Missive 18
01-07-2003
Singled Out
Missive 18

Mislaid, found and mislaid again on 30th June 2003
Diddly Diddly Do darn Gone by 14th July 2003

Dedicated to Everything (hell, I’m in one of them moods….)

Heck, I feel I’ve set something of a precedent here, as this is probably the first time in many a while that the missive has actually been completed and posted on time, I can easily see that I’ve created a beast now, but to hell with it, you keep producing and sending them and I’ll keep listening and writing about them.

Oh to be able to do this on a full time basis, I envy those whose life is simply given up to listening to records all day and every day, the expression kid in a sweet shop really springs to mind, frankly I have sleepless nights trying to divide up the amount of free time I have by the number of CD’s that grow on a daily basis that cover the area were I believe the computer resides, not that I’m complaining, no siree, but what it does prove is that out there exists more than enough excellent sounds to be smitten by, it’s only sad that unless by some quirk of fate or luck most will never get the recognition they deserve.

Something of a shortened missive this time as I’ve only just gotten the promised Cargo order and haven’t had a chance to check ‘em out yet, though you can be guaranteed that a few of the pesky varmints have sneaked into this edition without prior permission.

Another bag of wantonly carefree records all in need of a loving home and affectionate plays, and always a good thing to start on a cheerful note don’t you agree?

The Thrills ‘Big Sur’ (Virgin). I feel the drifting aroma of sweetly refined pop trade winds drifting in the summer breeze from the West Coast via Nashville all the way to Ireland. ‘Big Sur’ eclipses the bands debut ‘Santa Cruz’ by some distance and acts as a perfect calling card for their forthcoming long-player ‘So much for the city’. Think of Dodgy’s ‘Staying out for the Summer’ grazing with a laid back vibe and a goofy country undercarriage. Admirably name checking the Monkees on their way, The Thrills delight in serving up some deliciously airy 60’s inspired shaded lazy pop moments that invite you to recline, bask and daydream in it’s warming glow while the outside world spins in frenzy. ‘No one likes to be upstaged’ trips with the same kind of honey toned harmonies of Ben Folds Five with smatterings of 10CC thrown in for good measure. Best of the lot can be found on the CD version which features the demo cut of the gorgeous ‘One Horse Town’. Try imagining mid 70’s era Beach Boys slugging it out with Spector-esque backdrops with Brian Wilson invading the sessions for a spot of impromptu tuneful tinkering. In a word, fantastic. www.thethrills.com

Finlay ‘Home’ (Fortuna Pop). And it’s been a fair old while since we’ve sampled the tasty morsels dropped from the feasting table of the Fortuna Pop label. Finlay are FP’s latest acquisitions, and judging by the evidence of this neat twin slice of hook laden friction pop they’ll soon be blazing from every household radio in the land. ‘Home’ is the bands second single following their self released debut ‘Little Dancing Solos’ which sadly passed us by, a wild, anthemic and unstoppably hum able burst of effervescent three chord angular tuneage. As potent as Blur’s ‘Song 2’ but drilled with the same kind of mental melodic majesty that graces Supergrass’ brief explosive outings and possessing the more wired and edgy elements of the underrated Cardiacs, stupendous stuff. Flip over for a tasting of discordant maudlin trippyness as the band gear up for a spot of the Palace Brothers doing Godspeed, bizarrely cute even if it is wilfully skewed. Expect the debut full length ‘I dreams and visions’ any day soon. www.fortunapop.com

Dogs die in hot cars ‘I love you cause I have to’ (Radiate). Another ensemble who on the evidence of this debut, seem to have a delightful knack for scoring memorable mini pop epics, are Dogs die in Hot Cars. Don’t worry about the name, as off putting as it is, it is not an invitation but rather to serve as a hasty reminder. ‘I love you cause I have to’, now we do love this cutie, too damn catchy for it’s own good. Maybe it’s the vocals that pit themselves somewhere between the Dexy’s Kevin Rowlands and the late Billy MacKenzie of Associates fame. Maybe it’s the racing skank beat and the 100mph urgency of the skipping rhythms or possibly the impatient injections of the additional harmonies, whatever it is this will be one of the songs of summer for sure and a test of your resolve not to burst into Buster Bloodvessel moves without warning. Flip over for two totally contrasting tracks, the love odes within the name checking ‘Celebrity Sanctum’ is equalled perfectly by the infectious rolling of gentle acoustics. ‘Somewhat off the way’ veers worrying towards the Beautiful South territories before pinching itself back onto the straight and narrow. Prickled by some gorgeous pastoral edges and exquisite Christmassy harmonies you just can’t help falling for it’s warming charms. A pretty smart debut it’s safe to assume. www.radiaterecords.com

