Cranes - Fuse

Dadaphonic

Released: 5th April 2024

 

We always got a little tired of Cranes being compared to their contemporaries in the late 1980s alternative scene as the truth is they had very little in common with anybody, certainly not the bloody Cocteau Twins. There may have been echoes of early Swans in there, and a hint of the way that Neubauten or Throbbing Gristle played with sound, but from the beginning Cranes created a world all of their own. It may have been that they emerged from Portsmouth, isolated from the main hubs of the alternative scene in Brighton, London and Manchester, or it may have been a shout to break through the gloom of that weathered post-industrial city, but Cranes announced their arrival with some unique, spine-tingling, primary assaults that absolutely shook us cold. Fuse was their first general release, some 200 cassettes being released by local indie Biteback! and nothing was ever the same again. Sparse in the extreme, these seven songs hammered at the senses and it is astonishing to realise they were recorded in a garage on a 4-track porta-studio. The massive drum sound was created by Jim Shaw using an early sampling pedal and the power of his work was to remain a mainstay of the band's sound throughout their career. Not that Cranes were a band at this time. Fuse was created by Jim and his sister Alison, the latter not yet having found her voice, but using these songs to try different approaches, experimenting with pitch and depth and texture.

For those of us who heard the band in the early days and snapped up the 1986 cassette, it is almost bewildering to see these songs being remastered at Abbey Road (no less) some thirty-eight years later and being reissued in such a beautiful vinyl and CD package, with superb artwork from V23's Chris Bigg. The seven original tracks have been complemented by the addition of 'New Liberty', an outtake from the Self-Non-Self sessions, and they sound enormous. Having originally bought two cassettes, we sold one a few years ago and then stopped playing the other one when it came to be regarded as gold dust. This means it is some years since we last heard these songs, all of which have been virtually hidden for decades, bar the title track which reappeared on Self-Non-Self three years later.

And they deserve to be heard. The music Cranes produce absolutely captures your soul. For us it is life how it should be lived trapped in sound, full of fury and light and anger and regret and darkness and passion and tears and every bloody thing else. No other band affects us in the same way and no other band ever will. From the ominous opening to 'Pillow Panther' it is clear different forces are at work. Alison howls in the background as a rattling rhythm and disturbing bass create the tension. A guitar scrapes gently and a big drum punches out. It sets the scene marvellously well for a record that damages more effectively as it runs out. 'Fuse' is punchy and dark, Alison's vocal rising and falling, challenging itself, being built up in layers until it becomes a whirlpool. 'Valentine' whispers through a world of metal, the vocal almost buried. It fades in less than two minutes for broken guitars to introduce 'Gas-Ring' which is distant and unfocussed, the vocals little more than overlapping cries for help. Side two begins with the splintered 'Things That I Like' which almost spits contempt as Alison's brilliant vocal glides though the shards. The power of Cranes became their ability to balance the brutal with touching frailty and the roots of that future success are clearly heard here. 'Wrench' is even more broken, muffled and crushed, while closing track (of the original album) 'Fracture' is almost dismissive of shape and form. It is dragged to every corner, always hypnotic, always hurting, and absolutely gripping. Additional track 'New Liberty' is more identifiably the Cranes we came to know and love. Musically it has the feel of early Birthday Party, with quite gorgeous splintered guitars stabbing at the big rhythm track, Alison's voice capturing the tones that would dominate on the next few albums.

It is fantastic that these songs have become available again so they can be enjoyed by those who discovered the band in their later days, or those youngsters who have yet to hear them. No doubt many who investigate will be just as overwhelmed and trapped as we were all those years ago. Dadaphonic have only released the vinyl and CD versions in limited numbers so be sure to grab a copy before they disappear. It is pretty certain these will become the gold dust of the future.

The Libertines - All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade

EMI

Released: 5th April 2024

 

