News & reviews
** New stuff coming soon **
This page is the weekly round-up of what is new and exciting here at Norman Towers.
For all you history buffs (and to assuage my vanity) I keep previous weekly reviews.
This week's reviews
5 Feb 2010
Well after last week's triple header with one album and two singles of the week we're back with just one single and album of the week. The way it should be... Though next week we're toying with doing seven albums and nine singles fort' laugh. How ridiculous would that be! Another mega week here at the towers with loads of nice booty arriving like the Spacemen 3 vinyl reissues (finally!), those Breeders vinyl reissues land a year late, a new Soft Pack 7", new Ceephax album, a tasty 2LP from The Orkustra, Alan Sparkhawk rocking away in Retribution Choir Part Deux, a super album from Gil Scott Heron, harsh noise from Skullflower with a cool split 7", new Oh No Ono album on Leaf (Clinton actually likes something....), new Rusted Rail CD, Dead Pilot, and Hibernate CD 'n all. Oh and a cool Swiss LP with exclusive tracks on by Bonnie Prince Billy, Sonic Youth & Sunn 0)))!!!!! Hand numbered!! The list goes on.. Another bloody massive week! The A Silver Mt. Zion CD's finally landed so they're on their way to you now. We shipped the Beach House LP's without the DVD's in the end as we heard they were gonna be a while. When they arrive we'll be in touch with everyone who ordered one and we can sort it then. Party time..... OH and apologies if a couple of the reviews in last week's update didn't make sense. They went out before they were edited (small cock up at our end...) but they were correct on the site. Roll on the weekend P x
Album of the week
Gil Scott Heron- I'm New Here (CD/LP on XL)
Gil Scott-Heron's one of those guys I've more read about than actually heard (barring copious sampling and his undoubted influence on myriad artists and the entire hip-hop scene down the years) so it's a real pleasure to have the chance of sitting down with I'm New Here, his XL debut and first album in fourteen years (if Wikipedia's to be believed). The 'rules' in the liner notes for how to properly listen to the album are immediately endearing (although I should apologise since reviewing stuff in here pretty much forces you to break every single one of them) and right off the bat we were all transfixed - Gil's gruff yet somehow smooth tones massaging our ears while spinning addictive yarns (which I could happily listen to endlessly) and offering righteous indignance at the ills and ignorance of the world in a variety of rhythmically spoken interludes. He also gets his song on a wee bit with covers of Robert Johnson's 'Me and the Devil' and Smog's 'I'm New Here', delivered in a style pitched somewhere between soul and blues but going down a treat whichever way you slice 'em. The only caveat for me is the production (from XL head honcho Richard Russell) which occasionally sounds a bit dated in a 'late 90s trip-hop' kind of a way but it's not any sort of issue in practice 'cos it's really all just window dressing for the star of the show and it's hard to be distracted by anything else once he's caught your ear. The vinyl's pretty immense too, a double 180g LP (one of which is pure bonus tracks) crammed into a super-thick tip-on style sleeve containing two prints! Well deluxe.- Brett xx
Single of the week
The Super Vacations- Henry (7" on Shdwply)
The Super Vacations do a slightly lopsided & drowsy take on psychedelic lo-fi rock. They've a new 7" EP on red vinyl and its ace! 'Henry' spits out of the speakers like a cross between Apples in Stereo & early Television Personalities, 'The Void' is a more languid beast with curious flecks of New Wave bands such as Television & a bit of a skewed Ariel Pink feel. Hazy, muffled vocals top the faintly "hauntological" vibe they give off. There's hints of early 90s bands such as New Radiant Storm King & Treepeople on the fabulous 'Ten Second Freak Out' - all these fuzzy, spiraling shards of guitar all over the shop with lovely off-kilter hooks, excitable, itchy drums & blurred vocals that define the word "impenetrable". The last track 'The Paradise' carries on throwing addictively catchy shapes at you, the whole group playing with a joyous, sloppy abandon that thoroughly energises my soul. I got their last album back at home & that fucking rocks too. The down at-heel slacker spirit I've always adored is kicking gleefully away within these grooves. Great art too, on Shdwply.- Brian xx
Reviews
Brett's original reviews.. They were all deleted.
