Missive 85 - Extended blah mix
13-02-2006
Singled Out

Missive 87

Dedicated to Kelly and Mark - missing you always.

Singled Out - Separating the musical equivalent of the wheat from the chaff so that that you don’t have to.

As promised - the no chit chat 3rd instalment of the quick fire bulging Singled Out - those wanting chat, address’ and other general stuff check out Missive 85 for details or else email at mark@losingtoday.com

Cadillac ’Wilder than this’ (Pop Fiction) / Cadillac ‘Locomotive’ (Pop Fiction). Okay as you probably gather we are frantically playing catch up here given that we now have in front of us not only the current single (‘Wilder than This’) from Norwegian uber fuzz lords Cadillac but er - the one before it (with the debut album ’Magnetic City’ no doubt skulking in the background somewhere) - which okay arguably we could have ignored (and up to this point have - ha ha) but hell it’s so good that we reckon it deserves much lauding over. ‘Locomotive’ is a skull splintering slab of cool as fuck distort pop that could easily have fallen straight from the pages of that all important tome ‘The Knights of Fuzz’, a sure fire shades ‘n’ black killer toon that soon bubbles and festers from an introductory injection of Nomads like swamp fever into a raging jugular gripping spleen lacerating display of vein tightening pulse pounding punk rawk not before throwing in somewhere along the line a host of 60’s references to keep any would be Pebbles disciple keenly slavering while not forgetting the odd Black Sabbath / Hawkind accents being mercilessly dragged along for the ride. Flip cut ’the Saint’ while not as immediately intense as it’s lead partner still has more than enough savvy about it to suggest this lot could wipe the floor with most of the current brigade of young people with guitars and three chords to burn. ’Wilder than this’ marks the Norwegian ensembles third cut to be lifted from the aforementioned ’Magnetic City’ full length set and well what can we say other than ’fuck me what was that?’ Those expecting the same fuzz laden treatment as found on ’Locomotive’ better prepare yourselves because what this lacks in fuzz it certainly more than makes up for in gut tightening riff pyrotechnics. A pedal to the metal no nonsense frenetic boogie of sorts replete with sparring ten to the dozen chord jabs which by the close leave you reaching for the towel in submission, feisty and ferocious but strangely sexy with it. Flip over for ’the Sinner’ with it’s full throttle impenetrable front line sonic assault of strut happy guitars that conspire to deliver a toon that once in your head the little bastard won’t go preferring instead to party on and drive you to distraction. www.popfiction.biz

The Aeroplanes ’Somedays’ (White Noise). Last time we had the pleasure of hearing this it was criminally tucked behind their debut offering ’Don’t stop me’. Now given a street date in it’s own right I’d offer up my hat (if I had one) and eat it on the spot if anyone came up with something even vaguely veering in it’s crushing orbit. ‘Someday’ is cut from the same special cloth that made those legendary Mavers, Gallagher, Ashcroft et al compositions seep with a lasting and meaningful resonance - softly silken in demeanour but carve with the ability to strip you to the bone. In all honesty a track that defies category - just simply tearfully timeless and by rights should come pre-packed with tissues, painkillers and it’s own counsellor - for the lost seeking hope, the down needing a lift and just about anyone who has ever had their dreams reduced to shreds - an anthem like no other. Nuff said. Flip side is your no nonsense get down and boogie hard 3 and a half minutes of gritty hip swerving lip smacking dirty rock ‘n’ roll replete with Mersey drawl and a cool as fuck vibe that’s been tattooed through to its core like words through a stick of candy rock. Surely there must be a full length in the offing to flatten us with. Essential stuff. www.theaeroplanes.com

