Duncan Maitland - Lullabies for the 21st Century / Orgone Box - Lorne Park Tapes

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

We've got two great new releases from vinyl specialists Sugarbush Records to look at today. Sugarbush head honcho Markus Holler has impeccable taste, releasing limited edition vinyl pressings of recent albums not previously released on vinyl as well as brand new releases, mostly in the psychedelic / jangle pop / power-pop fields, many of which we've favourably covered in the past.

First to see the stylus from this duo is Dublin's Duncan Maitland and his 2010 debut "Lullabies for the 21st Century". XTC's Colin Moulding plays bass on the first track, which should give you an idea what to expect here. It's a beautifully produced album that fans of XTC and Pugwash will love, full of lush, rainy day sunshine pop songs, with a progressive influence to the song structures; check out "Handbirds" - lovely melancholy stuff.

Elsewhere "Terry The Toad" demonstrates some power pop muscle, "Alien at Home" marries impeccable pop hooks with psychedelic studio electrickery, "Horror Stories" is a kaleidoscopic, Pepperesque anthem and "Insect Under the Stone" is playfully Nilsson -like. "Lucky You" even hints at Steven Wilson's more straightforward song-based material, with a lovely, lyrical slide guitar riff that you could be forgiven for mistaking for David Gilmour.

Great headphone album this too, with all sorts of things going on production-wise, and tunes to match.

Next up we have a real treat. I'm a huge fan of Rick Corcoran AKA Orgone Box. So much so that we somehow managed to talk Rick into letting us release the digital version of his excellent "Centaur" album, which Sugarbush handled on vinyl. He's one of those artists that is known by few, but loved by almost all who hear him. "The Lorne Park Tapes" is a collection of four track recordings from the early nineties, none of which have previously seen the light of day (at least in this form, several tracks were re-recorded for the second Orgone Box album).

The production may be rough around the edges, but the arrangements here are all fully realised and the songs are once again just fantastic. If anyone can lay claim to being the one-man Beatles, it's Rick. Combining McCartney's effortless melodicism with Lennon's restless ire brings out the best from both camps, and there are plenty of songs here that would have been highlights on either artists solo albums, although little that either recorded after the breakup is as Beatlesque as these gems. I'm dying to see what else is in Rick's archive.

Recommended unequivocally to all Beatles fans, and anyone with a penchant for classic pop tunes.

Both are available direct from the label here with all prices including free shipping worldwide.

Holy Wave - Freaks of Nurture

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klisiewicz

Austin’s Holy Wave straddles a stylistic line between West Coast folk rock and 80s psychedelia. You could say they’re retro and vintage, and I doubt they’d be offended, because they write, sing, and play so effortlessly that it’s like a pair of comfortable jeans that you want to keep forever. Yes, anyone who listens to The Byrds and even the great rush of music from Down Under will both recognize and enjoy the songs on this new record. And that’s a good thing, because let’s face it, so many bands fail to rework classic genres. Opening track “She Put a Seed In My Ear” is particularly striking, with warmly inflected vocals and gentle keyboard washes. It rather reminds me of the sonic territory inhabited by Beach House, or maybe even DIIV. “Wendy Go Round” resurrects vintage organ and its wayback feel is like a cool summer breeze. And ooh, “Western Playland” is like a cold drink of water on a scorching day; its refreshing, chill vibe is like a balm to these tired ears. “You Should Lie” is another great song, with amped up energy and dreamy, female vocals with cooing harmonies. The lazy, sinuous grooves of “California Took My Bobby Away” is pure dream pop without a care in the world.

“Air Wolf” mines the Byrsdian, West Coast vein that has worked well for so many bands, albeit with a modern sensibility, a motorik vibe, and better production values. “Our Pigs” sounds like a cross between The Beach Boys (vocally) and a slew of modern garage rock bands. “Sir Isaac Nukem” is a pretty tune with shiny production values, while “Magic Landing” is all about the tripped out garage psych vibe and swampy backbeat. The final tune is the luminous “Minstrel’s Gallop”, a finely honed, delicately structured song with swirling organ and the light touch of vocals. It is a great ending to one of the better psych releases of the year. Well worth checking out.

