Ten Mouth Electron "Brite Lites/Cut Up Technique"

Review by Joseph Murphy.

Though still early in 2015, Manchester, UK’s Ten Mouth Electron has been on the move. In January, theQuietus included a genre-blending new song, "Lux Mundi", on their "Minor Characters" compilation, and, in February, The Skinny showcased TME’s entertaining debut music video for "Young Nuns".  Part of Liverpool International Music Festival last year, the five piece seems to be getting well-deserved attention for their abilities to revitalize shoegaze, psychedelic, rockabilly, Krautrock, and noise-punk aesthetics and blend them seamlessly. I’m sure more than one person has been tempted to invent a portmanteau for their genre, and, listening to songs like "Cut Up Technique" – or, from an earlier EP, "Happy Birthday (Bang! Bang!)" – the temptation is understandable. Even within a single song, TME can sound like a gothic surf troupe or a pedal-gazing interstellar mission. With more new music on its way, TME’s last release from August of 2014 is a perfect handshake with their work with the implicit promise so far met this year.

Opener "Brite Lites" is a strong, reverb-and-delay-laden track with a few notable idiosyncrasies. First of all, the vocals are doubled; the harmony is low, almost whispered, and eerily robotic at times, while, at the forefront, the vocals are delivered with a swagger reminiscent of Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays) or Frank Tovey (Fad Gadget). Secondly, unlike many comparable dream pop or shoegaze tracks, "Brite Lites" focuses on the composition of the song rather than the trailing of vocals and instruments. At its heart, it’s a well-arranged and plotted pop song. The effects and layers act only as a vehicle rather than its end.

"Cut Up Techniques" lays the groundwork with a steady, walking bass line and tight rhythm that allows a bit of freedom in the collage of guitar layers that come and go throughout the song. It’s an atmospheric take on post-punk – mostly; then, with skill, the song shifts naturally into a sort of surf rock/punk anthem – and back again. It’s a great example of TME’s genre-blending potential.

That leaves the two latest installments then: "Young Nuns" and "Lux Mundi". Both are whole new animals. It’s clear though that TME has mastered their sound, as both tracks play to their skills. "Lux Mundi" begins with a feedback-drenched riff pounding that recalls early ‘90s alternative/noise (in the best way) and switches to an upbeat, bouncing verse with smooth baritone vocals – and, of course, seamlessly back again to a slow, space rock passage. And then back again still. This track, as reported above, appeared as part of theQuietus’ compilation celebrating minor characters in literature. This reviewer is happy to say that – with the help of the chorus: “…I was a bicycle...” – guessed it must be a reference to Irish novel The Third Policeman’s de Selby and, with some searching, confirmed it. Knowing this – for those familiar with the novel – makes the song an even greater success. The comic elements and announcement-like vocals all recall the darkly satirical mood of Flann O’Brien’s work. Likewise, "Young Nuns" (musically and visually) is a worthwhile listen and viewing. Next to "Lux Mundi", this song marks TME for continually interesting work in the years to come.

"Brite Lites/Cut Up Techniques" – as well as their "Happy Birthday" EP – is available on their Bandcamp at a pay what you will price. Look out for more from Ten Mouth Electron.

Nine Questions with E.L Heath

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today....E.L Heath (as heard on this month's sampler).

What was the first record you bought?
Probably something dreadful, I distinctly remember visiting a local radio station as a kid and looking in a box of old 7" they were going to throw out and were giving away free. I'd just seen the film Summer Holiday, and like most children my age I had been swept up by the all consuming desire to have my very own converted London Routemaster bus to travel around in, having all sorts of adventures. So I picked up a Cliff Richard single, which if anyone had any sense, was chucked out years ago. If we are talking about the first CD I bought, then it is possibly even worse - the seminal "Party Party" album by Black Lace. That they managed to include a medley of "Sailing" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" tells you everything you need to know about it. The Birdie Song even gets a workout, a synthesised "re-imagining" on track 4.