The Libertines have been back together for some time now and we were wondering if we would ever see a fourth album from the band, but they have finally delivered with their first outing in nine years, a collection of eleven songs stretching just under thirty-nine minutes. The immediate impression is one of cohesion; though obviously having their difficult moments over the years, on the whole this band has shared a camaraderie like The Small Faces and they often take a similar approach to their music where extraneous tomfoolery can spill over onto the record, underlining how much the band are enjoying putting these songs together. Yet when their focus is sharpened, they can still create music of outstanding warmth and quality. Of course, there are traits that could only belong to The Libertines: Pete Doherty's vocal approach is unique, his poetry spilling out more words per song than most bands would think possible. And then there is The Libertines' distinct guitar sound that thrills as well as assures. All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade is everything The Libertines embody and, despite the band having dispersed to various corners of Europe, is so essentially English it could have been scraped from the gutters in your street. Not that The Libertines still dwell down there; the album lacks the narrative of personal dramas which have filled their previous outings and the scope is wider, the sound cleaner and the sun appears to be shining. This could ony be a record produced by a band in a good place, happy with each other and, more importantly, with themselves. This is the world view of The Libertines at ease and it makes you smile as much as thrill at the moments everything comes together and the music explodes in a addictive blend of poetry, melody and razor sharp wit. Opener 'Run Run Run' is almost Libertines By Numbers, but is ludicrously appealing for all that, while 'Mustangs' is devastatingly good with neat lyrics, dancing guitars and harmonious backing vocals. 'I Have A Friend' is old school Libs which could have sat neatly on any of their albums. It's the highlight here, but there are challengers, including 'Oh Shit' that evokes 'Don’t Look Back Into The Sun' and has a neat Carl vocal, John Hassell's evocative 'Man With The Melody', on which all of the band members take their turn to sing, and closer 'Songs They Never Play On The Radio' which is sung beautifully by Pete and has a quite lovely lyric. "Just to claim the claims I'm owed / Though I know I'm owed just about half of nothing at all'. In truth it sounds a little downbeat for an album of such warmth, but for The Libertines the grime and the glitter are just different parts of the same whole. When Britpop killed the underground at the turn of the century, The Libertines emerged as a shining light, fusing poetry, wit, rebellion, attitude and dirty guitars. For that we will always treasure them. And while this album won't go down as the greatest thing they have done, we are so happy to have it. A world without The Libs would be a sorry place indeed.

Oliver Beardmore - Swimming In The Light Of A Cold Star

Same

Released: 19th April 2024

 

Young as he may be, Oliver Beardmore has been releasing songs for quite a few years now, including a series of pop tunes that were remarkably pretty but sadly overlooked. The last couple of years have seen a change in direction as he has shifted his focus more towards the sonic dreamscapes of shoegaze and dreampop. Last year's Tailspin EP featured heavier guitars and a variety of influences which left the songs possibly lacking a little homogeneity, though the four tracks on new release, Swimming In The Light Of A Cold Star, fit much more nicely together, Beardmore beginning to create a sound that can be considered all his own. The warped guitars that introduce 'Tracer' have us instantly hooked before the vocal brings in the melody, Beardmore's reflective, light tones smoothing over the rough edges and creating a dreamy atmosphere that simply envelops you. This is definitely one of the finest songs we have heard this year, a beautiful four minutes that we could listen to on repeat all day. 'Dead Oceans' laps gently at your senses, the guitars painting pretty pictures while the vocals weave intricately, creating their own meandering paths. 'Cold Star' shows obvious Cocteau Twins influence, Beardmore possibly being one of the few artists whose voice is flexible enough to carry this off. His intonation makes you smile at memories as the world chimes around his words. It really is very impressive stuff. The singer's personal favourite, 'Sky Pieces', is more contemplative and it ebbs and flows quite beautifully. All of the songs on this EP touch you inside; there is a delicacy that entices, yet at times a power that simply grabs you. It's an EP that is more than a collection of shoegaze songs; it is one that fuses Beardmore's obvious melodic sensibilities with the more complex layers of alternative construction. It works supremely well. Sadly, it is available only on download, but it is well worth making an investment. Available from Beardmore's Bandcamp page.

Kristin Hersh - Clear Pond Sessions

Fire Records

Released: 20th April 2024

 

