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Recommended by us on 29th July 2010
...according to our Brian on Thu 29 Jul, 2010.
Bloody hell, I listened to 'Harmonium' by these about 8 times when on holiday in Scotland. My friend Cath brought two CDs for the week and proceeded to hammer the shit out of them both 24/7. I've always been impressed by how much mileage women get out of a CD they love! So therefore it's nice to have a new album to devour by them seeing as though the previous one has been branded into my mind forever. They take the most groovy retro-tastic cinematic bits of bands such as Broadcast and Stereolab, stir in some 60's psych-folk elements, sprinkle in some blissed shoegazey harmonies and then go dancing down Carnaby Street in massive sunflower shaped tinted specs till the sun sets. Then it's off to a club decked in velvet drapes & lava lamps with proper druggy lighting to recline on fat cushions with hookah pipes. Maybe an orgy or two ensues. This band really know how to make the most out of a pastiche. Their songs drip with warmth, wonder & flower-power cool but with the endorsement of todays technology, their tunes come out of the wash smelling minty fresh too. Absolute quality so I suppose i'd be happy to hear this another 8 times in quick succesion!!
* HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FOLLOW UP TO DEBUT ALBUM 'HARMONIUM' (MELO59) WHICH GOT GREAT REVIEWS IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES:
- 4/5 REVIEW IN MOJO: "SEDUCTIVE DEBUT PICKS UP THE BATON FROM STEREOLAB AND BROADCAST." - - 4/5 REVIEW IN UNCUT: "THE PRESENCE OF A HARMONIUM UPDATES SOME LAVA LAMP PSYCHEDELIC FREAKOUTS, DAVID AXELROD'S JAZZY GROOVES AND THE FEATHERY FEMALE HARMONIES OF THE FREE DESIGN."
* Just like the second book, the second album can, on occasions, be a bit of a trial. Musical history is littered with disappointing follow ups. The Soundcarriers, like wise musicians before them, have taken a more prosaic approach, and have simply taken their time.
* Here we have another blast of summer flecked sound. Last year's Harmonium found a lush and spiked musical template; music so inspired and languid one's thoughts were drawn to Broadcast and Stereolab and like minded cosmic travellers. Exactly where the Soundcarriers were really 'coming from' was long in debate: Nottingham? The West Coast? Saturn? The sound moves between all three locales. It doesn't really matter where you land, the atmosphere is always perfect.
* In Celeste we find a tighter, more focused group. The same authentic analog warmth pervades, but with the addition of
new sounds, playful blips and bleeps suggesting an extended musical canvas. The influence of jazz and 'Kosmiche'
music becomes apparent as the muscular Last Broadcast floats from the turntable. What a groove! The bass work of
Can's Holger Czukay is instantly brought to mind, but soon we find ourselves in unexplored space-rock terrain. A denser
sound pervades, that feels far removed from the lysergic whoosh of Harmonium.
* Any thoughts of a tighter sound are mischievously dashed with the arrival of Rolling On. A spirited bouncy shuffle so
infectious one is moved to remove all footwear and dance vigorously. The song provides familiar Soundcarriers?~@~Y warmth, blessed with vocal harmonies that echo the magic of Trish Keenan or even Karen Carpenter.
* Was it not the popular music press who once invented the thorny term 'retro-futurism'? The Soundcarriers aren't retro or futurist. Where they succeed is in tight, ensemble playing that really swings. A spirited quartet for the future certainly, but one that holds true to tried and trusted lessons from the best phases of music history. The band's live performance at last year's Green Man Festival saw the band take to the stage on a sunny Sunday lunchtime and the sheer dexterity of
each player amazed the serious music enthusiasts that had gathered for this unique gathering of musical delights.
* Singer and guitarist Dorian on speaking about the new LP mentioned the phrase 'a deeper level of consciousness', and in the finely detailed pop psychedelia of There Only Once, the proof of this statement is at once clear.
* Limited edition gatefold heavy double vinyl.
1. Last Broadcast 2. Step Outside 3. Morning Haze 4. Broken Sleep 5. Long Highway 6. Rolling On 7. There Only Once 8. Out Of Place 9. Signals 10. Rise & Fall 11. Hideaway 12. Celeste
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Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
Leeds,
LS11 9RT, UK.
Tel/fax: (+44) 0113 245 4399
Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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