Physical copies available here (UK/EU), or here (US). Downloads and streaming available here:

Murals - Violet City Lantern

Reviewed by Shaun C. Rogan

And on its goes, another amazing and essential release rolls up at the Active Listener London Division HQ on a mission to beguile and spellbind the likes of me with some fabulous sonic architecture. 2016 really is turning into a great year.

Murals are from Louisville, Kentucky (home of old school favourites of mine Squirrel Bait - random fact) and some 10 years since first forming they have finally dropped their debut long player on an unsuspecting world - 'Violet City Lantern'. I cannot tell you how long the tunes on this record have been incubated for but I can guarantee you that contained within these grooves (vinyl and download only pop pickers) is some of the best and most challenging pop music I have heard in many moons. Fully realised, cinematically charged, ethereal and enigmatic tunesmithery is the order of the day with this baby and I am totally sold.

Trying to pitch the record to you as the masterpiece it so obviously is, is kinda tricky. It has a huge amount of layers, some that only become apparent after repeated listening and the band clearly draws on a massive range of influences that I guess range from the Velvets, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, 'Smile' era Wilson (and auteurs such as Michael Lloyd or Curt Boettcher) through to early 80s perimeter dwellers like Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, maybe adding some early Spiritualized and Galaxie 500 as well as feeding on the same sunlight that more recently has founded the early work of , say, Grizzly Bear whose acme release 'Yellow House' is perhaps the last record that may draw some comparison. This is heady company to keep and the art in this alchemy is how the list of esteemed artists I have just laid on you are merely glimpsed as Murals pursue their own restless quest for something that is never really made clear in any semblance of narrative on the 15 tracks found here. The vocals are beautifully buried in the mix, slightly out of focus, ghostly baritones uttering sacred incantation. The melodies are woozy and often spellbinding, kaleidoscopic in their restless reassembling of themselves as Murals obsessively stretch and search their compositions for new forms of expression. Sonic collage segments litter the record providing ambitiously tasteful segues - wonderfully atmospheric and integrated perfectly into the wider whole. Its a remarkable distillation of sounds. Here are some highlights.

Opening collage/prelude 'Rain' sets the tone with its myriad gently cascading instrumentation cinematically signalling we are in for some real cool ride before fading into the title track. "Violet City Lantern" is an absolute stunner that rises softly and slowly out of the speaker gently couched in gently strummed vibrato guitar chords and hush toned baritone incantations before amazingly floaty peals of melody chime forth and lift something that started with huge promise into a tune of stratospheric loveliness.

"Smoke Follows Beauty" is a stunning piece of work, emerging out of a low rumbling 'Atmosphere'-like entrance before blooming beautifully into a technicolour mid section with sailing walls of chiming reverbed guitar before exiting into a Wilson-inspired 'Wind Chimes' style finale. An amazing trip and when the mix tapes of 2016 are compiled I expect to see this prominently featured in many places. "White Wheel" fades into view on a circular guitar and drum motif with wind chime accompaniment that ushers in some absolutely beautiful almost Gregorian vocals and reverbed zither spell-casting. Like much of the record it spins tightly on its own axis, nothing overstays its welcome on this record. Its akin to opening a musical box and watching the pretty ballerina turn around on the spot over and over...