I like Wanda Jackson. She looks like my Auntie Joyce who used to sing on cruise ships and that. Apparently Wanda's shared stages with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis so it shouldn't be a surprise that she's pro enough to pull off a couple of potentially tricky cover versions with total panache. She lends her spirited, jazzy voice to Amy Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good' and does it so well you forget where the thing originates from. On the flip she does 'Shakin' All Over', such a rock standard that it's fraught with its own cliched danger but all of that's skillfully avoided in a seriously fun version shot through with that trademark 50s/60s vibe that you can generally rely upon from a Third Man 7".
Also pressed on to a little Third Man vinyl are The Black Belles, a lady troupe who number Shelby Lynne among their number. On 'What Can I Do' they do surfy garagey rock with classic melodies a la Thee Headcoatees, delivered with a vocal style not too far removed from the likes of Karen O (who Brian actually thought it was for a minute there). I like this but I'm struggling to think of much else to say about it.. It's one of those 'nothing really new but a very good example of a particular type' sort of things.
Christ only knows what's going on at Warp these days.. The warning signs have been there for a fair while (moving to London, a raft of dubious releases, that pooey ribbon logo) but in the last few months it's become reasonably clear that they've donned their leathers, mounted their motorcycle and fully jumped the shark. The Lonelady album got ripped off the stereo halfway through the other day because none of us could actually bear it and now the abysmally named Babe Rainbow is taking us right back to the darkest days of dubstep wobble circa 2008 with his Shaved EP.. Even if the two culprit tracks here are meant to be jokes they don't particularly work on that level since I don't think anyone can cope with hearing that kind of farty bass and tired arpeggiating in this day and age, in jest or not. Elsewhere there are relatively decent yet unmemorable takes on the dark, moody and slightly industrial side of things that may just show the hints of some sort of potential. It's sad to see what was once such a cutting edge label trying to play catch-up so inelegantly but hopefully the new Autechre LP will help paper over the cracks.
Not sure if I've heard of punky No Waves types Circle X before.. In hindsight it's a bit of a generic-sounding name but since this self-titled 12" EP originally 'dropped' in 1979 they can be regarded as relative OGs in the New York scene and fully excused for that. Apparently this is quite the sought-after gem and it's easy to hear why, its jagged shards of guitar and intense vocalising seem to explore a middle ground between US Dead Boys-style punk and the forthcoming industrial rock lurch of Swans in a way I can't recall ever quite hearing before. Quite a slab of rage and no mistake.. Limited to 500 copies in thick tip-on sleeve!
Phil says The Album Leaf tend to get compared to Sigur Ros, something which shouldn't be that surprising since their ambient, vaguely post-rocky take on indie does recall them quite heavily. I guess the comparison can't really bother them since they got Birgir Jon Birgisson in to mix A Chorus of Storytellers, their new one on Sub Pop. Their pastoral feel, augmented by subtle electronics also brings later period Hood to mind although their floaty drift is less experimental and melancholy than those Yorkshire heroes. In fact there's quite an uplifting feel to this which is definitely pleasant but veers a little too close to triteness from time to time, for me at least.. But then I'm a hard-hearted one.
Sunn 0)), Sonic Youth, Bonnie Prince Billy, a sleeve featuring Jad Fair's cut-out artwork, the fact that it starts of with shouting about sandwiches.. This Does Your Cat Know My Dog? compilation LP pretty much sells itself and we gather it's already in short supply elsewhere so interested parties had best look sharp. It's curated by the minds behind Switzerland's Bad Bonn festival and as well as the big stars you've got artists like Sum of R, Your Fault, combineharvester, Bulbul + Boris Hauf, Joe Galen and more who all represent fully in such star-studded company. The Will Oldham track is of his usual fine quality, the Sunn 0))) effort is them doing what they do all live like and the Sonic Youth tune, 'No Way' from The Eternal, is frought with electrical problems which they fight through superbly until the plug is finally pulled, ending a fine compilation in fitting style. Seems like this Bad Bonn thing would be a cool thing to visit one year..
The Minimal Wave Tapes.. A double LP on Stones Throw which we've been keenly anticipating. The CD we give less of a shit about because we're snobby, but it does exist. As you might've guessed this is a compilation covering the generally minimal, frequently quite chilly DIY synth scene of the 1980s in both Europe and North America, territory well covered on various other releases in recent years (So Young But So Cold, Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics etc.) but this may be the best I've heard yet. If names like Mark Lane, Oppenheimer Analysis, Tara Cross, Somnambulist and Ohama are totally unfamiliar to you (and most of them are to us) if you've got any love for John Foxx, early Human League or the stuff Enfant Terrible put out you're gonna be in very safe hands. Compiled by Peanut Butter Wolf (Stones Throw) and Veronica Vasicka (Minimal Wave), this is obviously a complete labour of love as the message on the back proves, setting our minds at rest with the comforting words 'remastered from their analog source tapes'. Have no fears over sound quality (as with so many reissues these days) because this sounds fantastic!