Nancy Wallace ‘Young Hearts’ EP (Hungry Hill). Never ever imagined for a single minute that I’d ever get to hear ‘Young hearts run free’ blaring out of my hi-fi - but here it is in all its wicked glory though obviously not in its more famous soul role. That said I’ve nothing against the track personally it’s just never appealed that is until now. Recently discovered skulking under the ever creaking records to be listened to pile was this quite unassuming little 4 track gem by Nancy Wallace. For those familiar with the Memory Band (at this point I’ll feebly put up my hand in embarrassment) Nancy Wallace should need no introduction being as she is their vocalist and to cut a rather log story short this is her doing a spot of extra curricula duties solo wise (okay then not quite solo as she‘s accompanied by both the Memory Band‘s Jenny May Logan and Stefan Melzak from the Ralfe Band). This EP features four covers lovingly hand picked by Ms Wallace and given the soft purring folk treatment. ’Young Heart’ is actually made to sound quite sublime removed of its soul veneer and supplanted with the sound of a deliciously airy sounds violin that you could almost curl up beside it if you were minded such and before you ask yep we did. Another old classic disco blast from the past ’Are you ready for love?’ as made famous by the Spinners is a suitably lazy eyed affair noticeably slower than the original and set to the magical interplay of a softly strummed acoustic guitar playing a courtship with a serenading fiddle. The set closes with a cover of Big Bazza White’s ’You’re the first, the last, my everything’ - a brave choice you might say ad you’d be right given the great man’s all consuming performance - let’s face it how could anyone measure up to it. Wallace strips it bare and in doing so cleverly removes all the baubles, the pomp and the tacky trappings of the original in order to get to its very essence and what’s lost in not having White’s overwhelming charisma mooching about its confines Wallace more than makes up for by instilling a less overt and more subtle passion to the overall matrix. However that said it’s on ’At last I am free’ the old Chic ditty that this collection manages for once to hit its stride and strike a balance of assumed acceptance rather than a pleasurable surprise, maybe it has something to do with the rest of the cuts having such an indelible and unavoidable prehistory about them. Wallace gives the track a new lease of life endowing it with a cooling porch light like mysticism the clarity of the lyrical bite brought superbly to the fore to cut through you with the precision of a surgeons scalpel. A delicately formed gem if truth be known. www.spinneyrecords.co.uk

The Bank Holidays ’Day for Night’ (The Lost and Lonesome Recording Co.). Don’t ask us how - these things just happen - but it seems we’ve managed to mislay the press release on this little honey - though in truth I suspect there was never a press release to lose in the first place. This is a rather dandy 5 track EP packed to the hilt with shimmering summer fresh jangling guitars and honey dripped melodies that sound like they’ve stumbled misty eyed from another era when pop was about being carefree, wide eyed, innocent and literally tripping up to fall in love with everything and anyone (just check out the effervescent tingle making ‘Leave it out‘). ‘Day for Night’ is the ensembles second EP following hot on the heels of a, by all accounts, storming ad critical well received debut ’Good looks to camera’. This new EP is simply ridiculously good believe you me - fans of Sarah, Summershine, Bus Stop, Matinee, Fire Station et al will swoon thinking that this had literally dropped into your lap from the sky while those of you much in awe and adoration of the very early Velvet Crush catalogue will check their pulses to make sure they haven’t died and gone to harmony heaven. A homely brew of timeless melodies that bridge the narrow divide between those softening sun dried 60’s classics of old - Mammas and the Papas, the Byrds (as n the pristinely curling chimes of ’Not so Long Ago’), the Lovin Spoonful (especially on the skipping cooing pop of ‘She’s not in Love’) and the 80’s heart string yanking jangle pop - Go Betweens, Orchids and the lighter edges of the Pooh Sticks canon while dipping their toes ever so gently into territories playing host to the more melodically exquisite acts found within the Elephant 6 collective. Each of the tracks that feature on this set are superbly coded to smoulder as they subtly weave themselves around you, personally though it’s the absolutely done to near perfection tug of ’Like a Piano’ that serves as the sets finest moment. Cleverly crafted key changes, harmonies to kill for and hooks so aplenty that you’ll fear it’ll burst at the seams, laced with the sultry serenade of softly stirring seductive strings and packaged together into a finite 3.26 setting - you’ll just want to reign kisses upon it for sure. For those that might have given up - ‘Day for Night’ offers up 5 perfect reasons to fall in love all over again with the notion of innocently uncluttered pop. Perfect. www.lostandlonesome.com.au