"I Live Here" is deep and mysterious with more of those beautiful chiming guitars and oddly punctuating time shifts that seem deliberately implanted into the compositions to keep you spinning like a kid on a fairground ride. "The Swimmer" could be a musical interpretation of the strange Burt Lancaster art-house movie from the late 1960's with its gently swaying guitar and slightly submerged vocal and piano lines punctuated by disorientating pauses and swells. There again it could be about nothing at all - sometimes answer are superfluous. "The Lost Star" is cosmic campfire music as played by the 1969 Velvets line-up and "Warm Country Magic" is an interlude of stretched soundscapes that incorporates echoed piano runs and pedal steel indolence, replete with grasshoppers. "Adina" continues the mood, its gorgeous surges and gentle breakdowns recalling the days of charming men and high land, hard rain - all beamed through the dream-like prism of its creators.

"One Thousand Pictures" is almost nailed down by a mototrik beat as once more the music threatens to evaporate into the air before your very ears and closer "Violet City Showers" brings matters to a suitably blurry conclusion emerging as it does after what feels like a lifetime of rainy-evening field recording intro into a final dreamscape that manages to be even more ethereal than anything that has gone before it - levitating on reverbed harp sounds, modulated synth waves and ghostly distant voices. You are cleansed, you are cleansed, you will never hear distortion again...

With 'Violet City Lantern', Murals have most likely released one of the year's strongest sets of recorded music. The dream-like awe and wonder that erupts from these songs is staggeringly evocative and well, it's all too beautiful. So please, carry the lantern high.

Available digitally or on limited pink/purple vinyl here:

Jackie McDowell - New Blood Medicine

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & the Moon)

Jackie McDowell's music is a fascinating and very welcome discovery for this writer and comes courtesy of the ever splendid Wild Silence label (who are also responsible for recent essential psych folk releases by Pefkin ('Liminal Rites') and Empty Vessel Music ('There's Nobody Under The Gorse Bush'). McDowell utilises an inspired mixture of harmonium, mountain dulcimer and electronics to create an entirely unique take on the folk and psych idioms and 'New Blood Medicine' is an expertly distilled example of her vision and distinctive direction.

Opener 'In One Hand A Salt, In The Other A Seed' begins with McDowell's arresting vocals, confidently piercing the silence to be joined by the hypnotic drone and hum of her harmonium. It is at once otherworldly and hugely compelling, almost like discovering another musical language altogether. This brief introduction leads immediately into 'Thirteen Mothers Rise' which enters on a strident dulcimer melody, woodwind and layered and choral vocals which reverberate lysergically and eerily throughout the piece. Both ancient and yet also strikingly different and new, McDowell's folk music is one that is almost instinctive and intrinsic to herself and yet seems to be channelled from the earth itself; this is not the twee or gentle manufactured folk of Laura Marling and that ilk, this is the guttural, blood and spittle soaked real deal. Reference points might be the sombre and determined indifference to conformity of Nico, the earthy, powerful beauty of MacGillivray's music and the spectral landscapes of Fovea Hex. 'Hyperborea' is an intense and evocative harmonium and vocal piece that sounds like the aural equivalent of a thunderstorm; there is a dark and pleasing wildness and witchcraft in this music that is an antidote to the repetitive and often idea bereft folk mainstream. 'Tea Song' starts out almost Morricone-esque and is a defiant and stately string and organ led piece that McDowell alternately whispers and storms through, lending a dramatic tension to the song that builds and grows throughout to the point that this listener found himself holding his breath. Next, 'Stars In The Heaven' floats into being on the throb of waves of  harmonium and an ocean of glistening chimes. Almost sacred in its solemnity, the choral voices count out a twisted, haunted nursery rhyme that echoes across vast and silvery skies. The album's penultimate track 'Scrape Dirt Marrow' follows, using strummed guitar and heavily reverbed vocals to create a desert song of some immense grace and power. Percussion and organ punctuate the widescreen and atmospheric vision that the piece conjures, leading to a dramatic and breathtaking close. The album itself finishes with an unnamed track that combines the ancient with the avant garde in a cornucopia of harmonium, chiming percussion and Incredible String Band style experimentation.

Further exploration tells us that McDowell has only recently become a solo artist after previously playing with both Inez Lightfoot and Sun Cycles, but has already released several albums under her own name. Having found this slice of aural treasure, this listener is going to now explore deeper into this unique artist's discography. I highly recommend you do the same.