Clinton will save this at regular intervals.
Right then, one thing I can say about this new Oh No Ono record 'Eggs' is that its my favourite album of the year so far. It was my official 'waking up' music this morning and after a madcap dash through the snow to assist in hyperactive world of Norman Records I find its the first record on my pile to review. Strangely for such a super album the first track is fairly uninspiring but once you get onto the magnificent 'Swim' you find yourself in a magical world where Radiohead sing the hits of The Cardiacs and where progressive rock is interesting song structures and ambitious arrangements rather than a series of uninspired guitar twiddles (I'm looking at you Midlake and at you, huge chunks of Field Music's new album). From then on the album hits its stride with super mysterious off beat melodies and songs that charge along like someone running after a runaway vehicle. There are three or four superb highlights:- 'Helplessly Young' has a twisting turning melody that reaches new dizzying heights every time you think the peak of skyscraping song craft has already been met, 'Miss Miss Moss' will appeal to any Cardiacs fans lost and alone since Tim Smith's unfortunately ironic cardiac arrest that has put the band on hold. As well as the oft mentioned Cardiacs, comparisons can be made with Mew, Syd Barrett, XTC, Flaming Lips, Sparks, The Beatles, Jennifer Gentle and there's even a track that sounds kinda like the Fleet Foxes. It pretty much does everything at one point or another and is highly recommended.
Meat. Love it or hate it there's no ignoring it. Not a fan myself. Possibly something to do with strict vegetarianism but even if meat wasn't made of animals I'm not sure I'd like it. In glorious technicolour on the front cover of this new album by Roel Meelkop is a big slab of meat. The CD is called 'Oude Koeien' and musically it seems to be a load of squeaks and noises. Crickets. A bit like hearing a whole pack of crickets chirruping away. OH MY GOD PHIL IS EATING A PACKET OF QUAVERS!!!
Next up in retro CD jewel case (remember them?) is a CD called 'In Bed with The Bambinos' by The Bambinos. I'm sure someone else has done an album with that title? Gary Glitter maybe? Anyway there they are on the sleeve looking very lank of hair - you're gonna get dandruff all over those nice clean sheets! I was nicely surprised with opener 'Slidy Slidy' decent chunky tuneful power pop with nods towards its late 70's golden era, strangely since they have similar hair to early Teenage Fanclub, their music has the same languid, melodic feel as the Scottish popsters in their younger days. Tracks like the Buzzcocks-like 'Bardo' have something about them that hints at possible greater things in the future - they are not doing just the usual three chord trick and are being a little bit more ambitious about the songwriting though the production values can be somewhat lacking at the moment.
I was a huge fan of Field Music's 'Tones of Town' album. The band then went away while the two main songwriters went their own way and produced albums that, to me, were OK but generally less good. Now they are back with a new single 'Them That Do Nothing' that is possibly one of the highlights of their new album. An album that on the first couple of listens is a little over indulgent in the prog rock structures and guitar twiddles for my liking. Anyway this is a strong single with the usual Field Music tricks of chiming guitars, twisting melodies and interesting lyrics. Intelligent pop music for a band that were possibly once dubbed a 10cc for the new millennium. The B side is also very worthwhile with the usual falsetto vocals and clattering rhythms.
What is this? 'Viktoria' by Swanton Bombs. They've not put their name on the front! I wish bands would put their name on the front. Anyway this is bluesy rock music without any bass. It's a bit like a British take on Black Keys but I'm really missing the bottom end on this. There's two songs on the B-side, one of them is a Randy Newman song and one of them possibly features Chas Hodges on the old Joanna. It's pub rock which needs more strident production to be anywhere near useful.
They used to say that I didn't have a funk bone in my body. But in recent years I crave.... No, I DEMAND the funk. A funk workout at the tail end of a busy work week is what I need baby. So I get home, get the lights down low, turn on 'Barbarism Begins at Home' and I'm in the zone. Anyway I have this George Smallwood 'Just 4 You' re-issue on Jazzman to tell you about. I'm told that its the latest in a series of these things and they are in high demand. The music is lush, lavish top quality soul music, from up-tempo disco tunes to deep Gaye-a-like ballads, its easy to see why this album has been so revered by lovers of this kind of thing.