What was the last record you bought?
Junkboy's sublime 'Sovereign Sky', those brothers Hanscomb are channeling some beautiful melodies these days. It's a beautiful thing, both inside and out. (we agree - see here)

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
For the past 11 years of my life I've co-run a group for people with Asperger's Syndrome called Autonomy. As a teenager I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum, my partner Victoria also has a similar diagnosis. I've worked in the field of autism since my early '20s and am now a Self Advocate with the Autism Programme Board at the Department of Health in Whitehall, which influences national autism policy. It is frustrating that the majority written on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome and autism in particular is negative, talking about people "suffering" from the condition. Autism is a difference, which makes things difficult sometimes, especially when dealing with a world which is as irrational as ours. My partner is a fine artist, I write, record and release music, the intensity and narrow focus which are strong traits in people with autism are rather a benefit in what we do.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Joe Meek created some of the most incredible sounds put to tape, but he would have been rather tricky to work with by all accounts! So, in my childhood Captain Scarlet-addled mind I'll say Barry Gray. His work for that series is astounding, gets me every time. As a kid I would always wonder what those swoops and trills were, a sound which haunted me until my '20s when I found out what had been creating them - the Ones Martenot. I've been obsessed with this instrument ever since, I own a control voltage keyboard controller called a French Connection, built to mimic the unique style of play. Barry Gray ended up studying the instrument with its creator Maurice Martenot in Paris. How I'd like to have been involved in those sessions!

Who should we be listening to right now?
There's so much music going around these days that it often leaves me overawed. That said, there are some amazing releases out there, here are a few I've managed to pick up: Lukas Cresswell-Rost's 'Go Dream', Gaze is Ghost's stunning 'Revolvere', Magpie Billy & The Egg that Yolked​ (​A Study of the Northern Ape in Love) by The Eccentronic Research Council ft. Maxine Peake, Your Roots, Your Bones by the ever poignant Les Étoiles and two releases by good friends; 'English Summer' by Seamajesty and 'The Visitation' by My Autumn Empire (aka Ben Holton from epic45).

Vinyl, CD or digital?
Vinyl. There's a lot written about the sound, but for me it is the large sleeve, the artwork in full glory. I used to find it hard to listen to albums as a whole, skipping tracks here and there, but when you put on a record, you put it on, you leave it on and then you turn it over when it gets to the end of a side. Sometimes it is simple things like those, the limitations, which make the whole act of listening to an album all the more enjoyable.

Tell us about your latest release.
Tŷ, my psychedelic Cymraeg pop album. I decided, for my first purely song-based album, to learn Welsh and write and sing all the songs in it, which was challenging to say the least! I was still learning as I recorded the album at home, nose deep in local mythology (I live on the Powys/Shropshire border). It was a really odd time, the local electricity board were threatening to build pylons over my house and politically there was a lot of unrest, riots, people being sanctioned off benefits, it was quite hateful, so the album has an element of escapism to it. I was listening to a ton of obscure Welsh psychedelic and acid folk at the time along with plenty of Joe Meek, the Dukes of Stratosphear (XTC's psychedelic alter egos), Kevin Ayers and Ivor Cutler, the humour of the latter three left a mark on me especially, colouring my disinterest with the media at large with whimsical humour, very much along the lines of the solo work of Armando Iannucci. Tŷ was released 28th October 2013 on Staffordshire's Wayside and Woodland Recordings, gaining 'Album of the Week' from both BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Ulster/BBC Radio Foyle along with radio play from Huw Stevens, Georgia Ruth Williams, and Simon Raymonde (Coctea Twins/Bella Union).

What's next for you, musically?
I took the majority of 2014 off after writing Tŷ, to get away from recording and get out and explore before playing a gig in my local town of Shrewsbury later that year. I'm now deep into re-working a number of songs I wrote before and during recording Tŷ which I'll be putting out sometime, somehow, as an E.P. called 'Smiling Leaf'. These are mainly more folky and rurally psychedelic than my more pop-minded album, so it will be good fun getting them out there. I'm now at the stage where I'm getting other musicians to flesh out the recordings and hopefully I'll soon start getting some plans for videos made. I also run my own label, Plenty Wenlock, with my partner, so we'll be putting out a number of releases through the year. I'm playing a few more gigs over the coming months too, so it's going to be busy!

What's for dinner?
I'm vegetarian, so nothing with meat. I really enjoy my cooking, lately I've been learning about Indian street food, especially the many different dishes which together form the Mumbai Aloo Chaat. I'm not one to stick to the recipe but currently I'm cooking up Korean Bibimbap and trying to suss out how best to make a decent Tajine.

https://www.facebook.com/ELHeathuk
https://www.facebook.com/PlentyWenlock?fref=ts
http://www.plentywenlock.co.uk/
http://waysideandwoodland.com/

The Ty Segall Band "Live In San Francisco"

Reviewed by Joseph Murphy.

