The Bordellos - Crabs EP

An antidote to the anodyne.

Music lovers will be aware that last Saturday was Record Store Day. The annual event that drives nominally sane middle aged men to queue in the cold and dark early hours for fear of missing out on overpriced limited edition vinyl records that they probably won't play anyway. I'll bet most of these items get filed away alphabetically in the hope that one day they'll increase in monetary value.

Don't get me wrong, I love vinyl records, have always bought them and will continue to do so. It's also great that the shops, labels and bands are supported. Yeah can't fault that. What I object to is the fetishisation of vinyl, along with the “investment” aspect of buying records that seems to be of equal if not more important these days than the music. So RSD is the one day I guarantee I won't be anywhere near a record shop. This year? I whitewashed the wall in the back yard. A long overdue chore and I have to say, the wall looks bloody good!

I mention all this because last Saturday saw the release of a new EP from the Bordellos, a bunch of independently-minded, lo—fi leaning proud misfits from England's Northwest who each year on RSD release new music as a refreshing antidote to its madness. Their Crabs EP is refreshingly not available on vinyl. It's a five-track all instrumental affair on download/stream only available from Metal Postcards Records. As you'd expect from the Bordellos, this new music delights, challenges, amuses and takes you to places you didn't know you wanted to go. It's a journey that takes in acidic folk, found sounds, industrial noise and the open-minded possibilities of post-punk. Oh and there's some whistling too. If John Peel were alive today he'd no doubt be broadcasting tracks off the Crabs EP each night.

Interestingly Brian from the Bordellos also shares my reservations about Record Store Day. You can read his thoughts about it on his wonderful blog, along with his thoughts about pop music, both good and bad. His writing is always insightful, bang on the money, and damn entertaining too. Check it out. Now I'm off to buy a couple of fence panels. Happy Easter!

https://inthemindofabordello.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/thebordellos
https://bordellos.bandcamp.com/
 

SonLosGrillos - Garden Of Clouds

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Discos Monterey LP

Acid-folk's roots may lie in the mist-clad British Isles of the late '60s, or in the grooves of Californian private press LPs but its shoots sprout everywhere. The latest come courtesy of Spanish duo SonLosGrillos who return with their third LP, following 2013's Darkness Turns To Light. Vocalist Marta Rodríguez and multi-instrumentalist Mauricio Mora have created an album of soft and sensitive musings centred on compassion, healing and environmental concerns. Equal parts Pentangle, Mellow Candle and early Joni Mitchell, their largely acoustic sound is fleshed out with occasional flute, cello, trumpet and violin.

Whether it's the lilting melody of 'You are Everything' or the fairground waltz of the title track, you're guaranteed a journey into the mystic and a respite from the stresses of the modern world. Alongside the nine original songs is a neat cover of Linda Perhac's 'Porcelain Baked-Over Cast-Iron Wedding', laced with chiming 12-string guitar. A fresh and welcome flowering.

Jessica Risker - I See You Among The Stars

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Western Vinyl CD / LP

Empathy is an important part of any songwriter's toolkit, so Jessica Risker's experience as a licensed counsellor has no doubt helped shape a record made for one-on-one listening, and full of sympathy and gentle contemplation. Her latest LP marks a departure from the experimental rhythm and noise of 2016's Big Forever (released under her alias Deadbeat), opting instead for acoustic fingerpicking, almost whispered vocals and ambient beat-less electronic textures.

With a similar openness to Elliott Smith, Vashti Bunyan or Nick Drake, Risker's first-person narratives are rooted in the everyday but are deceptive in their emotional depth. At just over half an hour, I See You Among The Stars is a short but lyrically rich set of songs, so understated that they may struggle to be heard among the clamouring tower of new releases. A shame as it's often the quiet ones who have more to say. Modern folk at its most fragile.

The Lords Of Thyme - Pellets

(This review first appeared in issue #72 of Shindig! magazine.)