As always with Wild Silence releases this comes as a beautifully packaged limited edition CD and also as a download.

Sendelica - I'll Walk With The Stars For You / The Cromlech Chronicles

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Welsh cosmonauts Sendelica are so bloody prolific that each time I get sent something of theirs to review, they've released something else by the time I've digested it enough to write about it. In the past that has prevented coverage in these pages, but I'm not gonna let it stop me this time, with two excellent new studio releases here to savour. You'd think that the fact that Sendelica can write, record and release albums quicker than I can listen to them would guarantee a certain lack of quality control but that is very much not the case here. Who knows where they find the time?

So first up today we'll look at Italian label VE Recordings release "I'll Walk With The Stars For You". The Sendelica chaps spend a lot of time investigating deep space instrumentally, but opener "Black Widow Man" bucks the trend a little, bringing in the legendary Twink on guest vocals on a propulsive, effects laden space rocker. If you tried to explain what Hawkwind sounds like to someone who has never heard them before, they'd probably imagine it sounding a lot like this, even though the description only matches on paper.

We're back in more familiar territory next with the lengthy space epic "Moscow Bunker Blues", one of the best examples of their space jams I've heard so far, with some stellar sax work.

Nik Turner turns up next to lend some flutey accompaniment to a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" that sees the titular seabird relocated from its earthy climes to somewhere with solar winds. This then segues into "I Once Fed Peter Green's Pet Albatross", a more earthbound meditation that recaptures the mood of the original, had it been recorded during Miles Davis'"In a Silent Way" sessions. Thoroughly splendid. (Vinyl, CD or download available here).

Let's move on to "The Cromlech Chronicles" now, released as a vinyl LP by Fruits de Mer Records, and named after the megalithic monument near the studio it was recorded in (in Wales).

The title piece is a side-length slowburner, starting off with ominous, eerie keyboard washes that suggest the very far reaches of space. This sense of not-quite-emptiness is soon shattered by the arrival of some lovely, lyrical guitar work and before long we're in full flight with guitar versus saxophone in a closely contested fight.

The flip side is also a side long treatise, but made up of multiple parts which perhaps demonstrate Sendelica's versatility a little better than the title track. The contents here range from an aggressive take on Flower Travellin' Band's "Satori Part One" which accentuates the Sabbath style doom of the original, and some complex King Crimsonisms, with original material which verges on the angelic. You can download from the link below or grab one of the last few LPs here.

And if that's not enough for you, they've also recently released another great live album (some would say the perfect way to experience the band), and an adventurous cover of "Ziggy Stardust" as a 7" for Fruits de Mer (already sold out it would seem). You've got your work cut out for you keeping up with this lot, I tell you. Worth every second though.

Klaus Johann Grobe - Spagat der Liebe

Reviewed by Todd Leiter-Weintraub (Hop On Pop)

Toward the end of 2015 Klaus Johann Grobe grabbed my attention with a 7” that they released on Trouble In Mind Records. It was a slick throwback to the Krautrock of the 70s and 80s that also smacked of more-recent sounds and influences. It was a lot of fun and whetted my appetite for a more-substantial release, a full length that I could sink my teeth into.

Half a year later, and here they come with that long player. I am all ears!

“Ein Guter Tag” opens the proceedings with an insistent bass line and stuttering drums that get the head nodding. Then, after not too long, the synths wash over you. But that same bass/drum part continues throughout the song—an insistent rhythm that is somehow simultaneously robotic and human.

“Wo Sind” follows, its rhythmic synthesizer riff, sounding like James Brown sat down at a Fairlight: hitting it hard on the one. “Pure Fantiosie” sounds almost like it was written for Latetia Sadier to sing. Short vocal phrases punctuate the rhythms and slide between the Farfisa organ and synth riffs, like they are all pieces of the same puzzle.