If you are going to release a record on Record Store Day, then this is how you should do it. Kristin Hersh presents us with six tracks from her excellent Clear Pond Road album of 2023 in never-heard-before stripped back versions, with the whole pressed on white vinyl and packaged very tidily indeed. It's an artifact that is surely of infinite more worth than some crappy billionth reissue of Rumours, or any other such major label tat that clogs up the vinyl pressing plants interminably. We did wonder how it would be possibe to "strip back" songs that only featured guitar and cello in the first place and we guess these are pretty much original demo versions of the songs, given the slight shakiness of both the vocals and the instrumentation. Opening with the fabulous 'Dandelion' the new version is a touch longer and a fair bit rawer than the album version. Pete Harvey's cello is edgy where on the album it wraps around you like a warming blanket. 'Constance Street' is again more urgent with Kristin quicker into her vocal phrases and Harvey again more cutting. We like this a lot as it speeds through some ten seconds quicker than the final cut which is certainly carefully measured. The cello on 'Eyeshine' positively scratches and the passion in Kristin's voice is abundantly clear where on the final version it is perhaps just a little hidden away. The second side opens with one of Kristin's most alluring tracks of recent years, 'Ms Haha', which dips and rises while Kristin's voice folds over itself, shakes with distortion and cracks with emotion. The guitar is more urgent while the cello doesn't escape an attack of the bends. It's such a beautiful thing; life in plain focus, never straightforward but not, perhaps, lacking hope. Or at least acceptance. "If I gave in we'd have today. What more were we gonna have anyway?" The demo here doesn't vary greatly from the final album track, perhaps lacking a little of its sharpness, but still capturing its greatness. 'Reflections On The Motive Power Of Fire' is the most straightforward song here, an acoustic ballad with sad cello accompaniment, while closer 'Palmetto' is all about the vocal as Kristin weaves her tale around the sparsest accompaniment. It's observational, lacking some of the emotional commitment displayed in the more personal numbers, almost reportage. The final album version has a lighter vocal which undoubtedly softens the edges. Which is great as this underlines the purpose of this release which is to hear these works in a different place, with a more fluid emphasis to gain a new perspective. They are strong enough songs to make the experiment worthwhile and an RSD treasure where today these are hard to find.

The Shop Window - Daysdream

Jangleshop

Released: 3rd May 2024

 

It's not just shoegaze that has emerged as a renewed force in recent years, the current upsurge in jangle pop has reached almost pandemic proportions with solid albums emerging from every corner of the globe. Whether the pioneers of the jangle ever expected their endeavours to serve as the foundations for future world domination we sincerely doubt, not least because this is the most introverted of music, but there appears to be little doubt that 2024 is going to be the Year of Jangle and it can be no bad thing to focus a little on our own thoughts and dreams as the world tumbles into turmoil. The Shop Window have been one of the leading lights in the UK jangle revival for some five years now and it appears that they have chosen this auspicious year to make their definitive statement. Daysdream is their third album and undoubtedly their finest. And not just an album, Daysdream has been released as a double, which intrinsically serves as two mini albums, one encompassing "Days" and the other "Dream". The former is filled with their familiar indie guitar pop, whilst the latter adopts a more melancholic mood, with a dreamier element to its sound.

If you have listened to The Shop Window before, you will realise that their music is very far from the shambolic (but fantastic) punk rushes of some of the original jangle bands; it is highly refined guitar music that is well thought out and structured and simply sings. They also have an innate understanding that the greatest music in this field sounds like the summer but fixates on disappointment and despair. At the very least it is wistful; occasionally a love song is allowed as long as you know at heart that any love returned is undeserved and ultimately will be revelead to be a cruel joke. Soundwise here we sway from the Byrdsian 'Live To Love & Love Your Life' and 'Blues' which simply chime, to the surely Razorcuts-inspired 'See Another Day' which fantastically adopts that band's vague air of disappointment. Chuck in a sprinkling of Beach Boys, some horns and exposed emotional fragility and it's pretty much the perfect package.

The second disc is not so far removed from the first; though it walks a slightly different path, guitars still sing and melody reigns. There's a dreamier air to 'Who's In Control?' which shimmers gently, while the lively 'Monochrome' and thoughtful 'Happy Now' are lightly brushed with psychedelia. Around the edges the keyboards hint at Slowdive or Spiritualized, yet the vocal approach remains the same, even sounding jaunty on closer 'Made In Heaven'. It's a gentle juxtaposition; the whole album is an experiment in capturing nuances and giving them depth. It's difficult enough to express contrasting emotions let alone differing shades of harmonious ones. Carl Mann and his crew succeed admirably in doing just that and with the band's main man writing, producing, mixing and mastering, this is no small achievement. The sun came out today: the perfect weather for the clatter of guitars and the death of hope ...