Sunstone LP

Their version of 'Hares On The Mountain' with Bonnie Dobson was one of the standout tracks on the Shirley Collins tribute LP Shirley Inspired, so a fair amount of anticipation awaits their full-length debut. Though released on CD last year, it now gets a much warranted vinyl outing that doesn't disappoint, opening with great interpretations of two traditional folk songs - the murder ballad 'Bruton Town', and supernatural love song 'George Collins'.

Though touted purely as a folk rock band, there's more to them than that, as evidenced by the six remaining original songs– 'Freight Train To Rainham' is a Booker T style groovy soul instrumental and the sumptuous pedal steel playing hints there may be a country rock band lurking somewhere within.

Fans of the folk-rock's high watermark (Fairport, Pentangle, Sanny Denny et al) will find themselves a favourite new record and a band with four great vocalists and superb musicianship.

Fuchsia - Fuchsia

Specially augmented reissue of the classic 1970 debut! Includes 2^nd disc of rarities, DVD, magazine and poster!

Fruits de Mer are not known as a reissue label so as this 2LP set marks their first foray into the reissue market they've pulled out all the stops. Even by FdM standards this bumper package is pretty special. An original copy Fuchsia's 1971 debut on the Pegasus label will set you back a few hundred quid. For a fraction of the cost you can have this newly pressed 180g coloured vinyl reissue which comes complete with a second disc featuring early demos, rarities and new recordings. There's also a 15-minute DVD featuring founder member Tony Durant talking about the album, a 24-page magazine and a fold-out poster. Told you it was special!

A little background info then – Vocalist/guitarist Tony Durant formed Fuchsia at Exeter Univeristy back in the '60s. The band was named after Fuchsia Groan, a princess character in Mervin Peakes' Gormenghast trilogy from the 1940s. Their sole LP came out in 1970. Like many acid-folk albums of the era (by the likes of Forest, Vashti Bunyan etc.) it was drowned out of the cacaphonous marketplace, pushed to the sidelines by big labels, big names and a burgeoning new heavy rock scene. As the years passed the album quietly staked out a life of its own. Slowly picking up converts and fans, and ageing rather well. Listening to it today, it defies its simple acid-folk classification, and contains a unique spirit. There are jazz influences on it, along with baroque instrumentation. At times quirky and playful, other times serious but always engaging and full of warm sentiments and plenty of heart.

The album would go on to inspire subseqent generations of hip-to-the-groove musicians. Most recent and notable being Swedish group Me And My Kites who named themselves after one of Fuchsia's best known tracks. The band actually feature on disc two of this set backing Fuchsia vocalist Tony on a version of 'The Band', a track which was originally issued on a 7” by FdM in 2014. A highly recommended package for fans both old and new.

**The band will be playing at the Sixteenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival in Cardigan, August 3^rd to 5^th! **

**Also the Half Moon, Putney on August 10^th!

Click here for Fuchsia on Facebook.

Click here for Fruits de Mer Records.

Us and Them - On Shipless Ocean

Second LP from Swedish acid-folk duo! Gentle electronica, glacial vocals and Robert Kirby-esque strings!

Us and Them are Britt Rönnholm and Anders Håkanson, a musical duo from Sweden who make beautiful, soft and fragile acid-tinged folk. We've featured their music several times before on HD, most recently when they released 'When I Was Walking', a limited edition 7” single on Mega Dodo Records early last year. Their music is perfect for quiet reflection and seems fitting that as we approach the high summer solstice and the turning of the year's tide they're back with a full-length LP also released by the increasingly reliable Mega Dodo label. On Shipless Ocean is Us and Them's strongest and most confident release to date.

The pair's primary influences are never far from the surface – musically there's Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan, subject and theme-wise there's Northern Europe's natural world of climate, weather and the elements. Listen deeper however and there's more to heard - Echoes of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks theme in album opener 'The Trees and the Sky Above', and a gentle smattering of ghostly electronica throughout. For all the ethereal beauty there's also a constant worldliness best evidenced on 'A New Life' which offers dignified lyrical stock-take of everyday emotions.