“Heut Abend nur” slows things down a bit… almost the ballad of the record. No drums at all, and the vocals come as close as they ever do to crooning here. Which isn’t too close, but it’s something!

Look, this is a Krautrock record, plain and simple, with lush synthscapes and droning German-language vocals. And, while I have heard enough of the genre to know that the obvious influences are all at play: Can, Kraftwerk, Stereolab, Neu!, etc, I am not a Krautrock expert, so it would be folly for me to get too far into dissecting all of those.

From my vantage, however, what I am pulling from it all is the strong funk influence, with danceable, human rhythms emerging from spacy soundscapes. It’s a sound that’s simultaneously engaging and relaxing— the ideal music for an opium den on Mars, or an underwater dance club.

There is a lot of soundscape here, which means that it takes a couple of listens for the songs to really emerge and infiltrate your consciousness; it’s a sneaky record, that way. But once you get a couple of hits, it’s like that opium den – you’re addicted. I am loving this record and looking forward to hearing what Klaus Johann Grobe have in store for their next act.

Available here (US), or here (UK/EU).

Hintermass – The Apple Tree

Reviewed by Shaun C. Rogan

Ghost Box continue very much in the tradition with this latest offering from Hintermass, which is unsurprising given that it is the brainchild of Jon Brooks (the Advisory Circle) and Tim from the much missed pioneers Broadcast. Over its 12 tracks, ‘The Apple Tree’ is a blurry, warm-vibed record that perambulates gently on a rather whimsical axis. Nothing is hurried, nothing is jarring on the ear and the evocation generated is one of half-remembered and mostly pleasurable childhood dreams.

Everything appears to pivot on the strong title track which lopes along underpinned by a circular chord sequence, drifting synths, sparse percussion and gently intoned vocals that are a ringer for Gruff Rhys from the recently reactivated Super Furry Animals. The motif of the title track resurfaces periodically over the course of the release providing a suitable narrative for the other tracks that surround it. Sonically I can report that we are in prime Ghost Box territory, all woozy synth and plaintive guitar work refracted through that oddly familiar yet strange hauntological prism. It’s easy on the ear but not too easy. As with all effective works within the genre a sense of not quite feeling at home is never really far away.

“The Rituals of Reversal” with its hurdy-gurdy and wind chimes intro, could be the ghost of Moyshe McStiff come to pay a visit until soft synth washes, tabla and chiming acoustic guitars make an appearance taking it firmly into the realms of classic 1970’s ambient soundscapes. It’s a lovely fluffy cloud of a tune that you can luxuriate within for an idle afternoon and definitely a big highlight for me. It’s in the instrumental excursions of "The Apple Tree" that it really comes alive, set free from the prison of words. The brief “Rain for a While” would make the cut on any Advisory Circle release and orbits the listener engagingly with its field recording of birdsong nestled gently in simple and repetitive arpeggios. “Patterns Somewhere” has a real Eno circa “Another Green World” feel to it if pared down to a more light on its feet musical chasis, but it works beautifully and is probably the highlight for me of the songs with vocals found here. “Electric Hintermass” is Delia Derbyshire and John Foxx engaged in a morse-code like conversation of back and forth electronic squiggles that ebb and flow menacingly sending shards of primitive electronic sound through your ears. An electric storm in an underpass perhaps? It’s great whatever the descriptor applied here.

Penultimate track “Uncertain” has a lovely brooding mellotron motif melting into some lovely cello work and acoustic guitar plucking and a great haunting vocal line that combine to offer a great moment on this record. The wordless closer, “Luftglider” decorates the mind with its raindrops of synth notes shining atop those lovely warm blankets of electronic hiss, stabbing bass and ever descending guitar notes – it reminds me oddly of the second side of ‘Closer’ by Joy Division, specifically ‘Decades’ from that esteemed record, with perhaps some mid-period ‘Tin Drum’ era Japan thrown into the mix. A strong note on which to close and definitely the type of effort that makes you want to put the record straight back on again. I suggest you take the time to investigate the strange fruit falling from this apple tree.

