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A corking 13 track showcase from one of Manchester’s premier scene makers. Melodic has been teasing the cool crowd for 6 years now with some of the best well drilled releases to come out of a single label, not only have they provided safe haven for the likes of Pedro, Lucky Pierre (Aidan Moffat) and Minotaur Shock (now signed to 4AD) but they also released the debut single for current media darlings Nine Black Alps.
‘Melodic Today’ follows previous compilations 2002’s ‘Roomful of Tuneful’ and 2004’s ‘Tracks for Horses’ and provides a heady mix of part tooting on their own trumpet by giving you a taste of their own rich and luxurious roster as well as given you a crash course of listening gear you should be grooving to while peaking at potential your would be future heroes.
As per usual ‘Melodic Today’ is a vibrant hot pot of varying generic styles worthy of the entrance fee alone for the inclusion of Baikonour and Dungen. The former has his new album road tested by inclusion of the rampantly addictive and curvaceous ‘Coltan Anyone?’ a Meek inspired twinkling lounge like space grooving electronic head trip – perhaps if truth be told the best cut on his current ‘For the lonely hearts of the cosmos’. The latter ‘Festival’ by Swedish multi instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes AKA Dungen again has the compilation hood winking the most resplendent cut from the recently UK licensed well toned psychedelic treat ‘Ta Det Lugnt’ (currently out via those real nice people Memphis Industries – home to the Go! Team, Fort Lauderdale, Broadway Project etc….) – believe you me wait until you hear the guitar riff mid way through words such as elegiac, cathedral – esque, ethereal and shimmering fall way below describing its effect – let’s just say jaws will drop.
And in case you are thinking at this point well hey two tracks out of 13 that’s not really much of a deal – well kids they were the cuts we had prior experience – since hearing this add to the list Rochdale based DNCN who slam in with the saucily naughty mooching house honed ‘Eeram’ - think prime time club tripping Orbital rubbing dirtily up alongside an x-rated version of the Orb’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’. If its dusty acoustics you want then they don’t come any better when the name John Stammers adorns them. Sadly last heard here with his ‘Ivy and Dennis’ debut from a few years back on Garden Sticks, Stammers’ eloquently breezy ‘the Fridge’ is a tearfully perfect and timeless distillation of the Fahey’s delta blues being blended beautifully with Drake’s Cambridge folk. Another artist we seemed to have lost touch with in recent years is Mark Tranmer known better to the cooler record buying public as Gnac. ‘And Again’ is taken from his latest album ‘Scoop of the ice cream moon’ (another good reason for us to enter a record emporium as though we needed one) all 59 seconds of it, but hey remember what your sex therapist told you – quality not quantity – a painfully shy nugget that’s over before it begins a treasure for classic Vini Reilly fans it has to be said. Hulk who round off the set with ‘Photographs’ is another artist who has somehow managed to slip the radar of late following that superb debut for Static Caravan a few years back. Hulk not to be confused with the QOSTA – like rockers of the same name is the brain child of Thomas Haugh, this cut is taken from Hulk’s debut full length ‘Silver thread of Ghosts’ (due on Osaka) and delicately delivered slice of daydreaming tranquillity that longingly finds its way through your defences with an aching murmur.
With collaborations with Pefuse 73 and Khonner in the pipeline James Rutledge AKA Pedro has been playing with people’s heads for the best part of seven years delivering sublime fusions of chilling ambience, hip hop beats and super wide screened instrumental gems so much so that his early career EP’s now fetch silly money on internet auction sites (which in case you weren’t aware have all be gathered up into one neat collection entitled ‘Early Pedro’ on Melodic). Often compared to Four Tet, for me Pedro leans more towards Andy Votel and ‘Lung’ provides much evidence to support this, as seductive a slab of restless and sultry psychotropic jazz you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else for a fair while methinks. Other Melodic regulars Wren, Lucky Pierre and Topo Gigio step up to the plate – Wren’s ‘Me and my army’ makes a slight detour through the fields of the Fence Collective and returns with this heart heavy bruised beauty which should ensure there are no dry eyes in the house. Lucky Pierre on the other hand impart the set with a spot of classically drilled sophistication with the delectable ‘Weirs Way’ while Topo Gigio emerge from the zoological hot house for a spot of tripping grooved lunar lounge of the snaking ‘Mu Arae’. Elsewhere there’s the street wise futuro rush of the Public Enemy like Working for a nuclear free city who open up with ‘Melodic Today’ while latest Melodic signings, the excellently named, Department of Eagles with the psychotically off balanced grind of ‘Forty Dollar Rug’ is Fun Loving Criminals meets Flowered Up though personally for me the best thing here is the simply divine ‘Harmonious Ascent’ from Lancashire’s Transelement, an addictive ear candy cutie that blends superbly the Beach Boys more intimate moments with ‘I’m not in love’ era 10CC studio classicism to leave you with a total pop experience all packaged with a sub 4 minute remit. Essential in case you hadn’t realised.
MARK BARTON
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