Mower ‘The Morning After’ (Transcopic). The trailer single from Mower’s hotly anticipated second album ‘People are Cruel’ due out in August which I’ve had the pleasure of grooving too all week and can testify that it has to be up there as one of the albums of the year just for it’s sheer nerve alone. ‘The Morning After’ affectionately clamps its hands around your neck and never lets go; imagine the hooks of a big bollocks packing Buzzcocks running riot through a selection of English Mod gems, Mower mix humour with mayhem and provide one of the most memorable chorus’ heard all year, dive for cover as the shards fly from this riot inspiring high octane Kinks sounding classic. www.treanscopic.com

Broadway Project ‘I believe in Superman’ (Memphis Industries). One of those records that descriptive word like ethereal, elegiac and supernatural seem to aptly apply. ‘I believe in Superman’ is taken from Broadway Project’s forthcoming second album ‘The Vessel’, and such a glowing creation it is, using Eastern melodies as it’s template, it neatly draws upon the spiritual soul of the Beatles ‘Within you without you’, wrapped in fluffy atmospherics that purvey a mystical charm that extricates just enough currency for Richard Palmer’s softened feminine tones to cast their elegant resonance. Backed by two remixes; the Soulsavers, best known for their collaborations with Starsailor and the Doves, work their abilities to create a sweetly chilling stripped down trip hop soundscape wrap that recalls Portishead, while Gorodisch’s dissection brings Palmer’s vocals to the fore and re-layers the whole spectacle with subtle washes of vibrant orchestrations. A peach of a single. www.memphis-industries.com

Vector Lovers / Alkin Engineering ‘Split’ (Static Caravan). The first in a series of split releases from the electronic labs of the Static crew, all strictly limited to 500 pressing and all housed in tasty generic jukebox sleeves. If ever there was one then this is a tale of two sides. Alkin Engineering take charge of the eerie side of things with the unnerving ‘Powder Blue’. Apparently it’s all done digitally, it’s an oddly inviting thing that at times sounds like someone’s put Japan’s ‘Tin Drum’ album through an atmospheric blender, chopped up the results, gave them a shake and threw them up in the air and glued them together in the order the pieces landed, really the kind of thing you’d expect lurking between the grooves of a Fat Cat 12”. Keep an eye out for their next split release on Nasty Candy. Flip over for the more ‘melody in a proper sequence’ offerings of Vector Lovers. Previously known as balloon, Vector Lovers tease with their lump in the throat brand of hybrid happy-electro-melancholia on ‘Tokyo Glitterati’. So good that it manages to be dreamy, icy, fluffy, distant, trippy, groovy and delightfully persuasive. Akin to someone stabbing your hand with pins while tinkling you to death. Not content with one crack at the whip, the sublime ‘Olsen’ features out of sync clicks running alongside the same kind of timid snow capped fairy tale musings so venerably scored by FortDax on last years ‘At Bracken’ release. Very, very tasty as if you needed telling so. Essential. Future split releases we are advised, will feature among others Maps and Diagrams who have an excellent album release currently doing the rounds on Pause 2 and will be a featured review shortly, and J.Xavierre. Contact geoffstatic@btinternet.com

Burning Brides / The Icarus Line ‘Split’ (Buddyhead). Very, very limited 7” tour split release featuring two heavyweights of the current crop. Pressed up on tasty orange vinyl, this release sees both bands getting to grips with the Misfits back catalogue. The Icarus Line go all smoochy on their re-appraisal of ‘Angelfuck’ and endow with a psyche refit that hisses and bites in all the right places and get across sounding like the classic Pixies in sadistic surfer mode in a slash attack with a tooled up shaded and leathered Jesus and Mary Chain, a must for those long summer nights. Burning Brides tangle with ‘Hybrid Moments’ and treat us to lashings of b-movie drive-in bubblegum punk that pays it’s dues to the mighty Ramones, brief, brash and brilliant.