Finally from me a CD on Slow Loris by At Last an Atlas. called 'From Which We We Raised' - the first thing to note is that its a gorgeous looking thing and the typeset will probably get in the Clinton my top 5 fonts of the year chart rundown. The music is mellow, minimilist home spun pop music with beat box type rhythms, simple organ lines and hushed vocals. The best comparison would certainly be Grandaddy but I can hear a bit of Thee More Shallows, American Analogue Set, Postal Service and Radar Brothers in there. We have copies that come with a limited (to 100) bonus CD in more lovely screen printed packaging containing another four bonus tracks. On Slow Loris.
Business Lady swears like a cocking trooper.
Alan Sparhawk's of Low is on to his second record (entitled '2' - snappy!) with all out rock side project Retribution Gospel Choir. Featuring fellow Low bass player Steve Garrington and sounding like an excellent proposition in their own right '2' is much more focused, produced effort than the material you may be familiar with by Low. I think this sounds a lot like The Posies (especially the vocals) but with a nod toward the atmospheric/post-rock bands of the noughties with it's rich layers of distortions and reverberant vocals. Also features a couple of full on psyche rock outs with solos and everything. Strangely enough, this isn't too far removed from the Zak Sally stuff that came out at the end of last year. Beautifully packaged in a glacial sleeve with embossed text.
Finally got the CD version of Japa-noise quartet Bo Ningen's ace debut, Koroshitai Kimochi. Originally available on 10", we couldn't review it as it was so elaborately packaged we could get into it without tainting the product. Well, finally I can give it a spin and boy oh boy am I a happy lad. Abrasive, almost psychedelic guitar phrases bounce of post-punk style grooves accompanied by the obligatory snappy Melt Banana-esque vocal attack. As with all good Japanese party bands Bo Ningen are keen to exploit hitherto forgotten or ignored musical genres, in this case the strange middle ground between prog and noise rock that is often explored by King Crimson. Loud, unbelievably precise and very satisfying stuff.
Weepop action time!! Limited to 160 tiny CD's packaged in one of those mini envelopes I used to get my wages in and featuring some lovely little ghost drawings 'We Disappear' by Transmittens is a right treat. Featuring ten tracks of tastefully executed and lovingly produced indie-pop of the type you should be fairly familiar with. This is no bad thing though as these tunes ooze underground indie pop charm with strong song craft and tight playing, two things you wouldn't normally associate with this style. Kinda reminds me of the sparseness of Beat Happening but with hints of electronica thrown in to mix things up this is a sweet little find and a treat for all you bedroom indie-pop lovers.
Infinite Body is the work of Kyle Parker who has previously been active as Gator Surprise. 'Carve Out the Face of My God' is the first thing I've heard under the Infinite Body name and it's quite far removed from his previous output. 'Carve Out the Face...' is more in keeping with the experimental noise/synth/drone stuff you hear so much of nowadays. Incidentally, Kyle is extremely good at producing ambient synth music with results being incredibly uplifting. This music is in no way harsh, on the contrary these abstract synth drones majestic in depth are remarkably soothing to my ears. Repeated listens will no doubt reveal secret harmonies and hidden tonal treats but i've only got time for the one listen now... Bummer. Out now on PPM.
Got this four track remix EP from Trash DJ and super remix dude Rory Phillips. With mixes of The XX's 'Crystalised', White Lies's 'Farewell to the Fairground', Eine Kleine Nachtmusik's 'Feuerprobe' and a classic mix in the form of The Units' 'High Pressure Days' there should be something here for everyone. 'Crysalised' is given a moony synth reworking, 'Farewell to the Fairground' is given a funk workout and 'Feuerprobe' is rightfully worked up in a Krautrock fashion but it's The Units mix that works best, mainly because the source material was excellent in the first place. More of a retouched, reworked mix as opposed to a full on remix, Rory's mix lifts the veil in the same way as the DFA lot did with Liquid Liquid letting modern production techniques revitalize old post punk favourites. Worth it for this mix alone.
This is self titled release from AFCGT sees the amalgamation of A Frames and Climax Golden Twins and boy what a fine pairing it is. This is their second full length outing together merging the power of a drums, bass and three guitarists to create a ghastly, atmospheric and totally obscure sounding rock music. Sludgy doom riffs act as canvas from which deeper, spaced out jams, contemplative ambience and good time psyche blues solos are added. Nowhere near as angular as the A Frames stuff and far removed from Golden Climax Twins previous outings this self-titled LP is full of sweet surprises. Comes on super sweet white vinyl with a bonus 7". Can't say fairer than that.
