Psychic Lemon – Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay

Straight outta Cambridge! An album to blur the lines between space-rock, shoegaze, trance and indie.

One album that's had repeated listens round our house over the Yuletide period has been the second long-player from Cambridge based trio Psychic Lemon. They may have formed a stone's throw from Syd Barrett's home but their music is not so much The Madcaps whimsy and a trip through Carroll's Looking Glass, as it is a foray into how far a four-piece band can push into uncharted sonics. More outward looking expansion than an examination of the inner-self.

This is apparent from the album's opening track 'Exit To Death Lane', a driving mix of spaced-out indie rock with low-in-the -mix vocals, a baggy-era drumbeat, pulsing bass, and guitar lines that are not afraid to experiment with whatever effects are at hand and can be turned up to eleven. This commitment so sonic adventure is a thread which permeates throughout the rest of the album.

Each listen seems to throw up something new, a fill I'd not noticed here, subtle use of effects there, the way the bassline pushes and pulls into new sections and possibilities. There's plenty of drone and soundscaping going on but always with a pulse, a drive and a direction. And always a promise that as a listener you're going to be taken somewhere. If pushed to guess influences I'd say My Bloody Valentine's Glider EP, Hawkwind, Goat, a healthy dose of Kosmische Musik, and some dancefloor vibes – the repetition and altered states aimed for in trance and rave music.

This is not about genres or influences though, it's music that has the power to transport, music that is both big on energy and ideas. It's meditative and expansive, yet also has the power to move your feet. Also worth checking out is the saxophone on 'Satori Disko' courtesy of guest musician Iain Roddick, which adds a new and unexpected dimension to their palette. Do please have a listen.

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Paul Messis - Songs Of Our Times

Third album from the garage punk outsider! 12 new tunes on a 12” piece of plastic!

Paul Messis is a man who knows how to achieve a biting guitar tone. As a student and aficionado of '60s US garage-punk, his attempts at re-capturing the sounds made by mid-west teens in thrall to British Invasion bands are pretty much unrivalled. Whether it's a biting bridge pick-up lead break, a Byrdsian 12-string chime, or a fuzz-guitar motif inspired by a copy of a copy of The Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction', Messis seems to nail it each time. More than the sounds though it's the spirit of those records he captures. That sense of being at odds with the mores and prevailing attitudes of the times.

So much for the sonics and spirit then but what of the subject matter? As we've come to expect from Messis there's a similarly biting lyrical barb that permeates this album. An attack on apathy here, a shot at governmental failings there, and expressions of disappointment in society's mores throughout. He's no killjoy though. Such pessimism merely point out that Messis believes in a better world and much like punk rock in '77, his lyrics call for more care and compassion, beginning on a one-to-one level and resonating throughout the wider world.

A hippy in garage-punk clothing? Perhaps not but it's clear Messis believes in the power of music to voice something, be it inner pain, critical diatribes against those in power, or day-to-day dissatisfaction. At the heart of this is a desire for communion and community. It's a thread that's present in all Messis' solo output as well as in the records he's made as a member of home-counties bile-punk band The Suburban Homes.

There's more to this LP though. Evidence of more mellow and nuanced sounds than we've previously heard on his solo LPs. 'Apathy's Calling', which closes side one of the LP's vinyl version has a more reflective and folksy vibe. A possible pointer to music he may make in the future, and proof that he's as adept at introspection as he is at protest. Other highlights include 'The Ballad Of A Strange Cat' which contains a neat autobiographical twist, and 'Mainstream Lifestyle Blues' where he channels his inner-Dylan and goes for that thin wild mercury sound. 'Don't follow The Man' also branches out into raga-psych territory.

Aside from his solo work and The Suburban Homes Messis continues to run the small but perfectly formed Market Square Records, specialising in limited edition 7” singles. He's also a member of The Higher State, whose latest album we covered here last year. It's in these solo records that Messis is truly himself though and we're glad he finds the time to make them. 

Click here for Paul Messis.

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Moloko+ - Bite The Hand/I Wonder (Ltd 7"/cassette)

Nineties nuggets from Hull resurface for limited vinyl and cassette release!