When I first moved to Los Angeles and began frequenting local record shops and venues, everyone was talking about Ty Segall, and now, a few years later, even more people are talking. Most Southern Californian listeners (and further and further all the time) know, at least, his name or have, sometimes unwittingly, one of his many projects or bandmates’ projects (like Ty Segall Band, Fuzz, Mikal Cronin, Meatbodies, and on and on) on heavy rotation. Living in Los Angeles, eventually, you end up at one of his shows. My most memorable: Ty Segall Band and opener Wand (whose new album was recently reviewed here) leveled the packed Permanent Records shop – along with the sidewalk immediately around it. "Live in San Francisco" manages to wrangle the searing fuzz and kinetic energy of Segall’s heavy punk-infused garage rock live show, complete with stage banter and brief crowd-sourced stand-up.

For an artist whose many albums have a live-recording quality to them already – rife with improvisation that is perfectly flawed, especially 2012’s "Slaughterhouse" – the prospect of a Ty Segall Band live album is interesting in that it provides much more than a chance to hear favorites “live”; rather, it’s a chance to feel the freewheeling brink-of-chaos style shows and realize Segall’s songs are living things that change without falling short of the “album version” and often improving them, if only because they are so soaked in enthusiastic freak-outs. While not their first live record release (see 2011’s "Live in Aisle Five"), this is certainly the most polished. It was recorded over two nights in San Francisco’s intimate venue Rickshaw Stop.

A lot of the set comes from TSB’s "Slaughterhouse", which makes sense. "Slaughterhouse", unlike many of Segall’s albums, was recorded by a full band and not single-handedly. Once again, the powerhouse personnel return for this outing: Emily Rose Epstein, Charles Moothart, and Mikal Cronin. These tracks are some of Segall’s loudest and most raucous. They embody a wild and mad garage revival and act as a touchstone for the entire Bay Area/LA psych scene. College radio favorite "Wave Goodbye" opens with an excited Segall calling to the crowd. For the next ten songs, that energy doesn’t let up.

Castle Face Records’ "Live in San Francisco" series is a fine representation of the scene. Other installments include Fuzz, White Fence, Destruction Unit, OBN III, and Icky Boyfriends. Each of these have created a modern standard for, and done its part in revitalizing, valuable live recordings. Like them, Ty Segall Band’s turn is crisp, gritty and perfectly captured. For returning listeners, for new-comers, this album is essential garage rock.

Available here on vinyl, and here on CD.

Nine Questions with Torpa

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.....Steve and Pete Dandy from Torpa.

What was the first record you bought?
Steve: I didn't get in to music seriously until I was about 17. Before that I was one of the non musical, 'music' loving public getting by on 'Now That's What I Call Music 8'. The first album I bought around that time was Kylie's début on cassette. Suffice to say I didn't buy another until some years later when I started listening to Mark Goodier's Evening Session on Radio 1 and finally saw the light. After that my first purchase was Sugar's 'Beaster' mini-album with the same band's 'Tilted' being my first 7 inch single. I never looked back.
Pete: Madness 'The Rise & Fall' on cassette. Swiftly followed by the other early Madness albums. When I received my first CD player and became obsessed with music, my first significantly important purchase was the first Suede album, along with 'I Nearly Lost You' by The Screaming Trees, purchased from Our Price in Chester on the same epochal day.

What was the last record you bought? 
Steve: Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack to 'Inherent Vice', the new Aphex Twin EP and a couple of Conrad Schnitzler's early 70s synth albums. All of them are fantastic.
Pete: I am a big fan of the band Women, so I am currently digging the début album by Viet Cong.

What's one thing about you that very few people know? 
Steve: I was a total Lost obsessive back in the day and am quoted on the back cover of Nikki Stafford's 'Finding Lost: Season 5' book. For the record, I understood the ending and will happily explain the polar bears to anyone who didn't get it.
Pete: An early band of ours had a cursed demo tape that when passed onto various musicians made bad things happened. Shortly after sending a tape to Mansun, they split up and after personally handing a tape to Bernard Butler, his solo career came to an abrupt halt. We even took one to the offices of Creation Records...