Us and Them's previous releases have contained cover versions, most notably the 10” tribute to Sandy Denny which came out of Fruits de Mer a few years back. On Shipless Ocean is more centred on original tracks but does contain one cover, an expansive ten minute version on Kevin Ayers' 'Lady Rachel' where the muted electronica meets exquisite finger-picked guitar. Other highlights include 'Changes and Choices' where the albums instrumental palette expands with various shades of woodwind, and 'Tail', a nine-minute opus complete with Robert Kirby-esque strings.

Fans of any of the artists mentioned will find in Us and Them new torchbearers for the sort of acid-tinged folk that gets more resonant with each passing year. For a sound that supposedly only shone briefly in the late sixties/early seventies it's proved its resilience and Us and Them make fine modern-day custodians.

Vinyl lovers will surely want to get hold of the 180-gram aqua marine coloured version, limited to 300 copies only.

Click here for more on Us and Them.

Click here for Us and Them on Facebook.

Click here for Mega Dodo Records.

Elfin Bow - Elfin Bow

 (This review first appeared in issue #65 of Shindig! magazine.)

Self Release CD

Elizabeth Anne Jones resides in North Wales and makes pastoral, psych and traditional folk under the stage name Elfin Bow. Her debut album contains stately ballads and nursery rhyme folk darkness, with a backing of deftly picked acoustic guitars, mandolin, banjo, violin and a hint of electronica.

Lyrically astute, melodically inventive and in possession of pure singing tones, Ms. Bow has made a deceptively gentle record. Scratch beneath the surface however and you'll find weighty themes. 'Hey Auld Friend' is as dark a song as they come; a kiss goodbye to this mortal coil via drowning. Similarly 'Holler In The Hollows' deals with mourning and hardship.

Elsewhere 'Grimshaw And The Fingerclaw' and 'Edith's Song' form a short song suite with a wyrd old Albion vibe. Lightness comes via 'The Wisdom' with its sense of wonder at the world, and the bluegrass-tinged 'Prairie Madness'. An album full of intimate, homespun charm and mystery.

Click here for Elfin Bow's website.

Mark McDowell and Friends - Dark Weave

Fifth LP from south-west psych-folk collective. Pastoral folk, drones, subtle electronica and good vibes!

 

I've not been able to post as much on here recently for various reasons. Mainly too busy with work, family commitments and magazine stuff. I'm not complaining as work, family and writing is pretty much my holy trinity for a happy and useful life. I mention this as there have been a few albums and such that I've been sent that deserve my and your attention. Especially this one! I've written briefly about Mark McDowell before, albeit quite some time ago. What I didn't know was that apart from his solo records he also makes music as part of a psych-folk collective called Mark McDowell & Friends. This is their fifth long-player but the first one I've heard so I'm coming in fresh to this as it were.

Dark Weave came out at the end of July and I was able to listen and let it get under my skin before I left for a family holiday in Rhodes. There's something about high summer that always sharpens my emotions and makes me more receptive to music, art, literature etc. You know, all the good stuff. Maybe it's the longer hours of daylight, increased temperatures, more time spent with good people. All these things. Anyhow before I set off on my hols this album was my soundtrack on the daily commute to work. It struck me that despite the use of Indian strings, exotic hand-drums and analogue synth washes and swirls, Dark Weave is an album that could only have come from the British Isles. It simultaneously harks back to the golden era of acid-folk, (when Forest, Comus, Spirogyra and their ilk were the most happening acts around), but also sounds like now. Timeless is not the right word but it certainly taps into and strengthens some kind of tradition that resurfaces every few years and captures the imagination of a new generation. As a kind of nationalism it certainly beats that touted by many of our current political leaders.