I'm not so familiar with the 'super' production of Oh No but i'm into the concept behind 'Dr No's Ethiopium'. Inspired by rare 60s and 70s Ethiopian funk, jazz, folk, soul and psychedelic rock, Oh No has put together a crazy 34 track mix fusing western hip-hop beats with unique, otherworldly samples to excellent effect. Not to dissimilar to the style of J. Dilla's 'Donuts' or Edan's recent 'Echo Tape' LP, Oh No exploits a vast, unending record archive to produce a work that is hard to define but a total treat to hear. Sample choices are super tasteful and the execution is super skilled and cheeky as hell..... I should image it ain't easy to cut these mixes with all the strange time signatures and differing production qualities of each record but Oh No doe's a fine job with his source material.
Teeth of the Sea are pushing all the right buttons here. First off 'Hypoticon' has totally beautiful artwork, then they go and kick off the EP with a sterling cover of 'In the Space Capsule (Love Theme)' from Queen's amazing Flash Gordon soundtrack!!! A favourite in their live sets, it's a perfect way of introducing the band. The two originals committed here are just as inviting as said Queen cover. 'Hypnoticon Viva' is a propulsive juggernaut of a tune with it's insistent bass and drum groove playing of super space-age psyche-rock soloing punctuated by otherworldly synth tones and processed vocal outbursts. Sitting somewhere between the futuro soundtrack style of Zombi/Steve Moore and the all out space rock onslaught of White Hills, 'Hypoticon' bridges the gap real nice and makes for ace listening.
Philip Leigh wrote these at home and at work over a 2 hour period.
Finders Keepers chuck us another trawl through the archives this week and this one is fruit flavoured. Pomegranates is a comp of Persian pop, funk, folk and psych from the 60's and 70's. The 60's and 70's weren't just a cultural revolution in the west you know. They even had one in the middle east.... Crazy I know! Arabs eh? you gotta love 'em. And god bless 'em for making all this funtastic music lovingly chosen by Finders Keepers and placed onto one CD or a double LP for your Iranian retro enjoyment. As far as I'm concerned there's no household names (to me) on here but there are some stunning tunes. The opener 'Helelyos' by Zia is one of the best things I've heard in a while. A total psych funk classic and I can't get enough of that 60's psyche vibe when it's infused with a middle eastern flavour. I've just heard they eat loads of Pomegranates in Iran. It all makes sense now.... Fantastische!
Dead Pilot have been churning these split CD's out for a while now. The 7th in the series (yes it's a series) is upon us and that's a split by Plurals and Tuluum Shimmering. It's limited to 100 copies in a digipack with a thing stuck on it and a thing on the inside of it. Classy. The Plurals track is awesome.... You get just shy of 14 minutes from 'em and it's some of the finest intense drone I've heard in a while. It reminds me of a track from the last Natural Snow Buildings album. It's really foreboding and intense, and is making my head want to explode. Nice! Tuluum Shimmering come from a more lo-fi jammy sort of way with them doing an 18 minute jam which builds from loads of tribal drums into a sparkly melodic racket which is truly nothing short of pleasing. This is most certainly one of the best things I've heard on the label in ages. Brilliant!
Those Japanese folks love their twinkly electronica and if you've not had enough of it then you'll immediately want to get a comp called 'My Private Space' which has just arrived here after it's 6000 mile journey. It would seem rude not to pay it any attention after it had made such a journey to the towers! It features a bunch of tracks by Akira Koseumura, Haruka Nakemura (as well as a delightful collaboration between the 2 of them!), Aus, Fjordne and some other folks I've not heard of before. You get lots of pastoral flavoured piano, electronics, twinkles, small beats, some twinkles and a few more twinkles thrown in for good measure. Did I say twinkles? Very lovely comp which will make you feel all calm and that when you're feeling angry after someone being a dick or something (like people are...)