Available here in various formats.

The Resonars - The Resonars on Tour

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Those who've followed us for any length of time will know that we like to sing the praises of the Resonars whenever the chance arises. Their's is a timeless brand of guitar pop located at a crossroads at the exact midway point between the Who and the Hollies.

For a while it looked like "Crummy Desert Sound" was going to be the last we'd see of the Resonars. Frontman Matt Rendon had made comments that suggested this was so, and was keeping himself busy producing others in his Midtown Island Studio - not to mention immersing himself in last year's excellent Butterscotch Cathedral  project, an album so good that three of our writers were fighting over who would get to cover it.

Then seemingly from nowhere comes the announcement that the Resonars are once again on Matt's agenda, now bolstered by members of another Tucson band much beloved of the Active Listener, the Freezing Hands.

While we await the fruits of this particular collaboration, here's something that caught us unawares last year and that you may well have missed too. "The Resonars on Tour" is not, as its name implies, one of those shoddy live cash in albums that were prevalent in the sixties, but a full fledged unreleased studio album, recorded between their self titled debut and its eventual follow up "Bright and Dark".

Like its immediate predecessor, it's a decidedly lo-fi affair but it's a step closer to the more polished fare of "Bright and Dark", a logical stepping stone that makes the leap forward between the previously released albums make a lot more sense. The distinctive Resonars sound - the tight vocal harmonies, powerhouse drums and windmilling guitars - gels more effectively here than at any point previously, but there are also fascinating glimpses of the direction the band could have taken, had they accentuated different influences. "Daddy I Think I'm Going Crazy" is lengthier than Matt's normal, concise fare, with West Coast influenced guitar leads and a drum heavy sound that at its moodiest sounds like a cross between very early Grateful Dead and the Paupers.

And between the more experimental moments it's apparent that Matt's knack for plucking perfect three minute pop songs out of his hat is already well established, perfectly channeling jangly guitars, huge choruses and garage punk aggression into irresistible gem after irresistable gem.

Who knew that this archival gem even existed? And why were the majority of these songs shelved and not revisited on future releases? Sure we could find out right from the horse's mouth - Matt's an approachable guy - but the element of mystery adds an extra layer of appeal to this most unanticipated gift, and a gift it is.

Keep an eye on The Resonars Facebook page for recording updates, but in the meantime this is a more than satisfactory fix.

The High Llamas - Here Come the Rattling Trees

Reviewed by Mark Winkelmann

Setting off on a blustery March Saturday to cycle to town while playing "Here Come the Rattling Trees" with no pre-conceptions beyond "It's another High Llamas album" and more of that anon, presents an intriguing variation on their usual pattern. There's some kind of structure and similarity here, all of the songs are short musical sketches followed by character studies of individuals. Is this some form of concept album? It certainly seems a little more lyrically focused, albeit on some daydreamy characters. Even the music is ...well let's be honest it's not rocking, but maybe a bit more precise, with nylon strung guitars and harpsichords foregrounded and less echoey exotica and orchestral arrangements. A little more Brian Wilson and a little less Burt Bacharach.

So is it a concept album? Well, not as such. It is described by the High Llamas as both "a musical narrative" and the soundtrack to a stage production, apparently inspired by cycling round Sean's South London home in Peckham.There are concerts, or performances scheduled for May 2016. Though the musical gauze of the High Llamas finds its match in lyrics which don't exactly punch you in the face. These songs are slight enough but cumulatively paint a picture of nostalgia and a disappointment with the changes that have been occurring across the area concerned.

But really this isn't all that much of a departure. No, High Llamas fans are not going to be pushed out of their comfort zone. Not even if maybe they should be, or might want to be. Really this is the only criticism you can make. It's not much of a criticism either. After all I doubt anyone wants to hear Sean O Hagan's dubstep album. Though it can present its own drawbacks for both fans and musicians.