Foreign Born ‘We had pleasure’ (Moshi Moshi). Second featured release from the ever cool Moshi Moshi stable. One of those kind of records that was made for a record player. ‘We had pleasure’ is heartbreaking, life affirming, crushing, uplifting - look its fuckin’ good okay - e warned once you dare to tangle with this baby it won’t leave the turntable until you’ve worn it a new hole we kid you not. So what does it sound like - well in all honesty (and pardon me at this point if they aren’t hip though yes I agree daft haircuts - can’t argue with that) A Flock of Seagulls. There I’ve said it. Okay pause for a second. Ah see I wasn’t struck by lightning or anything so there - A Flock of Seagulls, A Flock of Seagulls, A Flock of Seagulls. ‘We had pleasure’ is massive sounding, chiming guitars that for intents and purposes sound like celestial epiphanies arc in angelic formation aside 80’s keyboards all the time threatening to overwhelm and smother you in their expansive aura - a more arresting three minute slice of pristine pop you’ll find hard to match all year. Flip the disc for ’the Entry Way’ and skin as well as hair begin to fly. Imagine a union of prime time Chameleons doing it coolly glacial locked in a studio with the Fixx, early career Icehouse and the Comsat Angels - poised, purring with desire and made literally from the stuff that turns blood cold and hairs to stand bolt upright. Seek out. www.moshimoshimusic.com

T. Raumschmiere ‘A very loud lullaby’ (Nova Mute). Basking under the moniker ‘special music for special people’ the Shitkatapult label was founded by T. Raumschmiere (or Marco Haas as he’s known to classmates, close friends and family) - previously unknown to me he loosely describes himself as a purveyor of mutant disco and who are we to argue. There certainly is an appealing charm that alerts the senses on this delightful twin set as T.R gets decidedly down and dirty in true throbbing floor shaker style. ’A very loud lullaby’ features guest vocals from Sandra Nasic - both combine to provide three minutes of sexually charged mutant disco mayhem that at times has you recalling very early career Eurythmics sparring ay below their weight against a prime time teaming of Front 242 and Propaganda - deliriously dirty but delicious with it. Flip over for the altogether dinkier ‘An army of Watt’ - a kind of dippy Android meltdown of impish Add N to X proportions that’s blessed with a seriously throbbing circular beat that once head will ping so rabidly around your head space that you’ll fear for your very sanity. Hurrah to that we say. www.novamute.com

Lair of the Minotaur ‘Cannibal Massacre’ (Southern Lord). And just when you foolishly thought it was safe to come from behind the sofa along come Lair of the Minotaur with their brand of apocalyptic death throes to scare several shades of brown stuff out of you. Recommended to remove ear wax at 500 paces this blood thirsty twin set has caused much talk in our neighbourhood in recent days with residents beating a hasty path to our door and one suspects - not to enquire from where they can pick up their own copy methinks. Replete with nightmare inducing cover sleeve this demonic grind core head masher pummels and punishes any would be listener to within an inch of their life - limited to just to just 1000 copies worldwide with 300 on blood red vinyl it provides for an unrelenting skull splinting fest cut from the same cloth that made those early classic Slayer releases such objects of desire. ‘Cannibal Massacre’ leaves no stone unturned, flesh shredding riffs, doom laden frenzied atmospherics and quite frankly schizophrenia riddled vocals combine to trundle merrily along collecting unlikely souls to toss on their hell cart to hell. What the flip side ‘Horns of the Witch’ might lack in terms of power and aggression to it’s partner it more than makes up for in spades in belying the kind of skin crawling wretchedness that suggests lights on even in daylight might be a more than wise idea when playing this - creepy doesn’t even come into it - yet as is the usual tendency with these things there’s always a kick back and the last 30 seconds goes to prove that even in daylight nobodies safe. Those wishing to explore and descend further down into the ’Lair’ may well be advised to checkout the trios debut full length ’Carnage’. Buy on sight even if it’s only to piss off the shite r’n’b loving neighbours next door. www.southernlord.com