When I think back to the early nineties, I'm equal parts nostalgia and embarrassment. There I was, a young man in my early twenties who could get away with wearing white jeans. I may have thought I was the dog's gonads but truth be told I was more likely a bit of a doofus. Anyway there's the embarrassment dealt with. The nostalgia aspect is bolstered by the fact that there was a lot of great music around. It was pre-Internet so people still “went out” to meet people rather than swiping, liking and commenting on other folks' profiles. Remember that?

I'm reminded of all this thanks to two demos recorded back in those days by Hull band Moloko+. 'Bite The Hand' and 'I Wonder' are now getting a limited 7” vinyl and a cassette release thanks to the Fruits de Mer and Eggs In Aspic labels respectively.

I regularly attended gigs at Hull's Adelphi club around that time but never saw the band play, though I do have hazy memories of seeing the name on the Adelphi's hand written photocopied flyers. It's a shame I never got to see them as the music would have been right up my alley at the time. A hint of The La's, guitar work inspired by Johnny Marr, and songs that pay attention to the melody and and vocal harmonies. There are plenty of bands from that time whose music wasn't as good but managed to secure record deals and column inches of press. Strange world eh!

Moloko+ may be no more but it's reassuring to know that Simon Dowson from the band is still making original music as the frontman in The Gold Needles.

If you fancy a nostalgic bowler hatted nod to the nineties, the music contained on this 7”/ and or cassette is well worth a listen. Just don't ask me fit into those white jeans again!

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Miranda Lee Richards - Existential Beast

 

(This review first appeared in issue #68 of Shindig! magazine.)

Invisible Hands CD/LP

There's been a steady stream of records concerned with ecology, corruption and the state of the planet over the last 40 years. What makes this offering from LA-based Miranda Lee Richards so special is its articulate power. Without naming names political leaders are evoked and rebuffed by intelligent poetical argument.

Musically the album draws from several 1970s sources – Laurel Canyon country rock royalty ('Ashes And Seeds'), Joe Boyd's Witchseason productions for Island Records ('Autumn Sun' and 'Oh Raven'), through to the spoken word sections of David Axelrod's Earth Rot (the end section of 'Lucid I Dream'). Subtle use of echo throughout the album adds to the continuity of sound and aids its woozy intoxicating power.

The album's tour de force is saved till the end. Clocking in at 12 minutes, 'Another World' is the most overtly political song, calling out those in power and offering a vision of how things could be. Clever stuff.

GospelbeacH - Another Summer Of Love

(This review first appeared in issue #68 of Shindig! magazine.)

Alive CD/LP

Whether 2017 yields a season of goodwill remains to be seen. This follow up to GospelbeacH's 2015's debut Pacific Surf Line can only help it happen. Its ten tracks of lush, cosmic Americana could only have been made on America's west coast, so the opening lyric cheekily borrowed from The Jam (“In the desert there's a thousand things I want to say to you”) is a neat attention grabber. You know you're listening to a band with serious pop-nous.

GospelBeacH's sound recalls Tom Petty's mix of roots rock and new-wave, along with the grown-up country rock of Chuck Prophet. Though recognising they may be peddling an idealised version of the Golden Sate their take on Cali-rock is seductive – catchy tunes, tasteful song-serving guitar solos and accomplished musicianship that doesn't stray into session-player blandness. Not one for neophiles, but those of us who value quality can bask in its revitalising sun-drenched goodness.

The Band FAQ - Peter Aaron

(This review first appeared in issue #68 of Shindig! magazine.)

Backbeat Books

Though they had a hand in destroying “all that psychedelic bullshit” and giving rise to The Eagles (er thanks guys!), there's no denying the influence The Band had on many leading musicians of the late '60s. Urbanist futurism was out, heritage and rural-living was in. Even The Beatles took notice ditching the satin Sgt. Pepper suits and Eggman garb in favour of more natural fibres.