I can't believe the snow is back.... Am looking out of the window wondering if I'm gonna get home tonight. I wish I had some spare undercrackers. Here's a brand new 3" Cd on the ever dependable Rusted Rail label. It's by Brigid Power Ryce and it's been recorded by the UK and US by Liam Watson and Eric Carbonara (mmmm...) She's a singer songwriter who has a very potent, powerful voice. I'm listening to this live for the first time as I type and it's by far the most striking thing about this EP. The track 'Lost Night Girls' is doing it for me as I'm totally sold by the vocal performance. The songs themselves are folk infused singer songwriter affairs which will appeal to folks who like Marissa Nadler, Haruko and the ilk. 'You Are Here' is a totally delightful 3" EP and I genuinely can't recommend it enough. Let's see if you're floored by those vocals 'n all!
Voice of The Seven Woods have transformed into Voice of The Seven Thunders! From what I can tell it's Rick Tomlinson and Chris Walmsley who were originally in Vo7W with the addition of a new chap called Rory Gibson on bass. There's your facts... And they're more than likely wrong! Anyhoo after the Vo7T 7" a coupla weeks ago the CD of the self-titled album has landed (the vinyl is gonna follow in a week or 2 we think). Continuing on from the Vo7W album you can hear a progression as the album is considerably more ass kicking than I ever remember 'em being. This album is a total 70's psyche acid rock fest which which make you want to flail yourself all around the shop like a true rock god. Over the pummeling drums you've got some immense sounding guitars with solos and widdlyness happening 24/7. It's a busy album with lots going on so there's plenty to keep your fried brain going and there's also much rock for you to move forwards and backwards with pouted lips. I'm doing it now while I type.... I have no control over myself from doing it whatsoever. Such is the power of rock. Well worth checking out!
Monotreme are back with a new album by Nedry which is an interesting one. From the off you'll be intrigued by the interesting sound that they've managed to develop. 'Condors' is perhaps the first dubstep/post-rock/ electronica hybrid with someone who sounds a bit like Bjork singing. It's a bonkers sound alright and it sounds like it just shouldn't work but after my first listen I'm totally hooked and it really does work. It's crazy! You get some mellow dubby basslines with the trademark dubstep wobble, with some electronics and guitars that remind me a bit of Thom Yorke's Eraser and over them there's this beautiful voice swanning in which sounds a bit like Bjork (at times!) The other comparison that comes to mind is Lamb but all dubsteppy or perhaps a more accurate one could be Portishead (who straddle genres with their massive pop legs). The quality is there though! There's a mixture of more downbeat and upbeat tracks which all work together and help the album flow. Check out 'Condors' and 'Apples & Pears for two totally slicing tracks..... There's a real dark element album to the album... Just listen to the foreboding bass on the albums final track 'Where The Dead Birds Go'. It's an astonishing listen and it's really good to hear someone do something different.
I heard The Travellers on Myspace after they sent me a link. We get sent so many we don't listen to them all but some we do hear! Anyway I thought they were pretty good and we got their CD EP in called Blue EP and you'll be pleased to know the artwork does have blue on it. You'd be amazed how many bands don't get the colours right... Textbook mistake. I think they're Swedish... And you know how much the Swedes like their indie pop.... Well the EP shows shades of The Sundays, Catatonia, The Smiths, Icicle Works, Cocteaus, Siouxsie.... In fact it's very much an amalgamation of loads of great indie bands from that era (ie the ones listed and probably a lot more) and they sound pretty competent at it as well. The singers voice occasionally reminds me of Kristin Hersh. It's a solid little EP! CD only tho!
Briannnnngggggggggghhhuuurrr is mental.
Morning Tapes is a CD by a Leeds based sound artist called David Horner. He's going under the moniker Relmic Statute here, supplying the listener with beautiful, eerie & spacious atmospherics, field recordings, acoustically enhanced industrial tinkering & haunting blankets of audio drift. His music is brilliantly balanced between meditative calm & the poignancy of dawn, another day is awakening and this journey can be seen to symbolise both reflection & hope for the approaching day ahead. Some smashing work here, pretty evocative in all its minimal, ponderous majesty. Ltd to 200 on the ever popular Hibernate.
Been liking this here Pantha Du Prince CD on Rough Trade. He seems to have hit on the middle ground between Keiran Hebden's twinkly organic post-housescapes and the uber-talented James Holden's euphoric electro-tinged floor burners. He's got that whole smooth European techno sound sewn up, a sort of funky cerebral electronica that can blur the lines between the widescreen 4/4 of Trentmoller with the playful sub-bass experiments we've come to expect from Sam Shackleton - see the excellent track 'Abglanz'. So this 'Black Noise' is a collection that is concurrently minimal, inventive & fresh whilst coming across as familiar & surprisingly soothing (given its misleading title!!) Consisting of the sort of electronica that quite does it for me these days, a class act that will appeal to both yr modern indie brethren & yr Kompakt kidz!
