The Chemistry Set - The Endless More And More

Fire up your Bunsen burners! '80s Brit-psychers return with a brand new studio album.

In the late '80s The Chemistry Set bravely flew the flag for 60's influenced psychedelia. It may have been against the grain of the prevailing trends, out of step maybe with what record labels and the wider public wanted but in music you just gotta follow your heart ain't it!

Fast forward to January 2016 and the reformed Chemistry Set have a brand new long-player for those who keep the faith. With the widened tastes and more open and accepting minds of the internet generation, the time is right for fans old and new to take this record to their hearts. A teasing taste of what you can expect was released last year on the 'Elapsed Moments EP', (also on Fruits De Mer Records). Time may have passed but talent lasts.

Time may have passed but thankfully talent lasts. From the opening fanfare of 'The Splendour Of The Universe' there's a sense of vigour, a renewed sense of purpose. This track in particular is a great calling card, combining a psychedelic mindset with the bombast, swagger and melody of mod-rock.

With all the sonic hallmarks of psych-pop intact (Mellotron strings, snatches of sampled dialogue, fairground organs, backward guitar solos etc.), fans of original '60s era psych can add The Chemistry Set to their approved list of contemporary bands. And Oasis fans will appreciate the cheeky nod to Shakermaker on 'Albert Hoffman' along with the way they house their brand of psych in such sugar-coated, whistle-able, sugar-coated pop tunes.

Limited to 600 copies on gold vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with a special fold-out periodic table poster. Also look out for the very special boxed version in the spring which comes with test-tube filled candy and a selection of experiments. Intriguing eh! You may not have received a chemistry set for Christmas so treat yourself to one of January's best albums instead.

Click here for more on The Chemistry Set

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Various – Momentary One & Two (Ltd. 7” singles)

Two very limited 7” singles featuring Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd covers! Available at the Fruits De Mer / Mega Dodo joint gig at Putney's Half Moon this Sunday! (24^th May)

This weekend's hottest gig ticket is surely the Fruits De Mer/Mega Dodo all-dayer at Putney's Half Moon. Aside from the stellar line-up, there will also be ultra-desirable goodie bags for early arrivals. If that wasn't enough there'll also be a chance to get your your eager mitts on some other sonic items. Two of which being this pair of limited edition 7” singles featuring contemporary acts covering early Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett tracks. Although they've been issued before on FDM's Momentary Lapse Of Reason double CD (available to “club members” only), this is their first airing on vinyl. Limited to only 300 copies each, chances are they won't be around for long.

Momentary One features is marked out by it's sumptuous female vocals, while Momentary Two is a Syd special. Floyd fans will love all seven tunes as there's nary a duff track among them. If I was pushed to pick a favourite I'd probably go for Max Kinghorn-Mills version of Dark Globe, dreamy, wistful and melancholic. It had me searching out Barrett's original version with fresh ears. But hey, that's just me. Track down this pair of 7”s if you can and pick your own favourite, they're all worthy!

Momentary One

1. Ilona V – Golden Hair (Barrett)
2. Crystal Jacqueline – Grantchester Meadows (Waters
3. Cary Grace – Cirrus Minor (Waters)

Momentary Two

1. Max Kinghorn-Mills – Dark Globe (Barrett)
2. Caudio Cataldi – She Took A Long Cold Look (Barrett)
3. The Chemistry Set – See Emily Play (Barrett)
4. Todd Dillingham and Golly McCry – The Gnome (Barrett)

Click here for the Fruits De Mer Records website.

Click here for the Mega Dodo website.

The Chemistry Set - Elapsed Memories (Ltd. 7")

The Brit-psychers who refuse to die add to their ever pulsating discography.

Although neo-psych overlords,The Chemistry Set split in the early '90s, a new line-up emerged in 2008 that has bucked the trend for ill-advised damp-squib comebacks. Thankfully the material that The Chemistry Set Mk. II have released since their reformation has equalled that of their initial late '80s bloom winning the band a new legion of fans and enhancing the reputation of their earlier work rather than diminishing it.

This three track 7” on Fruits Der Mer Records is no exception. Two brand new original compositions jostle for space with a cover of Jimi Hendrix's Love Or Confusion. Elapsed Memories mixes choral sections with mid-paced Brit-Pop and builds towards a late cinematic flourish. A Cure For The Inflicted Afflicted has shallow obsessions of today's society as it's lyrical target, over a dramatic and searing backing. Nice guitar solo too!

In contrast Love Or Confusion gets a more relaxed reading than the Hendrix version, driven this time by calm-inducing sitar and tablas as opposed to the distortion and disorientation of Jimi's original. I reckon James would approve though. This limited three track 7” is on coloured vinyl and comes complete with a fold-out poster insert. Get it while you can.

Click here for more on The Chemistry Set

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Various – 7 And 7 Is (Box-set of 7 x 7” singles)

Fruits De Mer do it again! Boxed set of 7 x 7” singles featuring current bands covering their favourites US '60s psych tracks.

The concept of tribute LPs has over the years has given us tracks which add insight and new slants on classic songs, (along with the occasional misguided stinker). Fortunately this boxed set of 7” singles from Fruits De Mer Records gets it right with the bands themselves choosing which acts and songs they cover.

There's a definite labour of Love (no pun intended) vibe about the whole thing; coloured vinyl, limited to 700 copies, housed in a card box, with an insert fold-out poster. It's certainly ticked all the boxes on the packaging front but more importantly the music has a freshness that highlights both the enduring quality of the original songs as well as the talent of the bands that are re-interpreting them.

The Bevis Frond kick things off with Clear Light's Night Sounds and Sand, with Nick Saloman's guitar solos as gloriously free and unhinged as ever. The Higher State choose 13^th Floor Elevators for their versions of Wait For My Love and You Don't Know, both tracks bolstered a palpable sense of joy in covering them.

A stand-out pairing is The Chemistry Set covering Love. Tackling any song from Forever Changes is a brave step for any band but the version of A House Is Not A Motel reason enough to shell out for this box-set, with its blistering duelling guitar section. Sendelica sound like a cross between Grace Slick and The Isley Brothers on their version of The United States Of America's Hard Coming Love. A good thing surely!

King Penguin opt for The Byrds with a sumptuous, string laden version of She Don't Care About Time and a version of 5D (Fifth Dimension) that adds some sitar and tabla to the chime and vocal harmony that the track is best known for.

Elsewhere The Gathering Grey make the most of studio trickery and effects for their versions of Moby Grape's I Am Not Willing and Sitting By The Window. Echoed drums and backwards guitar just two examples of the sonic touchstones they employ.

Black Tempest and The Seventh Ring Of Saturn share the final 7”, covering Spirit and The Grateful Dead respectively. Black Tempest's version of Nature's Way owes as much to Robyn Hitchcock and Neil Young as it does to Spirit, while Cream Puff War sees TSROS make fine use of a wah wah pedal and guitar histrionics. A mighty triumph from Fruits De Mer Records once again.

Limited to 700 copies.

Click here for more on Fruits De Mer Records.