Moonshake - BBC Radio Sessions

Beggars Arkive

Released: 3rd May 2024

 

Formed by David Callahan when he left The Wolfhounds in 1990, Moonshake were a rather schizophrenic band with Callahan and guitarist Margaret Fiedler bouncing off each other to create a series of songs that were both contrasting yet surreally harmonious. The duo sang the vocals on their own songs, neither compromised on their approach, and the resulting musical collisions were always fascinating and occasionally astounding. The idea was to create a band that had a dub feel, but incorporated noise and sampler technology and while a lot of Fiedler's work had a folksy feel, Callahan's songs tended to be more intense. After releasing an initial EP on Creation (Alan McGee had been keen to sign the Wolfhounds but accepted Callahan's new project), Moonshake moved to Too Pure and began to capture the sound they had always sought, rather than the overly shoegazy influences of their debut. They released two further singles before their 1992 Eva Luna album was completed and this is the timeframe in which the featured John Peel Session was recorded, first being broadcast in January 1993. It opens with 'Coming', the third track on their Creation EP, though this version is heavier and better, the guitars more distorted and more in your face. It's grinding and spiteful and rather bloody good. The other three tracks here all featured on the band's debut album, Eva Luna, 'Beautiful Pigeon' also being their third single. There are some more lovely twisted guitars on that, with Fiedler's gentle vocal melded with some reggae dub influences, which lead to guitars stabbing at your face rather pleasantly. 'Sweetheart' opens side two, another Callahan creation making good use of the samplers, while the fourth song is 'Mugshot Heroine', also the album's closing track, where Fiedler guides us through a broken Middle Eastern soundtrack with her undstated, almost spoken narrative. This Peel Session ably demonstrates just how diverse and fascinating Moonshake were; they were brave explorers of sound and it is a shame the partnership did not endure for longer. This twelve-inch clear vinyl EP has been produced by Beggars Arkive in their series of Radio Session releases (ten records form Volume One), which are available by subscription only and limited to a run of 500 copies.

Silver Biplanes - Travelling By Candlelight

Wiaiwya

Released: 24th May 2024

 

The second album from Bedfordshire-based melodic indie-poppers Silver Biplanes arrives some sixteen months after their excellent debut A Moment in the Sun, and it is pretty much more of the same, a blend of nicely worked alternative guitar tunes drawing in influences from across the board whilst never forgetting their jangle pop roots. There are twelve tracks here, eight from songwriter Tim Vass, formerly of the mighty Razorcuts, and four cover versions of "Silver" songs recorded in late 2022, which were originally intended to appear on an EP of cover versions but were eventually held back for this album. These present an intriguing mixture, including a nicely spaced-out version of Hawkwind's 'Silver Machine' which is really rather terrific and must make for a fine live experience, while 'Silver Moon' is a cover of former Monkee Mike Nesmith's country-folk number, lacking Nesmith's gentle howls, but retaining the embracing air and gentle mood. 'Silver Cloud' is a rather robust and truncated stab at the track from La Düsseldorf which featured on that band's eponymous 1976 album. Of course David Bowie heralded Klaus Dinger's (Kraftwerk, Neu!) outfit as creators of the "soundtrack of the eighties" and their work was a major influence on Low and Heroes, though SB's version is more cuddly and bounces along at a good tempo, the whole tune running in at 1:44 whereas the original stretched to over eight minutes. 'Silver Wings' is one we didn't know, a cover of the 1969 song by Hamilton Streetcar. The mood of that sombre ballad is captured well with some maudlin piano and solemn organ framing Vanessa Vass's feeling vocal.

Tim Vass's songs are eclectic in subject, whilst still embracing the span of life from memories of the past, fears and hopes for the future and contemplation of the journey's end. They are never more touching than when they depict familiar pictures, and mentions of "ring roads" while Razorcuts' guitars chime in the background stir lovely, much-missed memories. There are plenty of his former band's jangling intros which are so familiar, yet the songs here are not of a type, absorbing various influences. There's an attractive psych feel to 'Radiogram' that also feeds into the funfair music of the truncated 'Broken Instruments'. The gentle jangle of 'Back Of My Mind' is quite lovely as it drowns in an organ soup, while the delivery of the resonant vocals on 'Frozen In Time' brings up thoughts of second album Bananarama. 'Just One More Thing' is a highlight as Vanessa weaves an intricate vocal through rising and falling organ backing; it's so nicely put together and genuinely uplifting. Closer 'Before The Sunset' is a gentle ballad with harmonised male-female vocals and acoustic guitars underlining its solemnity.

A mention here for neat drummer Rob Scott, feeling guitarist Noel Douglas and dominant keyboard player Steve Peebles who have helped shape this album into another fascinating and textured collection of songs you would do well not to overlook. This is alternative pop music at its best: touching, crafted, intelligent and understanding the things that are important. Grab a copy from Silver Biplanes' Bandcamp if you can find it nowhere else.