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why? 
Steve: Definitely Bjork. She is someone who is never happy to stand still creatively; always experimenting and trying to push the boundaries of her music. She is also someone for whom the recording process is as important as the music itself, which is something we strongly believe in.
Pete: Dead - Miles Davis. Alive - Goat.

Who should we be listening to right now? 
Steve: Death & Vanilla, Not Waving, Bing & Ruth. Jane Weaver.
Pete: King Crimson. Moon Wiring Club. Kreidler. Secret Pyramid.

Vinyl, CD or digital? 
Steve: The majority of music I own is on cd, although I do love a bit of limited edition vinyl. I'm not too much of an audiophile so you won't catch me going on about compression and brick-walling on internet forums.Having the physical artefact; the artwork, the packaging; has always been a big part of collecting and listening music. I've lost count of the number of times I've checked out a band purely based on their cover art.
Pete: I personally prefer CDs but the ease by which you can now distribute music digitally is invaluable for us to get our music directly to our listeners. Because the majority of our releases are free to download and everything is done in-house, there is no one in the chain who is screwing us over. We know our musical history.

Tell us about your latest release. 
Our latest release came out March 1st and is called 'I Watched Her Melt Away'. It started life as a piano led ambient piece which mutated into something with a more soulful, orchestral vibe with a hint of gospel. Both versions are included on the e.p. The second track, 'Lionel Mogwai', was named by Pete due to his disdain for the first take we recorded which sounded like Mogwai covered by Lionel Richie.

What's next for you, musically? 
We are due to support Jane Weaver at Central Station in Wrexham, UK on 6th March which is shaping up to be a great night. After that we'll be working on material for our second album. The first, 'Modern Ruins' (which made Shoegazer Alive's Top 10 Best Post Rock / Experimental / Ambient Albums of 2014 list) was a mix of melodic electronica and subtle beats with a late night road trip vibe. The new record was recorded with a new batch of synths we bought at the tail end of last year, which give the tracks a more abrasive, dynamic and richer feel.

What's for dinner? 
Sausages (again).

https://torpa.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/torpamusic 
https://twitter.com/Torpa_Music

The British Space Group "Eyes Turned Skyward"

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

The British Space Group's debut album 'Eyes Turned Skyward' finds musician Ian Holloway turning his hand to vintage sounding electronica. Known for his solo releases which encompass post-industrial found sounds, field recordings, drone work and a genuinely gorgeous, emotive and sometimes eerie minimalism, Holloway also manages the splendid Quiet World label (home of albums by Darren Tate, Andrew Paine and Philip Corner) and until recently wrote the fine Wonderful Wooden Reasons music blog. Here, Holloway channels a visionary, sometimes bleak, oft warm and evocative sweeping blend of synthesised instrumentalism.

Opening track 'Remote Viewing' samples a 1950s/60s English broadcaster describing the human mind being projected in time, remote viewing as science fact rather than fiction. Featuring the type of 'received pronunciation’ you might find in a vintage British Information Film or an old Open University programme, his words start to meld with analogue squelches and whirrs that circle and orbit around his dulcet tones, creating a hallucinatory and pleasingly disorientating effect. Indeed The British Space Group's forte is to pull you into their universe subtly abut absolutely; to forget quite were you are and what time zone you are in. Next, 'Haze of Summer' shimmers like an event horizon, electronic beats holding time in a steady but unhurried manner as gorgeously melancholic waves of vintage synth wash over the speakers and ebb away before the analogue tide turns. Hypnotic, utterly absorbing and curiously both minimal and yet massive sounding this is music for twilight or dawn; those otherworldly liminal times. 'Slow Light's pitter patter of electronic raindrops provide percussion and backing for the cold metallic drones that emerge and crescendo, whilst warmer moog sounds play out a beautiful Kraftwerk-esque melody over and above this.

