Blues Control - Valley Tangents (CD, Vinyl LP)

Okay, I've heard at least one Blues Control record before and I seem to remember them being hazy minimal stoner weirdo types, but I've just shoved this record on and there's all sorts of pianos and synthesisers doing funny things to my face. Opener 'Love's A Rondo' seems to be a piano duet, and then on 'Iron Pigs' there's a piano and a synth taking centre stage for a weird bit of '80s-inspired cop soundtrack style business.

Variously through the album they move through all sorts of keys-heavy jazzy stoney bits, sometimes all washed out and faded and weird, sometimes more straight ahead and loungey. There’s bits of drum and guitar on here but the primary textures come from keys. In the short space of time I have to write this review I am really struggling to pin this record down. Perplexing piano-heavy weirdo stoner lounge jazz business, basically. Fans of Sun City Girls will probably really like it, but I can’t think of a single other record it sounds like, and that’s a selling point in itself, surely?