set from jean-Jacques Perry and David Chazam not to mention the occasionally pairing of head honcho Benjamin Schoos and Laetitia Sadier who I’m certain I’ve made mention previously could read calculus and still sound sexy. Ahem, so back to business ‘lo-fi’ is a gathering of friends and acquaintances set across eleven tracks including a rare demo version of Schoos’ in Serge mode ‘une derniere danse’ alas minus Ms Sadier who if memory serves features on the final mix. A set bookended by two differing sub species’ of space pop, Justin Paton’s bitter sweetly distressed love note ‘when u were mine’ opts to go down the route of wearing his Shinkansen fondness on his sleeve by crafting this acutely ached and forlorn lunar power poppet from assembled cast offs found lurking of the cutting room floors of both Blueboy and fosca. At the back end of the compilation CVn appear to do a neat slice of pulse popping buzz strut groove on ‘la superba’ which disagreeably ends abruptly though not before given you fair amount of warning that these dudes have in their time been known to occasionally orbit the sound worlds of circulatory system which by our reckoning is no bad thing. As mentioned attention to this comp was brought to us by Brian Bordello who features here not once but twice with both a solo salvo and a nugget from the Bordellos courtesy of ‘handsome Jack’ and ‘sunk and screwed’ the latter of which sees them descending ever more into more warping shadow lined Fall-esque territories replete with sparsely weaved spidery riffolas that purr awkwardly over a thought lost Beefheart musical note book. Cut from a more hollowed and intimate perspective ‘handsome Jack’ finds the Bordellos main man exploring his inner Scott, this one strangely beguiled by an at odds blending which has the lightly chirped lo-fi flavouring of obscuring happier times fairground mirages wonkily dissolving amid the reflective scratch and souring of a reflective now. There will be more from the Bordellos later this missive with the (delayed on our part) appearance of their ‘true meaning of record store day’ EP. Mr Patton – who we mentioned earlier – appears again this time with his band mates NOW who you might recall us mentioning – ooh ages and way back when they came to our attention courtesy of the adored Pickled Egg folk. Is that kazoos or accordions or something – never been the hottest topic of ours in the local musical quiz night spot the instrument round – that we do hear buried to the rear of the mix on this warmly inviting though ostensibly scruffy around the edges smoky campfire oddity, very mellow this one and coolly acute as all the attending musical accompaniments stumble as were sleepily over to hill to join hands for what is by the end a jubilant slacker anthem. Richard Lomax’s ‘please write responsibility’ has been the cause of admiring stirs around these here parts since shimmying its way into our listening life, we’re still not sure whether to file it under (Jarvis) Cocker or (Robert) Lloyd or for that matter Divine Comedy though the mere mention of the three ought to at least give you some clue as to where this is coming from and indeed going, all this caressed beneath by the spring heeled canter of lightly lilted pastorals. Now if I didn’t know any better I’d have wagered my record collection that ‘Jef’ was some long lost Ray Davies demo penned by McCartney and then left forgotten in the vaults until happened across by Messrs Difford and Tilbrook many years later during their creative peak and then mysteriously lost again, it’s not of course but rather more the work of Bruges Willis and beyond that alas the information trail goes very cold. So much adoration for ‘Unicorn’ by Phillip Joseph AD that at one stage we were considering taping down the repeat button, a softly psyched oddity that presaged by a delightfully kooky child-like 70’s TV theme tweaking a la ‘rentaghost’ (or at least some other such kooky kaleidoscopia) – seriously I kid you not and very much something inspired by a quick peek at the musical wares of Soft Hearted Scientists and the much missed Murmurs of Irma. He appears again with ‘take my heart alive’ marooned in the 70’s doing an off centred funky blues spot that in truth has you imagining some freaky Faces mosaic being remodelled by Gary Wilson. Which leaves the Winter Tyres whose tearfully affectionate ‘unhappy hour’ arrives bitter sweetly drizzled in a sumptuous 60’s haloing that’s tweaked in a longing floral hush that owes much to Douglas  Gamley albeit as though recited by L’Augmentation with the Siddeleys on hand to add their trademark forlorn caress. Essential then. http://www.freaksvillerec.com/album/lofi