Expertly layered and constructed electronica, this album might be termed hauntology but it feels like this term doesn't quite sum up nearly everything that The British Space Group have achieved here. There is perhaps something much more akin to twentieth century Avant Garde going on; Satie, Glass and Reich, Eno's 'Music For Films', Terry Riley's 'A Rainbow In Curved Air’, the afore mentioned Kraftwerk (around their ‘Radioactivity’ era). The British Space Group offer a classic minimalism with maximum emotional push and pull effect on the listener. 'The Dust Between The Stars' is a haunted house of a song, quivering ice cold peals and drones quietly manoeuvre around a sombre descending keyboard motif to disquieting effect. This is the music that must play in your head when your space suit detaches from the mothership and you float out into deep, dark space alone and adrift. Lovers of Coil's more spectral 'Musick To Play In The Dark' period will find much to love here; there is an air of lunar unease and sadness that finds similar territory, a kind of 'spooktronica'. 'The Work Of Fire' finds a treated guitar refrain repeat and reverberate through the rumbling and crackling of what sounds like solar winds. Ominous yet oddly soothing, the atmosphere is truly immersive. This should really be soundtracking some re-release of director Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Solaris' or 'Stalker'; the mix of both icy cold and also warmth in the language and sound of the vintage synths and the existential beauty of this music would be a perfect match. 'Breath During Sleep' follows, its echoing percussive glitches washed in a tapestry of synth string and choral effects. At once nostalgic and with a flavour of a 70s dystopian science fiction film, yet also contemporary and breaking new ground, The British Space Group defy any easy categorization. Closing track 'The Last of Time' chimes and time stretches, with what sounds like bells reverbed and echoed into a veritable symphony of singing, shimmering electronics. It's a breathtaking end to a unique and hugely evocative album. The instruments might be electronic but there is a very human heart and conscious at work here; the quiet unease and discomfort, the warmth and beauty and the sense of being very small indeed in the face of something vast and endless.

I cannot recommend this album highly enough. For fans of electronica, hauntology, soundtracks, minimalism and experiential music; there is something here that will touch something in all of you. Watch the skies, listen ...and wait.

Available now on CD in a lovely retro space sleeve reminiscent of the work of Saul Bass (who designed the posters for Hitchcock's ‘Vertigo’) or as a download , a steal at £3 at the label's bandcamp site.

Nine Questions with The Woodbine & Ivy Band

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today..... Peter Philipson from The Woodbine & Ivy Band.

What was the first record you bought? 
Single: Teardrop Explodes – Reward
Album: Adam & the Ants – Kings of the Wild Frontier I still have both of these! And both have stood the test of time.

What was the last record you bought? 
Amancio D’Silva – Konkan Dance (on CD). Geoff Dolman at Static Caravan turned me onto D’Silva and the Joe Harriot re-issues. If you don’t know him (as I didn’t), D’Silva was this incredible Indian jazz guitarist based in London from the 1960s.

What's one thing about you that very few people know? 
I made a papier mache puppet of Marco Pirroni when I was at primary school.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why? 
Who? Mark Hollis – although I think I’m probably near the back of the queue for this. Why? He made some highly inspirational music and recordings – I imagine it would be more of a masterclass in invention and soul…...I’d just be happy to just sit there and make the tea to be honest!

Who should we be listening to right now? 
Art of the Memory Palace – This Life is but a Passing Dream,  Walton Hesse – new album to be released soon,  Andy Stott – Faith in Strangers.  Any of the mid 1960s Nara Leão recordings Also BBC 6 Music and Resonance FM to guarantee some interesting armchair discoveries.

Vinyl, CD or digital?
All of them. I reserve buying vinyl records for my favourite albums and second hand random finds. CD is a much cheaper option now, better sound (for most things) and easier to store. Streaming for checking things out and keeping up with the musical Joneses. I’m not into downloading music – legal or illegal.

Tell us about your latest release.
It’s called “Sleep On, Sleeping On” which is about the worst play on words I could think of! Actually I’m a big fan of sleeping more than 8 hours a night and I read a book called “In Search of the Miraculous” about G.I.Gurdjieff who had this critical view that most of us are effectively inert automatons in a constant state of sleep and that we need to wake up – so it’s loosely tied in with that idea! It took two and half years to make as it was rare to find occasions where we could get everyone together in the studio and there was no rush anyway. We spent various sessions jamming out about 15 tunes and 10 of them made it to the album. A few originals, a few covers and a few trad songs. It isn’t faithful to one genre really, but mixes up folk, rock, americana, jazz, synths, ambient, film scores and wonderful vocals from Jenny McCormick and James Raynard. The “band” is a temporary band but we’re fortunate to have some amazing friends and players – John Ellis on piano and organ, Chris Hillman on pedal steel, Rachael Gladwin on harp, Raz Ullah on synths, Gus Fairbairn on sax, Luke Das-Gupta on trumpet. These are all highly talented, established and diverse musicians involved with many great projects mostly in Manchester. So it’s been incredible to get them together along with Mike Doward, Tom Rydeard and myself for this record. And my old pal David Jaycock played on one tune too. The album is out on 9 March on Static Caravan.