Ipanema ‘Je suis un beaseball bat’ (Boss Tuneage). The first of three featured releases from the ever-dependable riot mongers Boss Tuneage. Pressed on heavy duty white vinyl ‘Je suis un baseball beat’ is the debut release from Ipanema, who among their ranks feature Wiz formerly of the sadly missed Mega City 4, who hold a personal corner in my heart for their highly entertaining ‘Tranzophobia’ album. Between then and now Wiz has had stints with the Doughboys and Serpico. Seems that non of the magic has worn out, ‘Je Suis un baseball bat’ rips up the ground beneath it with it’s grinding head pummelling bass groove while at the core the strains of fiercesome melodic thrash pop punk. Starting out with a blood thirsty discordant volley of unchecked attrition it soon corrects itself to provide a storming impenetrable grooving melodic wall of sound awash with the kind of scorching hooks that the Foo Fighters so admirably fill their sound with. ‘Skull’ on the flip is the preferred cut, packed with the same kind of brittle but direct hook laden high velocity power punk pop in the mould of the Buzzcocks, a riotously euphoric love song played at break neck speed that just manages to keep on the rails. And did we mention the Doughboys?

Doughboys ‘La Majeure 1987’ (Boss Tuneage / Scamindy). Worth getting just for the half tangerine, half lemon coloured vinyl alone, a really eye catching thing it has to be said. This release features what amounts to the first ever recordings ventured by the legendary pre Wiz Doughboys dating from 1987. The first time these particular versions have been heard outside the band, eventually re-recorded for the ‘Whatever’ debut long player but here remaining in all the youthful purist form. As with the Ipanema single, each of these three cuts possess a delicious anthemic feel to them, especially the hot wired punk pop antics of ‘Stranger from Within’ which out sleazes even the Black Halos and provides the collections most incendiary packed three minutes, a distilled concoction of brash naivety and delinquent expectancy, match that to the song writing brain already at work so early on with the sophisticated MOR opening being laid bare by the waves of smoothed punked up backdrops. ‘I remember’ clocking in at over 5 minutes neatly lays the template for later hopefuls such as Green Day to follow, rampant, affectionate fun that provides a pop twist on the Hurricanes / Dolls canon.

Shortcut to Newark ‘Heads in hands, Hearts in half’ (Boss Tuneage). Last up from Boss Tuneage for this Missive anyway comes from Shortcut to Newark formerly Shooter McGavin. Again on heavy duty vinyl, this time coloured light blue, this lot have been causing a bit of a stare in certain circles and it’s easy to see why. Crafted detail to melody with their influences steadfastly planted in the more tuneful aspects of New Wave, mixing jangling guitars with driving chords there’s a subtle hint of the Velvet Crush and the Pleasureheads especially on ‘A rocky dennis face’ and the smarting sounds of ‘Souvenir’. Then there’s the chopping pop signatures of the racing ‘Looking back’ that screams along like the Knack on speed. The sunny opener ‘Can you fly, Bobby?’ rumbles away with a deft mix of head burrowing intricately layered concentric guitar weaves and stutter like arrangements. A smart debutante. All releases available from Boss Tuneage contact www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk

KRMTX ‘Ice Hatchets’ (Gold Standard Laboratories). KRMTX is pronounced Chromatics, who were a four piece band now reduced to a duo hence the name shortening. ‘Ice Hatchets’ really is strange stuff, it’s probably the kind of thing that Factory would have released had they not discovered Joy Division. In some respects unsettling, coming from the same austere post punk terrain that occupies early Suicide, Cabaret Voltaire and the such, pure primal electronics set to chill. A repetitive roaming bass underpins ‘Ice hatchet’, over the top a fractured guitar weaves a sinister spy theme drama while the vocals glory with textbook Mark E Smith ambitions. ‘Curtains’ on the flip has a far more engaging claustrophobic feel, fraught and tense sounding shrieks are bludgeoned by the drone textures of the unrelenting and unwavering percussions. Sterling stuff. www.goldstandardlabs.com