So off I go on my holiday to Rhodes in early August. The change of scene, light, temperature and vegetation was a real jolt to the senses. I was struck by how dry, dusty and scrub-like the hills away from the coast were. The geographical distance also made me think about home, where it's not dusty and scrub-like. Where the ground is moist and loamy, damp and full of vegetation. And in my head thoughts kept turning to this record. It seemed to capture this richness that and uniqueness that we quite often lose sight of here.

Apologies to Mark McDowell if this is not like a standard album review. For once I wanted to write in a different way about music and how it can affect us. Suffice to say that Dark Weave has been my favourite album of the Summer and will be getting played over and over as we head into Autumn and Winter. It's that kind of record. Pastoral folk mixed with subtle electronica if you want to place it within genres. But I suggest just listening with open ears, hearts and minds and seeing where it takes you. Music ripe for reflection. 

In Gowan Ring - B'ee's Pent Pouch

Fragile mystic folk surfaces on a variety of limited releases!

An artist new to me but very welcome is In Gowan Ring, the artistic vehicle for the mysteriously named B'ee who's been making low-key but intoxicating folk-based music for the last 20 years. In 2012 B'ee spent several months constructing a five-sided tent as a recording/living space in a forest behind a chateau in a sparsely occupied area of the Massif Central in France. (I know, right!)

The recordings he made in that time, known as the Pent Pouch album were released as a limited edition of 55 copies given away to people who helped finance the project. Five years later these recordings are getting a public release digitally as well as in a variety of limited physical formats. There are five copies on both pentagonal vinyl (yes really!) and CD released in a five sided box format but 150 copies on both pentagonal vinyl and CDin a five-sided corduroy pouch. Nice! So top marks for the packaging but how about the music?

B'ee describes his music as symbolist folk, and that's pretty accurate. Infused with a sense of something bigger – a spirituality maybe, or affinity with nature, the seasons, and eternal truths. It's music for the dusk of late evenings or the mist of early mornings. Echoes of Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, early and rennaissance music all fuse into something unique

If you miss out on the limited versions head over to the In Gown Ring Bandcamp page for a a digital copy along with a plethora of other releases of a similar high quality available via the Moonlit Missives subscription service.

Links

Click here for In Gowan Ring's website.

Click here for Moonlit Missives.

Interview with Shadow Band

(This feature originally appeared in issue #63 of Shindig! magazine. For the full unpublished interview click over the jump at the bottom of the post.)

Philadelphian collective make wintry psych-folk with a nod to the occult and nature mysticism. Duncan Fletcher feels the icy chill.

“A musician I admire told me that influence could be split into two categories: ghost and substance. Substance could be the conscious decision, as in, the songs were written largely with a folk palette, and we had some shared influences in mind. But ghost is harder to trace. It's the conscious or unconscious influence of a much broader palette. Ghost is about aesthetic or feeling, not discrete sounds... I'd argue we're driven more by ghost than by substance.”

So says bassist Jacob Brunner talking about the range of musical backgrounds that shape Shadow Band's modernised take on '70s acid-folk. Hear it for yourself on their new single 'Eagle Unseen' which, according to vocalist and songwriter Mike Bruno, was inspired by “the current dark age we live in, the toxic political climate and perpetual warring... the thankless will to do just and good in a bad world as one's only hope for personal salvation, and nature's gathering response to our abuse unto her.”

The video for the single's other track 'Moonshine' was filmed in the band's residence and creative hub, a townhouse called Castle Corbenic. It's the ultimate hippy hangout crammed with books, LPs and exotic musical instruments. Keyboardist Morgan Morel expands - “Corbenic is located in an as of yet unnamed neighbourhood in South Philly. There's a vibrant mix of people from around the world, with an energy that borders on chaotic. It's comforting to think that within the walls of Corbenic we've created a microcosm of our surroundings.”

Tellingly the house also contains a raft of vintage guitar amps. Not surprising for a band who cite Black Sabbath as a major influence. Jacob explains - “I'd say we're plugged in more often than not. We've played punishingly loud and feather-soft in the same show. It's hard to say where the folk ends and the rock begins!”