What's next for you, musically? 
Live shows playing guitar with Jane Weaver. Starting an album project with Matt Grayson. Starting to work on a second PJ Philipson album. Possibly a Woodbine gig or two if its possible to organize.

What's for dinner?
Vegetable curry and giant couscous. Mmmm…

https://soundcloud.com/woodbine-ivy-band 
https://www.facebook.com/woodbineandivyband 
https://twitter.com/woodbineivyband 
http://www.staticcaravan.org/item.asp?Ref=281
 

Promise "Promise"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

The seventies may have been full of Beatlesque power-pop, but by 1980 the emergence of punk and new wave had made that seem very old hat indeed. Fortunately Boulder, Colarado based band Promise missed that particular memo, and as a result we have their rather wonderful self titled debut album to enjoy. Got Kinda Lost Records are doing their bit to make this private press gem a little more accessible with this brand spanking new vinyl reissue. Nice.

"Promise" certainly belongs in the upper echelon of Beatlesque obscurities among the likes of Rockin' Horse, Lazy Smoke, Emitt Rhodes and Ellie Pop. This was really recorded in 1980? Wow. It certainly doesn't sound like co-leads Curt Mangan and Danny Mey have ever heard anything recorded after the mid seventies, which for British Invasion influenced rock/pop like this, is a very, very good thing. A new wave sheen would be most unwelcome here, and its absence gives "Promise" a timeless quality which makes it an extremely easy listen

The Beatlesque label is one that Promise have been tagged with extensively (usually by record dealers looking to up their prices), but if we're being honest here this is far more evocative of Wings at their very best. There's not a trace of Lennon to be found here, just joyous Macca styled pop with impeccable harmonies which sound like Macca finally had the balls to tell Linda that perhaps this chorus would sound a little better if she were to sit it out.

So, it should be clear that it sounds glorious, but there's much more to "Promise" than tone alone. There's an excellent balance here between mournful beat-balladry with a distinct late sixties tinge, and tough rockers with Thin Lizzy style dual guitars (check out "The Find"!) And these songs are loaded with some pretty massive, irresistible hooks. The choruses of "Back In My Heart Again" and "Later on Tonite" are ridiculously addictive, the sorts of songs that you'll find yourself humming inadvertently for weeks after.

Obviously 1980 was not the ideal time to release an album like this, especially given the limited promotional reach that the band's own label, Cumulus Records, had. The accessibility of obscure music via the internet over the last decade has made considerations such as this much less relevant however, and Promise's obvious quality has built them up a small, but devoted following, one which will continue to grow as this release spreads.

"Promise" is available here.

Nine Questions with Tredici Bacci

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today...Simon Hanes from Tredici Bacci.

What was the first record you bought?
Very good question. My first CD? Definitely the Backstreet Boys when I was in primary school. First LP? My recollection is very hazy, but I want to say it was something by Esquivel - perhaps "Other Worlds Other Sounds." I usually tend to buy records that aren't available in any other format, which usually means whichever long-lost exotica records I could ever dig up. "Los Chavales De Espana" comes to mind. Or it could have been any of the myriad Herb Alpert records that are so easily attainable at various thrift stores across the country - which is where I began my first forays into the magical world of vinyl.

