The Wild Swans - English Electric Lightning

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5...according to our Brian on Thu 21 May, 2009.

Eyebrow raising return of the week has to be from The Wild Swans, a cult Liverpool act from the late 70s/80's who've suddenly thrown a fabulous new 10" 'English Electric Lighting' out on Occultation after some 20 years away. The A Side is a slice of tender, classic, rousing Mersey janglerock that gradually aims towards a dreamy crescendo complete with some of the most stately restrained waves of soaring shoegazey guitar. I'm reminded of a tiny bit of a homelier Kitchens of Distinction & fellow Scousers The Cranebuilders, even some of the less obvious Sarah records releases! It's probably the kind of quietly melodic & modestly anthemic song that'd have had Uncle John Peel in tears, crying into his beloved Mushroom Byryani. I don't feel like I can describe it quite adequately as it's simply a mature take on that old magical Liverpool sound beloved of 1000s. The flip is a different beast, in essence i'm reminded of Tindersticks' spoken word numbers on hearing, this lengthy, winding & humorous Scouse monologue - reading like a fly-on-the-wall recollection of the famously documented Eric's days and the protagonist's association with all the notorious misshapes & dreamers/druggies/intellectuals who hung around that egotistical yet fruitful scene! Titled 'The Coldest Winter For a Hundred Years' this is assembled around autobiographical observational poetry that Brett thinks is "bollocks" possibly because it's not European and cool & comes over a little sentimental, twee & very English. Well someone's got to be a wistful old fool around these parts! The music consists of soft tumbling toms, a cyclic coda of graceful piano and a scratchy spools of languid guitar over a soft haze of some distant feedback and it washes over you like some precious blanket that smells of moulting cats & warm chips. A most welcome return.....more please! Lovely art from Ged Quinn, numbered and stamped of a mere 900 copies.

Liverpool legends The Wild Swans are set to release a new single after a twenty-year absence. The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years will mark the third incarnation of the band formed and fronted by Paul Simpson. In 1982 the core Wild Swans trio of Simpson, Ged Quinn (both ex-Teardrop Explodes) and Jerry Kelly set the discerning music world alight with their debut single The Revolutionary Spirit/God Forbid on Liverpool’s Zoo label run by future KLF man Bill Drummond, who described it as ‘...by far the best single we put out...’ Two BBC radio sessions stoked the feverish excitement and, with their unique, haunting sound, the band were widely tipped as the next big thing. Alas, the promise remained unfulfilled as they split later that year before a record deal could be signed. Individual chart success followed as Simpson teamed up with Ian Broudie as Care (Flaming Sword) and Quinn and Kelly formed the Lotus Eaters (The First Picture of You). John Peel chose the classic session the band had recorded for his programme as one of the first batch of EPs released on Strange Fruit in 1985, sparking renewed interest in the band who decided to reform, signing to Sire Records and releasing an album, Bringing Home The Ashes, again to great critical acclaim. However by the time the psychedelic Space Flower album came out in the USA in 1989, Paul was the only original member, describing it as ‘...more of a solo album featuring a load of mates’, although the list of ‘mates’ reads like a who’s-who of the Liverpool music scene, including Ian Broudie (Big In Japan/Original Mirrors/Lightning Seeds), Ian McNabb (Icicle Works) and Chris Sharrock (Icicle Works/La’s). However the album did not appear in the UK until 2007 and Paul was so disillusioned that he left the music business, only returning with his instrumental Skyray project in 1996.

The Wild Swans have garnered growing cult status and fans across the world since their first performance in 1980 and demand for their work led to two double CDs: Incandescent (Renascent, 2004), compiling the Zoo single, BBC sessions, demos and live material, and Magnitude (Korova, 2007) featuring everything recorded for Sire. The rave reviews for these collections and increasing interest in the band stirred Paul to embark upon the third stage of the Wild Swans adventure, and two new ‘hymns to the cosmos and electric songs of praise’ were recorded in a Liverpool studio in November 2008. The new Wild Swans single features original members Paul Simpson and Ged Quinn along with San Franciscan Ricky Rene Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Mike Mooney (Julian Cope/Spiritualized) and Steve Beswick. ‘One of the era’s great lost bands... Dizzying, visionary stuff.’ – Uncut ‘Lost legends of the scene...’ – Record Collector

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