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 Green Seagull

(This feature first appeared in issue #64 of Shindig! magazine. I think the band have since changed drummers since this ran. I love this band and can't wait for the LP! To read the full interview click over the jump at the bottom.)

 

London's latest baroque-beat band mix peppermint and incense on their first recordings. Duncan Fletcher sees them take flight.

Taking their name from a misheard lyric in The Stones' 'Paint It Black', Green Seagull formed in early 2016 around the songwriting talents of Paul Nelson and Paul Milne, formerly of New Electric Ride and The Magnetic Mind respectively. The chemistry was completed with the addition of keyboardist Sarah Gonputh and drummer Carlos Redondo.

“For me, psychedelia is a very open-ended style that gives you a lot of possibilities. You can take elements from virtually any genre - garage punk, acid rock to flamenco and classical - and it wouldn't necessarily jar if you did it right” says bassist/vocalist Milne. Do it right they do, as heard on their rehearsal room recordings on four-track cassette. Influenced by The Left Banke, The Association and The Beach Boys, the two songs on their Soundcloud page feature pop melodies spiked with sinister chords and arrangements, successfully pairing light and shade.

“The lyrics in 'Scarlet' are pretty much about infatuation and obsession and hint at a possible illness of the mind for the protagonist” says guitarist/vocalist Nelson. “'They Just Don’t Know' is based on a nightmare I had where I was some kind of world leader in a Cuban Missile Crisis-type scenario. I think I was watching too many cold war documentaries at the time! Hope it wasn't a premonition of some sort!” adds Milne.

The band are currently re-recording the tracks along with a prospective LP at London's Sausage Studio, making full use of its vintage gear. “We're fortunate that Sausage Studio is run by my boyfriend, Seb Kellig (My Drug Hell) with our friend Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand/FFS)”, says Sarah. “The place is an absolute dream and I feel so lucky to be part of the Sausage Studio family. It's vintage keys and analogue synthesiser heaven... for our forthcoming single I've been playing the Philicorda organ and the Wurlitzer.”

'Scarlet' b/w 'They Just Don't Know' was released in May 2017 on Mega Dodo Records.

(Click over the jump for the full interview.)

Green Seagull announce debut 7" single!

Green Seagull
Scarlet b/w They Just Don’t Know
MEGA15
Limited edition 7-INCH SINGLE (300 COPIES).
RELEASE DATE: 16/06/17

 

Taking their name from a mis-heard Rolling Stones lyric, Green Seagull are the latest band to burst out of London's burgeoning neo-psych scene. The band formed in 2016 when Paul Nelson (New Electric Ride) approached Paul Milne (Hidden Masters / Magnetic Mind) to work on some songs together. A shared enthusiasm for late-60s baroque psychedelia and 12-string jangle soon blossomed into a prolific songwriting team, and before long the duo had more songs than they knew what to do with. 

They were joined shortly after by Sarah Gonputh on keys and Carlos Redondo on drums, and the newly-minted quartet set about recording a demo in their rehearsal room on an old cassette 4-track. These lo-fi recordings pricked up the ears of Mega Dodo Records, who immediately signed the band for an album deal. 

Since then the band have played a handful of well-received shows around London and have been hard at work recording their debut single and LP at Sausage Studios with producer Sebastian Kellig (My Drug Hell). 

We were reluctant to commit ourselves to naming an A-side and it did seem a bit audacious to refer to these 5 minutes and 58 seconds of joy as a single. So, we have covered our embarrassments by treating this as if it were a mini LP and releasing it in stereo in a sleeve with a pretty colour picture. 'Scarlet / They Just Don't Know' is released by Mega Dodo in June 2017, with a much longer album set to follow later in the year.

Click here for Mega Dodo Records.
Click here for Green Seagull on Twitter.