What was the last record you bought?
I'll describe my most recent haul: On vinyl, the soundtrack to one of my favorite films produced by Roger Corman - "Eating Raoul", very, very silly stuff. On CD I recently got a hold of the soundtrack to "So Sweet… So Perverse" by Riz Ortolani, and a collection of music from the "Gamma 1 Quadrilogy", - Four low-budget Italian outer space horror movies directed by Antonio Margheriti. A lot like Herrmann's soundtrack for "The Day The Earth Stood Still" but more… Itallo? Great stuff all around.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
The most interesting thing that almost no one knows is that I have a very small hole above my right ear - according to scientists, it's an evolutionary anomaly which occurs in some people, inexplicably left over from one of human's oldest ancestors - the fish! Apparently there's a point in the human fetal development during which we have two small holes on either side of our heads which eventually disappear, but one of mine didn't for some reason. Besides that, I'm also an amateur smut connoisseur. Not a lot of people know that either.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Burt Bacharach all the way. I'm completely in awe of the production of many Bacharach produced recordings from the 60s and 70s, and I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall for many of those recording sessions. Serge Gainsbourg also - what I would give to see what it was like to make "The Ballad of Melody Nelson"! Oy!

Who should we be listening to right now?
Is it too straightforword to suggest Ennio Morricone? I can't think who's work deserves more attention than his. Also the Rotary Connection and Bob Crewe's soundtrack to "Barbarella".

Vinyl, CD or digital?
You know, I feel like the discussion regarding which of these mediums is best is a little moot in this day and age. Sure, vinyl records are capable of sounding the best - but honestly I'm willing to make some small sacrifices in fidelity in favor of accessibility! For instance, I certainly would have a hard time getting my mitts on a collection of music from Italian space movies if I was an LP purist! And thanks to the internet I have access to almost every Morricone score ever written! Sure, they're in MP3 format, but who would I be to turn up my nose at something like that? As an active participant in the quest to find out about as much music as possible, I'll take it in whatever form it comes!

Tell us about your latest release.
February has been kind to Tredici Bacci - this month we look forward to our second release on cassette (speaking of the hierarchy of fidelity) which is a split between TB called "Vai! Vai! Vai!" and ENPSE (The Ensemble for the Exploration of New Possibilities of collective Sound Exploration) and somewhat tongue-in-cheek homage to the Gruppo Nuova Consonanza (An improvisation collective, of which Morricone was a member), featuring many of the musicians from TB improvising their hearts out. Equally as exciting is the re-release of our first cassette onto 180 gram vinyl - "The Thirteen Kisses LP"!

What's next for you, musically?
Ah, if only I really could be sure. It is my hope to make another Tredici Bacci record, this one featuring a slew of guest vocalists - an homage to the many "Title Track" songs composed by the Italian soundtrack all-stars and sung by various pop icons! Think Mina or Adriano Celentano (personnel to be announced within the next couple of months). However this is in the very early stages - I plan on keeping my nose to the grindstone for quite some time.

What's for dinner?
Quesadillas, baby! I'm going to be candid and say that I eat the exact same meal every day - Eggs and toast for breakfast and a quesadilla with cheese, black beans, lettuce and nutritional yeast for dinner, plus 5-7 cups of coffee - it's a way of saving what little money I have for future musical projects! That and I like the flavors.

https://www.facebook.com/TrediciBacci
https://tredicibacci.bandcamp.com/
 

Alula Down "Alula Down"

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

Alula Down are Kate Gathercole and Mark Waters, also known for their work in splendid rural acid wyrsters Sproatly Smith and folk brut band Heed The Thunder, whose last album 'Cokaigne' was a favourite of this particular listener and comes highly recommended. Alula Down are certainly no side project however but an entity of their own as evidenced by the sheer creativity and ambition on display here, a release that encompasses both their 'Sagging Pockets, Labelled Jars, Old Tobacco Tins' mini album and the full length 'Flotsam'. There is a magic here that belongs entirely to Alula Down themselves, a late night reverie of candlelit folk and melancholy cabaret that is both entrancing and unnerving.

'Endless Night' begins the album, a twisted cabaret the likes of The Tiger Lilies or Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentleman would be proud of. Male and female vocals harmonize over some sinister accordion oompah in a dark Brel like tale of intrigue and dread. 'Thumbprint', with its hazy slide guitar, chimes and rural Wicker Man vibe then takes the album in a further direction, Gathercole’s vocals evoking Giovanni's classic score to said film. Ending with the echoed sounds of a music box, it is both shiver inducing and utterly bewitching. Indeed, the sleeve notes also mention a mysterious lycanthrope oboe being used on this track adding a further air of mystery and gentle menace. ‘Buster' returns to the cabaret feel; double bass, melodica and a sense of chanson (albeit a very rustic, English chanson) taking us down a strange (but very welcome) rabbit hole indeed. 'Interstate's tentative acoustic guitars and disorientating sound effects intertwine to create some genuinely moving and classic acid folk; this would not be amiss on a Stone Angel or Forest album; it is that timeless and, frankly, superb. 'Flowers' hears Waters take the lead vocal over a backdrop of banjo and shrutti box in an elegant paean which ups the psychedelic ante. 'I Suppose' is trippier yet still with banjo, slide guitar and Kate Gathercole’s vocals both swirling and enchanting; the song itself suggest intoxication and the listener is left dreamily and deliriously woozy by the end of it.