The Gluts - Bang!

Fuzz Club

Released: 31st May 2024

 

Bang! is the fifth album from the Milan-based psych powerhouses and their first for approaching three years. We fell for The Gluts when we listened to their 2017 Fuzz Club debut album Estasi which explored a dangerous psych underworld, full of raging cataracts of sound. The band showed they could infuse monochrome post-punk accents with explosive psych tones and the result was something rather special. In truth, we were less captivated by the band's following two efforts, 2019's Dengue Fever Hypnotic Trip and 2021's Ungrateful Heart, as they packed plenty of punch but veered too much towards heavy rock and too far away from the cold darkness and subtleties of the alternative universe. Indeed, they came across more as live outings; The Gluts put on a meteoric live show and if you can possibly capture them in performance it is well worth doing so.

Bang!, described by the band as, "The sound of a single gunshot, straight to the heart”, finally sees them achieving what we always knew they could as it is a punishing record, crowded with fast-paced, noisy anthems that border on punk, yet is shot through with thoughtful psych experimentalism, and some simply terrifying guitars. The opener, the innocuously titled 'Soybeans', bursts into life with siren guitars and brutalises its way through two and half minutes, feeding back, stuttering and slicing as singer Nicolò Campana sings about being "out of control inside my head". It's a decent opening and the mood doesn't let up, the title track hitting out at conventional society, with a nice Sex Pistols reference to boot. It's the closest the band get to singalong and we look forward to doing just that when we next meet in the live arena. 'Fight' has some nice post-punk guitars, a terrific solo, and is a bold call to arms, while 'Self-Destruction' follows the same theme. "It's useless to be an arrogant beast / Staring at this inaccessible dream." The whole album just bubbles over with the values of 1977: fight to be yourself, don't trust the conventions of society and, importantly, it's alright to be pissed off. Again this track is full of lovely guitars, courtesy of Marco Campana, while the bass of Claudia Cesana and the drums of Dario Bruno Bassi dance together so effectively. There is enough space in these songs for musicianship and melody which perhaps had been neglected in the previous albums, and this makes them all the more cutting. Side one ends with 'Vampire, A Walk At Midnight', a slower beast full of passion and power.

Lead single 'Cade Giù' opens the second side like an old punk 45, sung in Italian and barely breaking two minutes, while 'Sleep Demon' is a riff monster rock track. 'Marble Cats' again slows the pace, a personal song amongst the polemic, with Claudia whispering the vocal. It's the longest track on the album, stretching to five-and-a-half minutes, and it builds on a disturbing bassline until it has the confidence to burst into a run over the last two minutes, throwing in some nice psych guitars that are not given free rein, but inject enough venom to sting. 'Isabella' is another punchy punk thrash with a Ramones reference, while the closer 'Born & Die' is bleak look at existence fading away. "A wave is born and dies but the ocean remains". Sometimes making a ripple is all we can do; some lives don't even manage to do that. The Gluts make more than a ripple here as guitars scratch and rhythms whirl. It's a very decent end to a very decent record. Much thought has gone into these songs. The Gluts are living up to their potential and it's a moment. Bang! may hit hard but it does reveal a caring side and shows that tough and vulnerable can be a winning combination.

Bauhaus - BBC Radio Sessions

Beggars Arkive

Released: 3rd June 2024

 

The fifth release in this Beggars Arkive series captures a John Peel Session by Bauhaus, first aired in April 1982, two months before the band released their single, 'Spirit', and some six months before the release of the band's third album, The Sky's Gone Out. As far as rarity goes, this is going to be one of the more disappointing releases in this set given that two of the three tracks have already been released in this form, 'Party of the First Part' being one of the four tracks featured on the twelve-inch EP release of 'Ziggy Stardust' in October 1982, and 'Departure' becoming the b-side of the 'She's In Parties' single in April 1983. Neither of these songs is essential Bauhaus, being examples of the experimental playthings the band sometimes produced for b-sides or radio sessions. The third track here is 'The Three Shadows (Part II)' which was re-recorded for The Sky's Gone Out, though the version here is pretty faithful to the eventual album track. It's more of a straightforward (and enjoyable) Bauhaus creation with the emphasis of their songs at this stage being the vocal. Pete Murphy of course sounds great, but all might have been better with some nice Daniel Ash guitar slicing the world apart. Still, this is Bauhaus and the demand will be there for this record which in time will no doubt become very hard to track down. This twelve-inch clear vinyl EP has been produced by Beggars Arkive in their series of Radio Session releases (ten records form Volume One), which are available by subscription only and limited to a run of 500 copies.