It's a story that's been told in print before - Barney Hoskyns' Across The Great Divide, and the I-was-there memoirs of both Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, so you wonder what there is to add. To his credit Aaron doesn't dig dirt or focus on the fissures that ultimately split The Band apart, nor does he take sides. He opts instead for a fact-heavy celebration of the music, and is particularly insightful when analysing what made the quintet so special as musicians. Key concerts, their gestation periods backing Ronnnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, and a guide to their most essential bootlegs are also well covered, as is their reformation in the 1990s and the often overlooked solo releases.

Not quite so necessary is the chapter focused on the genres that fed into The Band's work as most readers will already have a good grasp on blues, jazz, soul etc. A minor quibble, and while this is not a book to devour, its concise chapters are great for dipping into. It'll certainly have you digging out The Band's albums and hearing them with a fresh appreciation.  

Green Seagull - Scarlet / They Just Don't Know (Ltd. 7")

(This review first appeared in issue #68 of Shindig! magazine.)

Mega Dodo 7”

As you'd expect from a band that bonded over a shared love of obscure '60s psych, Green Seagull's vinyl debut sounds like it's been beamed in from 1967, determined to warp modern day minds. 'Scarlet' sits on the darker side of baroque pop, documents the dream/nightmare knife-edge of obsessive love, and is packed with ideas, intricate instrumentation, tight harmonies and a neat melody.

Flip-side 'They Just Don't Know' could be an out-take from Forever Changes. Its opening guitar motif and odd time signature give way to a frantic flamenco rhythm, the music matching the apocalyptic theme, full of compositional quirks and false stops before the dramatic instrumental finale. Listen closely and there's as much a debt to the classical cannon as there is to The Left Banke and Love, courtesy of keyboardist Sarah Gonputh (Formerly of The Lysergics, New Electric Ride). A thrilling debut and a must-have piece of vinyl!

Interview with Me And The Bees

(This feature first appeared in issue #66 of Shindig! magazine. For the full unpublished interview click over the jump at the bottom of the post.)

Barcelona's lo-fi indie pop trio get set to spread the goodness. Duncan Fletcher picks up the positive vibes.

Most bands form not for money, fame or a blue tick, but for the pure reward of making music with friends. So it is with Me and The Bees. Bassist Esther Margarit, drummer Verónica Alonso and guitarist Carlos Leoz (all three share vocals) are set to release Menos Mal, their third LP since starting life as a duo in the MySpace era. Verónica explains - “Esther started the band with Eli Molina. Almost all the first record's songs were made in that time, but before recording I got asked to play a special concert. After that I was in the band. Two gigs later Carlos played with us and we never let him go. By the second album Eli left for her own project (Fighter Pillow - really good!) but we never let her go completely, she normally comes in the studio to make a collaboration or two. MATB is about friendships, how life makes them stronger by understanding, help and of course some small passionate fights along the way.”

Inspired by '60s girl pop and seminal '90s guitar bands Pavement, Guided By Voices and Teenage Fanclub, the band named themselves after a song by cuddlecore duo The Softies. Says Esther - “A friend recommended K Records, I fell in love with many bands on the label, one being The Softies.”

The band spent five days recording Menos Mal at Cal Pau Recordings studio, in its idyllic rural setting outside Barcelona. “Being there was magic” says Verónica, “you woke up and could see horses through your bedroom window.” “Almost paradise” agrees Esther. Spain's strength in nurturing indie-pop is not only due to weather and scenery as Carlos explains - “There's always been good independent bands to learn from... from your own city you could share feelings and fun with. Also many foreign bands tour here... learning how to do things independently of the commercial circuit. Hopefully this will continue till the end of time.”

Menos Mal is out now on La Castanya.



(Click over the jump for the full interview)

Interview with Aquaserge

(This feature first appeared in issue #65 of Shindig! magazine. For the full unpublished Q&A click over the jump at the bottom of the post.)

The French experimentalists' latest LP is a dazzling journey into uncharted musical zones. Duncan Fletcher straps in for the ride.