The Rocks ‘We got it’ (Scratchy). Okay fair dues, the last thing we need right now is another garage punk band, blimey the bandwagon’s so big and bulging with the plethora of 5 minutes of fame chancers that it looks like something from Convoy. Thankfully then that The Rocks look like the genuine article, depraved, dirty and not, on the evidence of these two singles, appearing to give a flying sh*t whether you like ‘em or not. This lot don’t pussy around they go straight for the jugular. ‘We got it’ opens up sounding suspiciously like Roxy’s ‘Love is the drug’ with ‘Some Girls’ era Jagger and Richards gate crashing the party much to Ferry’s bemusement. ‘The Bomb’ is the best cut here, a totally wired, sleazed piece of fraught rock that soon opens up to be a full blown aggressive head bashing experience, a kind of 12 round heavyweight bout between MC5 and the Stooges at the peak of their powers, with Taylor’s vocals sounding like he chews razor blades and soaks his tonsils in petrol nightly as he gives them a shrieking work out. Stunning stuff.

The Rocks ‘Everybody in the place’ (Scratchy). Same band, this time their harrowing debut from earlier this year. ‘Everybody in the place’ has the band hoodwinking the Detroit sound and cannibalising it for their own ends and shoving two fingers up to their peers and leaving the wannabes choking on the octane fumes. Primed with all manner of jagged, razor sharp hooks and incendiary bursts of rampant ferocity that takes second billing to Taylor’s possessed paranoiac vocals. Blistering stuff. Flip to the charmingly titled ‘I won’t need you when you’re dead’, an irreverent poking of fun at all those 50’s nostalgic tear jerkers, a kind of no thanks love song. By the time ‘Sicko’ has done it’s bit then you’ll know the sensation of being hit by a speeding car. www.therocks.org.uk

Omelette ‘Happiness’ (Julius Geezer). And just where do these spanking debuts all come from is anyone’s guess but another to add to the list this time from Ireland’s Omelette. First thing I’d say about this brooding three-tracker is that it’s a grower. A trio of tracks that belie the width and depth of this young bands song writing skills. The lead track ‘Happiness’ not quite the most apt of titles is what can only be described as a bit of a slow burner. A fragile sounding vocal creeks atop an almost quietly stagnant melody thread that bursts gloriously into flaring feedback fits at every available opportunity and harnessing the same kind of slo-core dynamics as tripped by Timonium and the much missed Codeine. ‘The girl with the sun in her hair’ sounds as though it was literally torn from writers heart such is it’s pained presentation while ‘Scissorhands’ sits up as a curious track. Barely starting before it’s finished, yet in it’s bright albeit brief life time it conjures a distant feel of Syd Barret, it’s seemingly half thought and oddly dislocated happy but sad demure could easily fit on ‘Barrett’. A debut for those who like their music a little more passive albeit precious. www.juliusgeezer.com

Child’s View / Lullatone ‘Split’ (Audio Dregs). Another curious release and one we have absolutely no idea about (make’s a change, eh?), this time on clear vinyl and limited to 500 pressings. Lullatone, do as their name suggests on the soothing ‘Raindrops keep falling on my xylophone’. Lone Louisville based Shawn James Seymour delivers some neat oriental sounding music box variations that recall the serene exotic imagery provided by ISAN on their ‘Digitalis’ long-player while tempering the appeal further with an overall sense of Raymond Scott’s lullabies for children projects woven into the script.
Child’s View is the sideline project of Nobukazu Takemura who conjures up a tasty collage of skipping beats, fluid clicks, irregular rhythms with a serious down tempo appeal. Awkward arrangements jig up, down and sideways in an attempt to mess with your head, try imagining Mum in sedate mood in ghostly tripping mode. A very cute release indeed. www.audiodregs.com

Mojo Issue 116 (July edition) features exclusive interviews with the mighty Neil Young and R.E.M. and if your quick enough to grab it, an free seven inch single featuring two cuts from legendary dub master Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.

X-Ray Issue 6 (July edition). Fast becoming a firm favourite here, this handy A5 sized magazine put out by London’s XFM radio station includes features / interviews with The Thrills, Super Furries and the Polyphonic Spree. The trademark cover mounted CD, features thirteen of the best cuts currently kicking around the houses. Among the treats are Mower who offer up the stupendous ‘After Dark’, the opening cut from their forthcoming long-player and a storming ringer for the Kinks ‘All day and all of the night’, the frantic sounds of Sub Pop’s latest finds The Thermals, the wonderfully sexy sounding Magnet, a corking cut from the delightful Miss Kitten and Hacker plus the usual exclusive session cuts this time from Simian.