The High Llamas have been one of those bands with a distinct sound, a specific niche, that as a result, have been in danger of straddling the border between refining their unique sound and treading water. While the radical departures and experimentation some artists take can fall flat, and trying to stay current is more often embarrassing than hip, there is a real danger of lapsing into samey pastiche. Albums like "Snowbug" and "Hawaii" are great personal favourites but as the years have ground on each new High Llamas LP presents a conundrum. If your 17th album sounds quite a lot like a weaker version of your best one, that can retroactively infect your greatest work. If I'm being honest there's at least two High Llamas LPs I bought straight away but never really played for fear they'd be the one to leave me cold. Maybe the fact that they all seem to feature a pastel crayon drawing of some odd mid-century buildings adds to this effect. "Here Come the Rattling Trees" does not break with this convention, so the journalistic imperative was required to get out and get stuck into this album.

And I'm glad I did. Sean O'Hagan is still refining the High Llamas sound. And given the tone of the lyrics we can be quite sure that this classicist approach will continue. This is the sound of the streets of Peckham done the High Llama way. Now where's my bike?

CD, vinyl and digital available here (UK/EU) or here (US).

Another Splash Of Colour - New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

The UK neo-psychedelic scene hasn't been suitably represented in the overflooded reissue market, to the extent that some would assume that this scene never existed in the first place. This new three disc box set seeks to address this by taking the obscure 1982 WEA Records compilation "A Splash of Colour", and expanding it from its original 12 tracks to an expansive and all encompassing 64.

The original comp focused on like Miles Over Matter and Mood Six, beacons from a small but vibrant London scene. This expanded collection is a much more ambitious affair, chronicling the years 1980-1985, with a focus that includes the mod-influenced London neo-psychedelicists that appeared on the original comp, bigger names like Julian Cope and Robyn Hitchcock, as well as the earliest release on the Creation Records label.

The influence of the mod revival and other contemporary sounds make themselves known often here, so there's little chance of  mistaking any of these tunes for the sixties originals that they're inspired by, but the blend of Byrdsy jangle, post-punk drumming and enjoyably dated keyboard washes that characterise the majority of what features here is surprsingly successful, with memorable songwriting that fuses the best of the vintage with modern (at the time) embellishments.

And don't let it be said that I'm making sweeping generalisations about everything here conforming to that description; some of the most rhrilling appearances here are from those who throw the boat out a little further. Nick Nicely's "Hilly Fields (1892)" is an obvious highlight. If Macca had tried to recreate the overt psychedelia of his 1967/1968 recordings during the reckless experimentation of the "McCartney II" sessions he might have come up with something this good. The Cleaners from Venus meanwhile perfectly recapture that very particular UK whimsy of 1968 (without actually sounding like a product of those times) on their charming "Wivenhoe Bells II", certainlyone of the very nest examples of Martin Newell's skewed genius.

It's not just the more lauded contributors that provide the memorable moments here though: of particular merit is the Magic Mushroom Band who raise some eyebrows with a pretty great piece of Hawkwind influenced space-punk.

You'll also find Hawkwind collaborator (and more importantly, author) Michael Moorcock, Elvis Costello's Attractions and the Damned in disguise showing their true, tie-dyed colours.

Cherry Red and their subsidiary labels do a marvelous job with these sorts of comprehensive, should-be-too-ambitious-but-works-perfectly box sets, and this is one of their best (still not quite as good as this though).It's the sort of comp that could prove a catalyst for an entire scene re-evaluation, if the right people were to hear it.

It's a lovingly crafted package too, which comes in an appropriately colourful clamshell box, with unique card sleeves for each disc. There's also a weighty booklet with an authoritative essay, laden with background information and plenty of visual material. A hugely enjoyable collection which I had no idea that I'd enjoy this much.

Available here (UK/EU) and here (US).