'Eagle Unseen' b/w 'Moonshine' is out now on Mexican Summer. A full-length LP Wilderness of Love is also now available.

Click over the jump for the full interview.

Aussie acid-folkers Trappist Afterland announce UK and European dates

Trappist Afterland head over to the northern hemisphere soon for a string of gigs, including support slots with Wolf People and Trembling Bells. Well worth getting along to!

Trimdon Grange Explosion - Trimdon Grange Explosion

North-east London folk collective releases full-length debut LP. And it's very good!

One album I've been listening to a lot recently is the self-titled debut by Trimdon Grange Explosion. It's the first release on their own Borley Rectory imprint. The London-based quartet make English folk-rock in the style of Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Pentangle et al. And they do it very well, mixing their own compositions alongside well known traditional songs such as 'Poor Wayfaring Stranger'. The band's use of rock dynamics, swells and repetition owe much to the work of Velvet Underground. Plenty of I-IV chord shifts and John Cale-style viola drone.

It comes as no surprise to learn then that despite this being their debut long-player, the band members have a history and a pedigree. All four were previously members of The Eighteenth Day Of May, and viola player Alison and bassist Mark also perform as a duo (The Left Outsides). The album is available as a CDR with A5 booklet and a limited edition cassette. Don't hang about though as according to their social media it's selling pretty quick!

Trimdon Grange Explosion are -

Alison Cotton (viola/vocals)
Ben Phillipson (guitar/vocals)
Mark Nicholas (bass)
Karl Sabino (drums)

Click here for Trimdon Grange Explosion on Twitter.

Click here for Trimdon Grange Explosion on Facebook.

Us and Them - When I Was Walking / Green Couch (Ltd. 7")

Ultra rare 7” of modern day acid-folk!

Hot on the heels of their recent Sandy Denny tribute EP on Fruits de Mer, Us and Them release this brand new 7” on the equally fab label Mega Dodo Records. This time round they've featured two of their own songs – 'When I Was Walking' and 'Green Couch'. The Swedish duo don't disappoint. Soft, beautiful and timeless. Two tracks that could melt the iciest of hearts. As the world heads into the unknowable and unpredictable future it's comforting to have such stellar music. Check out the video for 'When I Was Walking' and lose yourself in its beguiling power.

It's a very limited release so if you want to get a copy don't hang about! Available as a limited edition of 150 green vinyl copies for Mega Dodo Singles Club members with another 150 copies on black vinyl for everyone else.

Click here for more on Us and Them.

Click here for Us and Them on Facebook.

Click here for Mega Dodo Records.

TRACKLISTING

When I Was Walking

Green Couch

New band alert - Prana Crafter

A new name to me but one well worthy of attention is Prana Crafter, the musical vehicle for one William Sol. Hailing from the deep wilderness of Washington State's woodlands, his mix of homespun acid-folk and meditative new-age soundscapes perfectly captures the inherent melancholy of all points north.

His latest album release Rupture of Planes (on US label Deep Water Acres) is a great starting point, and takes its cues from vintage British acid-folk but opens it up with a widescreen American feel. This tumbleweed meets mushroom approach is a surprisingly intoxicating one, the music veering from the pastoral to the full on electric freakouts often within the same track, finger picked acoustic guitars give way to bristling electric solos in a manner not dissimilar to the recent LP from Heron Oblivion.

Weather, forests and landscape are returning themes, as are their effects on human moods and psyche. Fans of the aforementioned Heron Oblivion, The Greek Theatre, or nature mysticism in general will find much to enjoy here. Also worthy of investigation is the Opal Crown Transmission EP available via Prana Crafter's Bandcamp page. Check out the links to both releases below.

Tir na nOg – Ricochet (Ltd7”)

Tir na nOg's newest mystical masterpiece! A taster from their first studio LP in over 40 years!