“Begin afresh, afresh, afresh” The final line in Philip Larkin's poem The Trees may not have been Aquaserge's mantra while making new LP Laisse ça être, but its theme of Springtime optimism is apt. The band (their name a pun on à quoi sers-je?, meaning "what am I useful for?") formed in 2005 in Toulouse as a collaborative project that has since involved over 60 musicians. They make music that like the buds in Larkin's poem is in a constant state of renewal. Though now distilled to a core of five key musicians featuring auxiliary members of Stereolab, Melody's Echo Chamber, Tame Impala and Mother's Acid Temple, the open door policy is still in place. “Aquaserge's studio process is like a Cassavetes movie: some characters are energetic, others anxious, playful, or obstinate. Each of us, in turn, can be brilliant, pathetic or dramatic... In Aquaserge there are the main characters but also the secondary characters: the visitors, the friends which are important too. When you spend ten days together in a studio, you start to become crazy, like living in a submarine. Visitors are our breath of fresh air and often we invite them to play with us; this is why there are so many people in the credits” says bassist Audrey Ginestet.

While there may be traceable influences on the record – Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, prog, free-jazz, Third Stream music and the work of fellow countrymen Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier and Air, their music refuses to be easily pigeonholed. For Aquaserge, music making is more about friendship than adhering to the rules of any stylistic genre. That said, for this album they were intent on making a record that paid special attention to rhythm. Keyboardist Julien Gasc explains - “In 'Les Yeux Fermés' we talk about a dance that doesn't exist. The narrator says that ghosts are entering him at night, teaching him the moves for this new dance.The album is full of dance genres from Africa, South America, Europe.”

Their experimental approach also extends to their lyric writing. As Julien says of the methodology used on one of the album's standout tracks 'Tintin On Est Bien Mon Loulou' - “It's just automatic writing... more of a Dada text, it says everything and nothing. The writing of the texts is our favourite game to play. In this case, the rule was that each line must start with a syllable that sounds like the last syllable of the previous line.”

What really impresses about Laisse ça être is its sense of fun. Play the album to any of your friends and at some point their eyes will widen at its brazen charm. A charm due in no small part to Toulouse's independent mindset. “There are a lot of musicians in Toulouse... if they move to other places they always come back” says guitarist Benjamin Glibert. “They are also losers in a way, (toulouse, to lose), but there is a strong friendship between them. This is what we are, defeated, independent, idealists and solid. We do the music we want even if nobody cares and we keep doing it.”

Laisse ça être is out now on Crammed Discs.


(Click over the jump for the full Q&A.)

Interview with Mother Island

(This feature originally appeared in issue #65 of Shindig! magazine. For the full unpublished Q&A click over the jump at the bottom of the post)

 

The Vicenza-based band have a dark and impassioned take on '60s Americana. Duncan Fletcher checks out this Italian renaissance.

“Can you imagine crossing Venice through its canals on a little wooden boat, late at night while the city sleeps? ... When you see the moon mirroring itself in the water while a Mexican guy is bringing you, with his boat, to an after-show party... you know you’ll remember that moment forever.” So says vocalist Anita Formilan explaining the inspiration behind the title of the group's second long-player Wet Moon. Following on from 2015's  

Cosmic Pyre, this latest work contains echoes of US acts such as The 13^th Floor Elevators and The Doors, along with tracks which favour a more expressionistic, textural approach.

What holds it all together are Anita's vocals, reminiscent of San Francisco sirens Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, which spar with the twang 'n' tremolo guitar of her band-mates. “My favourite singers are Billie Holiday, Karen Dalton, Diamanda Galas, Nina Simone, Memphis Minnie. My approach is shaped by different elements - the golden decadence of jazz and blues, the raw energy of punk and the smooth elegance of Italian movie soundtracks from the '60 and '70s.”

Along with the obvious love of American sounds, there's a passionate Italian heart at the core of their work. Anita explains - “We love Vicenza: art, architecture, history and events make this area interesting and alive. Venice, Padova, Treviso and Verona are less than one hour from here, all beautiful cities. Entertainment and culture are easily available everywhere.”

The album was recorded with friend and producer Matt Bordin in his Outside Inside Studio, where the band made full use of its analogue sounds and vintage instruments. “Working with him is always funny and intense. We love recording there, it allow us to retreat in a hideaway where we can switch off from our daily lives and focus on what we love the most.”

Wet Moon is out now on Go Down Records. 

(Click over the jump for the full Q&A.)