Magnetaphone ‘…And may your last words be a chance to make things better’ (4AD). Is it still okay to describe a track as heavenly because if anything ever deserved that description hung upon it then I’d seriously wager that you’d not find a release put out in the last six months even remotely approaching this gem’s orbital omnipresence. One of at least four perfect reasons to acquire and simply adore their latest long player ’The Man who ate the man’ - the others in case you were wondering ’kel’s vintage thought’, ‘a sad ha ha’ and ’kodiak’ - an album you always knew Matt and John had in them but suspected all along they were to bloody stubborn to do. ’…And may your last words be a chance to make things better’ is a dusted relic from another age, almost peeping through the ether it’s both crushing and gently euphoric - breathtaking to the point it almost suffocates you with its tender yet firmly locking embrace. Featuring some exquisite vocals from HMS Ginafore with the undeniably calming genius of King Creosote on keyboard duties which if memory serves right joined forces for that wholesomely formed Gangplank split release early last year for the Fence Collective and those Static Caravan kids (again). A fairy tale like release that crackles and caresses which will have the most casual observer simply transfixed in awe if not melting from the inside out. Flip side ’Something I can understand’ is your standard Phone boys being a tad playful in the toy room department - think of a wonky waltzing Plone with the abstract trimming of an advance scout party made up of members from Stereolab and the Polyphonics - damn it’s good - so good that I certainly think that these lads could make a career out of this music lark thing. By the way check out the label site and look for a specially crafted free to download 15 minute interpretation of the ‘Phones current album as seen and heard through the eyes and ears of our old mucker JM Lapham of the Earlies fame. Sand since you’re there already have a peek at the Minotaur Shock chrimbo pressie. www.4ad.com

Mugstar ‘My baby skull has not yet flowered’ (Lancashire and Somerset). More head expanding frenzy from those loveable Scouse space cadets Mugstar. ’My baby skull has not yet flowered’ is a teaser for the ensembles debut full length due any day soon and provides for a nifty 5 minutes of stellar soaring sonic trepanning that Mugstar seem to be becoming quite the little experts at producing - heaps of Hawkwind overtones lashings of krautrock grind groove with particular attention made in the direction of Neu! Just for a change instead of the usual straight out and at you from the word go this beaut kind of creeps up softly behind to twat the living shit out of you - consider it hypnotic shock treatment with painful hammers though we do detect a very slight yet noticeable for all to see beard stroking jazz vibe going on in the background - of course we lie but at least we’ve managed to unmask the beard stroking jazz dudes among us - damn those jazz traps set to catch me out. Flipside features the far superior ‘Dik Suk’ (are we sure about this?) a fiercesome non nonsense gnarled boogying bastard that takes the old theme tune to ITV’s ‘World in Action’ as it’s main source and basically bastardises the whole thing to within an inch of it’s life. Damn clever if you ask me. All handsomely housed in an attractive wrap around sleeve type thing with a dinky sticker (if you are good that is). www.lancashireandsomerset.co.uk - those unable to wait can have a sneak peak at the new album to hear ‘Good Posture Vs. Bad Posture’ by directing your mouse in the direction of www.myspace.com/mugstar - did we say we spoil you?

Till tonight’s bouncing fourth instalment cutely called - shall we agree on Missive 88 - yea let’s - Missive 88 online tonight at a time when most respectful people sleep.

Take Care

Mark
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