Tir na nOg were and are trailblazers of genre defying acoustic music. The duo formed in 1970, released a string of critically acclaimed albums. and achieved a sizeable cult following before splitting in 1974. The pair re-united in 1985 for sporadic live shows and have recently stepped their touring up a gear, much to the delight of fans old and new.

Their reputation as acid-folk luminaries is now further cemented by the release of new track 'Ricochet' on a coloured vinyl 7”. Taken from the forthcoming album The Dark Dance, (their first in over 40 years), it resembles a devotional Sufi song more than it does Irish or English folk, with echoes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, acoustic Zep and even The Sisters Of Mercy. Drone, Arabic scales and percussion are the order of the day, lending the song an air of urgent mysticism.

The flipside features a previously unreleased live version 'Tir na nOg'. It's a cracking take on their signature song and proof that the pairs' talents and enthusiasm show no signs of diminishing just yet. Land of eternal youth indeed!

Click here for Tir na nOg's website

Click here for the Fruits De Mer website.

Crystal Jacqueline - Rainflower

Pastoral psychedelia, acid folk, bright psych-lite pop and a Status Quo cover! It's all there on the second solo LP from Devon's Crystal Jacqueline.

A glance at the track listing tells you something of this second solo LP from The Honey Pot vocalist Crystal Jacqueline. Multiple references to the seasons, nature, mysterious and unobtainable female spirits, all the hallmarks of an acid-folk album you'd think. A record in the vein of Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day or Shelagh McDonald's Stargazer. And that's true to a point but there's much more to it than that. From the almost industrial sounds of opening track Siren it's obvious things are not so clear cut. Leave your expectations at the door sonic travellers for scattered among the Nick Drake-esque pastoral folk tracks are enough surprises, twists and turns to make this a much more multi-hued and varied affair.

For a start there's the inclusion two cover versions. A stab at Status Quo's In My Chair and a lovely assured take on Pink Floyd's Grantchester Meadows. The former is a tight Chicago R&B shuffle, souped up with effects-laden guitars, whereas Grantchester Meadows blue-sky folk gets an added space-rock edge. Strange Bloom has echoes of San Francisco's golden era, all bluesy and meditative, whereas Daisy Chain is a bright, psych-lite pop tune that in a fairer world would have a stay in the top 20.

As the album title suggests Rainflower thematically revolves around nature, seasons and the weather. For all its sonic diversity these lyrical concerns somehow piece it all together. A celebration of deep-winter and high summer, there's mystery, folklore, the beauty of bloom and the beauty of decay. And for all it's modern production it still resonates with the wyrd, deep-rooted ways of Old England. An album to re-visit and treasure.

Click here for more from on Crystal Jacqueline.

Click here for the Mega Dodo Records website.

Syd Arthur - Dorothy (Released 12th November 2012)

Despite the best efforts of Mumford And Sons it would appear that folk is no longer a four letter word. With acid-folk having become a widely recognised and much loved genre over the last few years. Original vinyl albums from the late 1960s and early 1970s by the likes of COMUS, Mr. Fox and Forest fetch large sums from collectors, while an increasing number of contemporary groups and artists look to the past for their sonic inspiration.

Though not quite acid-folk, Canterbury's Syd Arthur released one of 2012's better albums over the summer. On And On was released on the band's own Dawn Chorus label, picking up up praise from all the monthlies as well as the blogosphere. Their sound owes much to the Canterbury scene of the early 1970s, though there's more to them than just aping the past. Their music is a melting pot of folk, jazz, world music and progressive rock, put together in such an energetic way that somehow makes them very now. An what a great name they have, effortlessly evoking English psych with a deeper, olde England, that of Camelot and the round table.

If the album passed you by over the summer it's worth sticking it on your Christmas list, though if you can't wait that long the band are releasing a single from the album on November 12th. A stand out track from their album, Dorothy will be released digitally along with a live version. available from all the usual digital outlets and also the band's own Bandcamp page. The band will also be taking to the road in the UK throughout November should you want to catch them live.