Spooky CDr from Andrew Paine. Occasionally employing a muted take on spoken word performance within the realms of these haunting, screeing & whirring tendrils of drone modulation, in the process creating a sinister but utterly captivating backdrop. I've always been a fan of spooked sounds and 'Functions of Hedgerow' doesn't remotely disappoint. The track 'Scent of Green', for instance, sounds like Broadcast creeping through a seriously haunted wood at the dead of night, wavering, quivering analog keys being enveloped by dark spectral shadows. I'd love to listen to this in the dark with just some flickering candles for company! Utterly beautiful, menacing stuff!
Squarepusher's baby brother Andy (aka Ceephax Acid Crew) returns to the Planet Mu nest with a new party opus, 'United Acid Emirates'. My initial impression of this album was one of slight dismay but only because I've loved his more aggressive & demented acid stylings over the years. This new album has more of an eclectic Vibert-y erm... Vibe. Many of the tunes appear lighter & jollier with some really cheeky production frills, bouncy grooves and kitscher keys. On 'Castilian' he threatens you with a slugging euro hardcore beat before these euphoric wibbly synths shroud any potential menace in astral ecstacy. 'New River Company' recalls both Radiophonic & kosmische moods whilst hinting at an elevator friendly pulse whilst ''Commuter' is light & breezy modern acid house with a classic feel. I'm gradually warming to his style throughout this album, it has much more depth than I initially thought & even though a handful of tracks are a bit more commercial than his earlier work, it seems like a very natural progression now, rather than the blip I feared on first listen. At the end of the day, he IS a Jenkinson & the man's skills are undoubtedly supreme. 2xLP/CD on Planet Mu.
Slugabed is one of the new breed o' wonky/grime producers on the block and Planet Mu, seemingly my label du jour for this February week, are hosting his latest set of dancefloor breakers. 'Ultra Heat Treated' is a 6 tracker that ranges in style from the stumbling; tough-ass, bassbin worrying title track; to take in fizzing, rippling & gurgling party grime courtesy of 'Skyfire'; the "broken arcade" wonky of 'Pressure'; The slo-stepping wankered hard-hop of 'Quantum Leap' - all deep dirty, hyperactive synths firing off everywhere (my favourite track by far) Then 'Goulash' sways along like a stomping mechanical giant smashing your town to bits in its quest for a decent party & a strong spliff; whilst 'Titans' continues the rigid 8-bit speaker-busting quest to the bitter end. A solid EP with no discernible weak links, this is hard party music with a zest for life. 2x12"/CD
Our Ant is poorly again so my ears have been drafted in to try and cope with this Dave Phillips CD. Opening with thunder, rain and a funereal atmosphere, a door creaks open ito a pulsing Amazonian jungle where there seems to be a whole wasp colony trying to close harmonise with each other. I think that's too much for the door opener as they slam it shut on what turns out to be the most evil wash of venomous noise I've been subjected to in quite a while. Like static turned up to +11, it suddenly gives way to this sinister backward masked breathing merged with chattering & erotic snogging noises! All underpinned with sombre low end keys! Erk! This goes on for 12 minutes, an incredibly uncomfortable but compulsive listen. Sounds like a Satanic S&M orgy halfway in (recorded by Matmos!). How he goes from that sordid epic into an eerie dark ambient accordion piece I'll never know. Thunking bottom end piano keys are used to chilling effect on this record, as are pitch black atmospherics & distorted samples designed to strike terror into the casual listener. But I think you lot are tougher than that aren't you? Not one to listen to whilst imbibing psychedelic drugs methinks. '?' is a digipak CD on HCB records.
Skullflower is one noisy bugger. His appearances on the vinyl format are very rare these days, to say the least, so we must rejoice the union of himself & White Medal sharing a split 7" on the ever stubborn Turgid Animal of West Yorkshire. His style is always effective, a kind of yearning, viscous gothic industrial strength fuzz, pitched at the the cold heart of the Black Metal fraternity, yet somehow purer & more gratifying than most of that genre. Shorn of throaty vocal rasps and the insectoid blur of pummeled kick drums on 'Great Hunter', his all-enveloping wall of roaring feedback is somehow spiritually cleansing. Not bad for a big God kicker. White Medal are a grimy lo-fi BM band with a bit of a tormented, feral hardcore feel. Their 'On't Borough' charges messily through fields of gore & crushed souls in a valiant last-gasp attempt to pierce the enemy's heart with the stump of a bloodied sword. Or something. Good stuff!