'Bushes and Briars' begins the 'Flotsam' element of this release with a shimmering drone and Gathercole’s beautifully melancholy vocals recounting this traditional piece to great effect. If you hear but one song from this album let this be it; at once unique and also strangely familiar, there is a sense of custom, tradition and something very old and intrinsic at work here. 'Singled Out' brings both singers together again in a late night stagger along some rain sodden cobblestones; a weary and tear stained lament. 'Mothwing' is an acid drenched folk masterpiece containing chimes, slightly sinister acoustic guitar picking, white witch vocals and an aura of late night pagan ceremony, all working together to cast an alluring spell. Next, the splendidly named 'Spinning Fish' is an Eastern European flecked banjo and xylophone mini symphony whilst 'Droves' brings piano and double bass together with a hint of menace and tension to create a folk song both hushed yet also containing a quiet power. ‘Southampton Song’s bleak piano refrain underlines a general air of sadness that evokes Nick Drakes' Bryter Layter, evidencing a sophisticated and masterful grasp of the autumnal melancholic beauty that Alula Down share with Drake's masterpieces. 'Complacency', with Water's affecting vocals (which come with a hue of Robert Wyatt) adds to the generally wistful atmosphere, deft and subtle touches of electric guitar adding an extra dynamic to the song. The traditional 'Banks Of Green Willow' is truly spine chilling with Gathercole’s vocals crystalline and clear as she recounts the tragedy over accordion drone and spare bass notes. You will struggle to find a performance as fine as this in contemporary folk; this is the real deal, a haunting and spectral reading of this tale of murder and betrayal. Finally, 'Thirteen Steps' closes the album with a delicate and layered composition that shifts from warm, hushed folk to Syd Barrett-esque sinister sharp notes with creeping ease. There is a tangible black heart beating at the centre of Alula Down that, whilst cloaked and clothed in all manner of beauty and intricacy, pleasingly comes to the fore on frequent occasions.

This is certainly an album that Sproatly Smith and Heed The Thunder fans will want to own but it is also a spellbinding and hugely enjoyable work in its own right and offers something both similar and yet different from those acts. If you don't get hold of this you are simply losing out on one of the finest folk albums of recent years; Alula Down have quietly and assuredly created a future classic.

Available now on the ever dependable Reverb Worship label in limited copies (make haste!) with beautiful artwork by the band's Kate Gathercole (click lijnk and scroll down).

You can also stream these tracks or purchase digitally through Alula Down's Bandcamp page:

The Active Listener Sampler 30

This month's sampler is out now!

Sleeve art by Jackie Donner - thanks Jackie!  http://jackiedonner.com

I think this is our best sampler yet - great variety, and uniformly strong.

1. Amerikan Bear - Summer Day 04:10
2. Forever Pavot - Miguel El Salam 05:03
3. Heaters - No Fuss 03:52
4. Love, Hippies & Gangsters - This Is What We Want 04:30
5. Spökraket - In A Witch Forest 06:06
6. Matricarians - Things The Waves Would Bring 05:52
7. Vintage Cucumber - Mutterherz 08:03
8. E.L. Heath - Seren 03:35
9. Tanizaki - Seed Pods Explode 03:24
10. The Grease Arrestor - Hangover 06:02
11. Marble - Lavender and Cherry 03:18
12. Children of Leir - Drowning in Fear 09:43
13. Opium Eyes Of Nico - Drone in C 6 (Tomorrow Never Knows) 04:31
14. Orgasmo Sonore - Electric Maneges 03:59
15. Moth Effect - Fingerbobs 03:12
16. The Virgance - Propulsion Lab Part I 06:35

Stream or download right here - free downloads welcome, donations of any size gratefully accepted!