Kalac - Odyssée

Weird Beard

Released: 7th June 2024

 

Kalac are a French band from Dinan (Brittany) influenced by krautrock, shoegaze, '70s psych and space rock. Their music isn't heavily psychedelic, but an appealing blend of guitar-dominated rock music that has a sharp, clean sound and creates a buzzing atmosphere. There is the odd motorik rhythm thrown in to add some hypnotic appeal, though the rhythm section is not restrained and feels free to fight its own battles on songs like 'Céleste'. There are some vocals offered up by bassist Théo Latappy and guitarist Clément Bauduin, but the six tracks here are largely instrumental and all of them are weighty as the album stretches to forty minutes and only one song comes in at under five minutes. Where used, the vocals work very well; they are not hiding away shyly, but can be very up front as on 'Conscience' (an early single) where they balance nicely with passages of straining guitar. The vocals are the only part of the record recorded in a studio, they being added at Cocoon in Rennes to the live backing tracks laid down at L'Étang d'art in Saint-Vincent-des-Landes. There is a proginess to 'II' as guitars twiddle, while the title track (and the longest track) is more krautrock-inspired. Guitars make their presence felt but never shatter drummer Théophile Lallouet's dominant pacemaking. The odyssey culminates with 'Beautiful End' which is a little frenetic but provides a rousing climax to what is an enjoyable and oddly refreshing collection. Odyssée is released in a limited edition of 400 vinyl copies, with 200 in black and 200 in marbled red. As has become common these days, the release is a collaboration between Crème Brulée Records (FRA), Weird Beard (UK), Clostridium Records (GER) and Echodelick Records (USA). Each copy is hand numbered and comes with a download code. It is available now from the Weird Beard website.

The Black Watch - Weird Rooms

Atom Records

Released: 14th June 2024

 

The Black Watch have been hovering around the indie scene since their formation in Santa Barbara in 1987 and have remained both prolific and largely overlooked. Releasing their debut album St. Valentine in 1988, we count this new release as album number twenty-four, and their second in just about a month. Such profligacy should have seen this record titled The Black Watch Sell Out which would be very appropriate as it finds no little inspiration from The Who's similarly-named 1967 masterpiece, filled as it is with rattling doors, radio announcements, jingles and random chattering. There's just over thirty minutes of largely segued music here, broken into twelve songs, only two of which touch the four-minute mark. Main man, lead singer and songwriter, John Andrew Fredrick, chose to record this album in Austin, Texas, and took with him his son Chandler, wizard producer Misha Bullock (drums, bass and string arrangements), and his wife Sara. Despite the intolerable heat in Texas at that time of year a lot of hard work saw the record completed in a week, with Fredrick announcing the band's contentment with the result.

Despite its construction, Weird Rooms doesn't appear to be a concept album as such, though it does sound like the band had enormous fun recording it; very few albums exude the joyful radiance on display here. Indeed, with a sunny backdrop and chiming guitars there isn't really much to complain about. Fredrick has always managed to fuse contemporary pop with gentle 1960s' psych sounds in the same way The Boo Radleys used to do. There is always a melody to guide you through any musical adventures and some of the songs here are just magical. 'Miles And Miles' shimmers and glows, 'All Out' is beautifully paced and empathetic, while there has been little this year to match the title track which simply shines like a lost Creation classic. The melancholic 'Swallowed' swirls sadly and quickly hides itself away and, indeed, the album ends on a wistful note with silly instrumental 'Vauntin' Suffering' leading into two meditative songs, 'You'll Get Over It' and 'Would You Were Here' which drip with strings, piano and regret. Instrumentals aren't usually the name of the game for wordsmith Fredrick, though the album ends with another, 'Fruit Stripe Gum' sounding like a spaghetti western soundtrack dragged into 1967.

There aren't many bands whose twenty-fourth album sounds like it could be their best, but The Black Watch are not your normal band. There could well be another thirty albums out before Fredrick calls it a day, but we would bet that not many of them will surpass Weird Rooms which is both attractive and affecting, while remaining light-hearted and appealing. This collection tips a hat to so much that has gone before, but does so respectfully and cleverly and is absolutely worth spending some time with.