Fuck me, this Starkey thing is sweet! Not only is it a record, it's also a DJ tool, imprinted on one side with the revolutionary ’Serato Control Tone’ which enables you to scratch with digital files! I'm not bothered about that shit, sounds well Judge Jules. Like Brett said yesterday, Jeff Mills used to chuck his records over his shoulder when he'd finished using a track, he didn't give a fuck. DJs are pansies these days, too wimpy to lift their record boxes anymore! Only kidding, this grey vinyl disc is not only a lovely collectors item, in a designer sort of way, but the song 'Knob Twiddler' is also a searching electronic classic, mixing up braindance, breakbeat techno & post wonky rave stabs into a highly intoxicating euphoric stew. Absolutely boss tune, the best I've heard from this talented genre splicer. The third release I've reviewed on the esteemed Planet Mu this week!
Not heard from The Besnard Lakes for a while. Here they come with their new 12", 'Albatross'. It's a shoegazey strut down memory lane that has a wonderfully spacious production, a sort of beefed-up & heavily tremeloed Mazzy Star feel. Fans of early Medicine, A Sad Day For Puppets & A Sunny Day in Glasgow should also love this. I like the way it bursts into chiming, stargazing college rock at the end, all in all a powerful little epic! The flip is a slice of evocative, atmosphere-laden downtempo; a meandering, smoky number that kind of reminds me of mid-period Field Mice, I think its the slightly cosmic electronic dabbling, the tender, conversational bassline & the ricocheting ethereal touches. The piano gives it a lovely Spiritualized edge too. A cracking double header!!
As far as interesting things go, I'm slightly perturbed by having to review a record by a convicted murderer. But not that badly! Bobby Beausoleil was that free spirited demon who collaborated with Love in the early days before becoming matey with old cuddly Charlie Manson. His sessions for the Lucifer Rising film are the stuff of legend, the box we had sold out real quick so we're expecting similar things of this deluxe double vinyl by his experimental collective, The Orkustra. Phil phrased it well when he came over and stated it's like "a big psychedelic folk jam". Mixing free-folk with jazz elements & wonderful orchestration to create these jaw dropping miniature odysseys, this is a remarkable listen; constructed from rehearsal & live performances into a coherent & spellbinding document that is so lovingly packaged, you'd be demented not to hanker after a copy. Adventures In Experimental Electric Orchestra From the San Francisco Psychedelic Underground is on Mexican Summer.....................
Dave says hello....
Veronica Falls need no introduction.. So I wont give them one. What I will say about these characters is that they offer up a pop goth sound that will melt the blackest, most icy of souls. Amidst the lo-fi production and moodyness there is a playful heart beating out a 4/4 beat and a scratchy guitar riff. The cover's proper death rock too, a load of crucifixes and pagan eye type symbols.. 'Found Love in a Graveyard' is perfect for eyeliner donning grumpy fuckers everywhere it's on Captured and it's out now...
Lonelady's new single is pretty good. 'Intuition' starts with a guitar riff and simple drumbeat that wouldnt sound amiss on an early B-52s album. Then the 'Lonesters voice creeps in and the rest is history. The production sounds good and the song is fairly straightforward. The B-side is my favourite of the two on this Warp 7". A downbeat experimental track that bubbles along in a Scout Niblett type of way. An instantly catchy single...
The Beachniks love the beach. I also love the beach even though its simply where land meets water. These guys have a surfy Moldy Peaches feel, except not as rude. While the Peaches make me want to smoke loads of fags and wear animal suits,the Beachniks make me pine for summer and beaches and good sandwiches. They sound quite cute and the sleeve on this self-titled 7" is ace!! They have a scatchy sound that has a fun feel to it.. Lifes a beach etc etc..
Nice Nice's sweet new fucking cut is fantastic!! 'See Waves' has an afro-beat meets Battles sound and nearly made me wet mi pants!! The production's lavish and is full of different instruments. It sounds a bit like 'Biko' (the song not the political prisoner). The B-side is ace too, it washes over you with its cinematic scope and stays with you long after youve left it... Maybe it's the aural equivolent of a three day binge with Russell Crowe. It's on Warp and its out now muthacrushas!!!!
Team Norman xx