The Earlies ‘Morning Wonder’ (For Us). Those with long memories may remember me raving excitedly about this part Texan / part Manchester combos second single ’25 Easy pieces’ earlier in the year, well the blighters have only gone and done it again. ‘Morning Wonder’ takes early elements of Spiritualised and latter career Spacemen 3 and neatly tweaks into them an intoxicating twanging groove with Kraftwerk’s ‘Neon Lights’ subtly spacing out in the ether, an invigorating mini epic that just sweeps you up in it’s wide-screen space Western dusted tracks. ‘Lows’ on the flip trembles in it’s own shadow and provides insight into the crafted arrangements of the band. Sedate like the even song of nature as the day closes, it’s sweet almost lullaby like traits instil an mix of melancholia and hope, delicately fragile, it’s both reflective and emotionally prickly slowly gathering to a gripping intensity towards the finale a la Morricone. A gem. Available at forus@roughtrade.com

Jason Morphew ‘Sex’ (Ba Da Bing). A crafty little three track CD this, ‘Sex’ is one of those tracks that’ll bounce around in the head long after the CD been put back in its sleeve and filed away. Taken from his second long player ‘The Duke of Arkansas’, ‘Sex’ is an up tempo pop tart that’ll give you a wicked itch the minute you hear it, combining the fizzy effervescence of Billy Bragg’s ‘Sexuality’ and yet revealing the classic textbook hooks of The Smiths as Jason does his best impression of Morrisey after a prolonged course of happy pills. ‘Kisses on my neck’ follows in the same vein, taking aim with its pop arrow, you can’t help recalling a more grown up ‘TinTin’ Duffy. ‘Dating Jason Morphew’ is a more solemn affair, drifting strings sections court coolly with Morphew’s driving Dylan-esque ambling acoustics. If it wasn’t for the insatiable hooks of the lead track, this would win the vote for preferred cut hands down. www.badabingrecords.com

Schengen / Portal / Innerise / Weyland ‘EP’ (Make Mine Music). And what better way to round up this particular missive but with something to relax and daydream to than in the capable hands of Schengen. Not seen round these parts since the amazing ‘Nyplex’ collection for Roisin records a few years ago, in truth this release is Schengen aided by various remixes by Innerise and Weyland and a collaborative track with Portal. Kicking off with the first of two collaborations with Scott Sinfield AKA Portal, ‘Cap itol’ carves an enchanting entrance for itself, taking you on a journey to exotic climes to a far-flung idyllic dream hideaway, the sensual twists of the elated textures create warming patterns tinged ever so slightly by a Robinson Cruscoe like loneliness. ‘B Leaf’ continues the theme of melodic sensuality, a towering composition that opens to the grand, though sombre atmospherics of cavernous drone waves, their heavy dominant mood is lightened by the drifting sounds of delicate tinkling ivories and ultimately shattered by the entrance of Sinfield’s graceful chiming guitars. Both ethereal and elegant. ‘Seti’ is given the remix treatment from Innerise (the original incidentally can be heard on the mp3 platform at www.schengen.co.uk), carving roaming spacey signatures that flit and flicker with all the irresistible allure of a light bulb to a moth. ‘Grace’ swirls with droned synths that give the invigorating sensation of tides washing to and fro, magnificently melancholic. Weyland deliver perhaps the collections most satisfying and haunting moment. Enlisting a spacey feel to the proceedings Weyland’s remix of ‘Seti’, here re-titled as ‘Seti on Safari’ utilises drama laden atmospherics that at times will have you thinking that your in the middle of the monster attack scene in the original ‘Lost in Space’, demanding and doom laden stuff replete with spine tingling twang sequences. A must. Available from www.makeminemusic.co.uk

That’s your lot for this time. Next missive due in a fortnight will feature those MP3’s, those Best Kept Secret releases (really, really honest) plus some more top of the drawer releases from amongst others Zebra Zebra, The Playwrights, Adem, a cracker from Will Oldham, the Hokum Clones, The Frantic V, The Microphones and three more volumes of the Red Square label’s 7” series The Way Things Change’ and more besides.

As always heart felt thanks to all those who either sent stuff, written in or read these missives. Complaints and rants always welcome contact me at mark@losingtoday.com

Have yourselves a great few weeks see you in 14,

Take care,

Mark
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