China Drum - BBC Radio Sessions

Beggars Arkive

Released: 3rd July 2024

 

China Drum find themselves in the archives as they were signed to Mantra, a Beggars subsidiary on which they released three moderately successful albums between 1996 and 2000. There are six tracks here, recorded at the Reading Festival on 25th August 1995 and first broadcast by John Peel that same day. The songs featured are 'Barrier', a 1995 single; 'Simple', the band's debut self-released single from 1993; 'Meaning', from 1994's Great Fire EP; 'Fall Into Place', which later featured on the band's debut album, Goosefair, 'Wuthering Heights' from a joint single with Flying Medallions on Fierce Panda; and 'Down By The River', a song that appeared on the band's second album in 1997. Of course, the highlight here is the cover of Kate Bush's iconic single which brought the band a fair amount of publicity and led to later covers of other pop songs, including the theme tune to the TV show Rupert The Bear. Unlike most of the Arkive releases, these tracks are live recordings and that probaby suits China Drum as it reflects well the power of their punk anthems. These songs are wildly energetic, occasionally head-turning and feature some good musicianship; the drumming in 'Down By The River' is particularly impressive. The band split up in 2000 when their change of direction on their third album went down like a lead balloon, but they have since reformed and remain a dynamic live attraction. Again, this twelve-inch clear vinyl EP has been produced by Beggars Arkive in their series of Radio Session releases (ten records form Volume One), which are available by subscription only and limited to a run of 500 copies. The covers of these records remain singularly unimpressive; it appears the label was unwilling to pay for a few photographs of the bands.

The Loft - Riley & Coe Session 09.10.23

Precious Recordings

Released: 5th July 2024

 

The Loft of course are one of the greatest indie guitar bands of all time, famous for a handful of songs recorded for Creation in that label's early days and for not getting along very well. There's no doubt in our minds that this quartet could quite easily have ruled the world had they managed to keep things together, but it wasn't to be and though the individual members released some fine records after the inevitable split, none of them were as intriniscally perfect as those recorded by The Loft. It was a surprise when the band reassembled, however loosely, but they remain a thing without having done very much recently in the way touring or recording new songs. We were delighted when they popped into BBC Maida Vale Studio 4 to record a few songs for Gideon Coe and Marc Riley's radio show in October 2023 and even more so when Precious Recordings rushed to get the songs released as the fiftieth record in their series of top indie radio sessions. By the accounts of all four members, this session was relaxed and easy, with the band playing well and everything recorded in one or two takes. "We seem to have learned to be more careful of each other and focus on playing together. Who'd have thought?" commented vocalist/guitarist Pete Astor. The four songs here contain two tracks originally recorded at Bark Studios in 2005 and which first appeared on the Cherry Red Ghost Trains and Country Lanes compilation in 2021. Both songs chime and are as clean as a whistle, which underlines how focussed the playing was, yet how relaxed the four individuals were as everything is made to sound ridiculously easy. There really is little to compare to The Loft; when they play together they produce a magical sound that is instantly recognisable and helplessly uplifting. Pete Astor's lyrics are always involved and detailed and his voice has a beautiful tone that hasn't changed a bit over the years. 'Beware' is a typical Loft song with everything that makes us want to go out on to the streets and knock on doors to proclaim their glory. 'Ride' is equally wordy with Astor and Andy Strickland's guitars working beautifully together while Dave Morgan's trademark crashing metal underlines the pedigree. We can't remember if The Loft ever recorded 'Worm In My Brain' which was the first track released by Astor's post-Loft outfit The Weather Prophets, appearing on the 1985 Creation compilation Different For Domeheads. It remains a top song, rooted by Bill Price's bass, as is 'Time', a Richard Hell cover that was one of the few tracks recorded by The Loft in their first incarnation. The version here almost sounds cheerful, which is a nice take on the dry original. This ten-inch single has been pressed in a limited edition of 500, so snap one up quickly before they disappear. They are available from Pete Astor's Bandcamp. It's The Loft. Every home should have one.

Cazayoux - Echoes

Weird Beard / Echodelick

Released: 2nd August 2024

 

If you enjoyed the multi-label release of Cazayoux's debut album in April 2023, this new psych-funk offering is pretty much more of the same, with ten tracks stretching over forty minutes that will have you tapping parts of your body you didn't even know existed. Cazayoux are a multinational band based in Austin, Texas, founded by drummer Forest Cazayoux, with members hailing from the United States, Mexico, Japan and West Africa which of course brings a rich narrative of cultural soundscapes to the collective. Their music is a thoughtful amalgamation of psychedelic funk, afrobeat and jazz which defies the listener to pigeonhole it. Indeed, the music assumes a life of its own as it pours out of the speakers and takes you on a journey of sensual exploration which could lead to anywhere and anywhen. There is little surprise that Cazayoux quickly became live favourites following their inception in 2020, with their high-energy performances shaking even large audiences into life and if you are having a party, you could do much worse than to have these tunes tumbling out of your speakers. Echoes arrives as a result of a collaboration between a multitude of labels, and is available in the UK from the Weird Beard website and in the USA from Echodelick. Available on flouro green vinyl, this again has only been pressed in limited numbers, so snap one up quickly.

Trigona / IO Audio Recordings - Split

Weird Beard / Echodelick / Fuzzed Up Astromoon

Released: 5th August 2024

 

Another global joint project, with Weird Beard hosting in the UK, sees Trigona and IO Audio Recordings each taking one side of a new album, with the pair collaborating on 'Space Sickness', a track only available on the digital download for those who buy the vinyl. The Beard previously released Trigona in April 2022 and those who managed to grab a copy will know it was the work of Adelaide's Rob Shiels who had spent eighteen months recording hours of songs in his home studio during the lockdown before shaping them into that full length debut album. As here, all of the tracks were instrumentals dominated by electric guitar and driven by programmed motorik beats. This new split LP features three weighty tracks from Shiels, all over six minutes in length, all sounding like the colours of the world are being turned into shadows by the approach of dusk. The guitars in 'Spectra' are solemn without being sad, yet helplessly attractive, while 'Andaman Sky' dances sadly as sights slowly become memories. It really is pretty stuff; ideal for sinking into an autumn evening. The inspiration is clearly the Indian Ocean, the home to the Andamans and 'Vespicula' (a venomous ray-finned fish) and though the animal may border on the fearsome, the closing song is testing and inquisitive rather than dangerous. IO Audio Recordings are from Orange, California, and their offerings here are more urgent, the nine minutes of 'Paranormal Champion' always probing with the music growing in purpose and power until it threatens to overwhelm. It's edgier than Trigona's calming waves, with the near ten minutes of 'Ascend And Return' building ghosts on a throbbing drone before morphing into a grating alarm where guitars crash, drums pirouette and everybody looks nervously over their shoulders. It's a big contrast to the first side, but equally as compelling. If Trigona have relaxed you, IO shake you up again. Available from Weird Beard and the usual suspects, Split has been pressed in sea foam green and blue vinyl and is lovingly housed in a special die-cut sleeve. There are 300 copies only so get in quick.

Sunset Images - Nada / Cero / Infinito

Dirty Filthy / Echodelick

Released: 24th September 2024

 

It's nearly three years now since Mexico's Sunset Images unleashed their biting Traumatismo Nacional album which was a howling protest at the state of their nation, "a sharp and deep wound represented in sound". Samuel Osorio and his accomplices embraced the darkness, producing an astonishingly powerful and bitter collection of songs that reflected the album's title, "National Trauma". They are back here with a three-track EP which sees the band no more pleased with the state of things as is hinted at by the record's disturbing monochrome cover. Whilst it is a shame there is not an album on offer, the three tracks here stretch to twenty-one minutes, though appropriately it is the EP's closer 'Infinito' ('Infinite') that consumes nearly thirteen minutes of that. Opener 'Nada' ('Nothing') is a brutal post-punk assault with distorted guitars hiding behind huge, pounding drums that are relentless as hollow vocals call out from the welter of noise. 'Cero' ('Zero') is more twisted and buried in distortion. The muffled vocals emerge from a hazy swamp with ferocious guitars diving in and out with evil intent. It's a symbol of failing to understand the world that surrounds you where very little make sense. Sunset Images are nothing if not alone and there are very few bands who can capture that desperate solitude as well as they; these songs really do hit very hard. 'Infinito' begins with a pointed guitar singing over a dull drone before an absolutely fantastic protest against the inexorable beat of time leaves a temporary mark that is all too soon forgotten as the circle of life proceeds as it was, as it is, and as it always will be. Sunset Images see a world riddled with racism, sexism and injustice and curse themselves that they cannot be or do more to counter this. However, their music offers some light in the darkness and helps to focus the mind on their plight. It's a call to arms, perhaps a desperate one, but one that will make the listener ponder on seeking a better way for us all. The EP has been pressed on ten-inch translucent red vinyl distributed by Dirty Filthy Records and Echodelick. Unfortunately there are only a hundred of these so fight hard to get hold of one.