Fruits de Mer "Crabstock 2014" Gig Review

Review and photo by Sean Gibbins and also posted on his blog here.

Cellar Bar, Cardigan, April 26

Having missed the previous Fruits De Mer UK all-dayer in London (Aug 10th 2013), I was determined to get along to Cardigan for this second one, despite the relatively long haul up from the South Coast.

So my ticket bought and accommodation booked well in advance, I drove to North Dorset and then traveled on to Wales with fellow Bevis Frond Yahoo! mailing list buddy Michael Buckley, who expertly negotiated the torturous and seemingly random road selected for us by the satnav (thankfully bypassed for better ones on the return journey) to get us to Crabstock.

Having conquered the maze of one-way streets and located some free parking and our hotel, we finally made our way to the venue in time for us to grab our much hyped goodie bags and see Jack Ellister doing his sound check. Fortunately the Cellar Bar was located reasonably close to our hotel, so goodies stashed we made our way back down the cellar steps a short while later, and suitably lubricated with Mantle Brewery’s lovely Crabstock Limited Edition Cwrw Teifi ale we settled in for Jack’s performance and were charmed by his arresting voice and the gentle anecdotes that brought his relatively simple ballads to life.

Later on I grabbed 5 minutes of Jack’s time between sets to chat about the pleasures of touring and the benefits of being associated with the Fruits De Mer label. He was incredibly enthusiastic about both and a fine fellow to boot, obviously enjoying the other artists’ performances as much as we all had enjoyed his earlier.

Taking a break for a bite to eat we discovered that the schedule was fairly tight when Crystal Jacqueline were seen to take to the stage on the TV monitor in the cafe upstairs. Having finished our food and then chatted to the wonderful FdM main man Keith Jones we dashed back down the steps to take our place on the stone floor and listen to the last few numbers, which included powerful versions of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit and Somebody To Love.

Hi-Fiction Science‘s James McKeown was next onstage for the final acoustic set of the night, which mixed classic rare psych tunes for those in the know with his own material, gathering in pace and intensity and setting up the two electric sets perfectly.

Earthling Society started off slowly and almost cautiously, but once underway with their blistering set compelled me to generally get my freak on, hoot and holler. I’ve seen them twice now and both times I have been surprised by the long, intense, heavy psych numbers that differ so radically from their generally more concise FdM contributions, so hopefully I’ll be better prepared next time at this year’s Kozfest!

Sendelica promptly picked up the enthusiastic crowd from the now highly elevated state that Earthling Society had left them in, swiftly taking them higher with their rich, visceral, earthy sound, confirming that good psychedelic music needs no assistance from psychotropic substances to transport the listener to an altered state. The combination of crystal clear sound channeling guitar, percussion, woodwind and keyboards/theremin was nothing short of sublime, as was confirmed when my feet began to leave the ground repeatedly and my arms took on a life of their own, a rare occurrence from this somewhat shy and reluctant dancer.

Other aspects of the event worthy of note were the locally brewed beer, so popular that emergency supplies were carted in part way through the evening, the many fine people – musicians and fans alike – I chatted with throughout the evening, plus the abundant vinyl and CDs available for purchase. For me the only downside was the relatively remote location, but even that faded to insignificance once the music started, making Crabstock a truly great night in every way.

Spartacus R "The View"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Wellington based proggy psych dudes Spartacus R originally released "The View" back in 2011, but I'm bringing it to your attention now because I know there are a few vinyl hounds in the house, and this very worthwhile effort is now available on an extremely limited run of nice, solid wax that puts the original digital version to shame (not being a snob, that's just the way it is.)

Opener "Rapata" is a great scene-setter and does a pretty sterling job of answering the much pondered question of what "Dark Side of the Moon" era Pink Floyd would sound like if they were more fun to hang out with at parties. It's got that warm, comforting vintage rhodes sound in spades, but Tim Prebble's supple bass really injects some pep into proceedings - he's credited with melodic bass on the back of the sleeve, and I'm not gonna argue with that.

The rest of "The View" rattles by in a similar fashion. As a six piece they've got plenty of room to stretch out and improvise, as well as more flexibility to get all texturally psychedelic on it, and neither opportunity is bypassed, although structurally the bare bones of the songs seem very thoughtfully assembled with plenty of prog-funk riffery pulling things back into focus when other bands would potentially wander off and get a bit waffly.

Sadly, a number of members of Spartacus R are now based overseas so opportunities to catch them live are few and far between, but I've heard rumours that earlier this year everyone happened to be in the same place at the same time long enough to get some recording done, so we may have a follow up to look forward to soon?

In the meantime, there are extremely limited quantities of vinyl of this available from Death Ray Records in Wellington - message them here to see if they'll send you a copy.

Streaming / digital download version available here:

Unit Black Flight "Tracks From The Trailer"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Granted, I initially checked this out simply for the fact that it shares a cover artist with our most recent sampler, but the music did all the talking from there on in.

"Tracks From The Trailer" is Bryan Lane's love letter to the era of VHS horror and sci-fi, and is as impeccably observed as it is infectious. You're probably thinking that I cover an awful lot of this stuff, and you'd be right, and as someone with more than a passing acquaintance with both the originators of this genre and its followers,  I feel like I'm pretty well placed to say that of its type this is pretty much tops.

Lengthy opener "Shadow Scope" is economical and sparse, setting the mood perfectly with "One Hour Before Dawn" picking up the melodic slack nicely and adding plenty of beat to Lane's vintage synthery. Best of all is "Shortwave Radio Antenna Down", with its spooky melody line creeping and crawling its way around over a devastating minimalist analog electronic backing.

Hugely influenced by John Carpenter (the picture disc has Snake Plissken plastered over one side), it's interesting to note that the majority of these recordings were originally recorded between 2005-2008 (and available on this), well before this sort of thing was being done with any sort of regularity, which makes Lane something of a trailblazer.

For this particular release Lane has handpicked the best four tracks from those original recordings and given them a tasty remastering job, the results of which Giallo Disco Records have been good enough to press onto a rather attractive picture disc for us (with a couple of bonus remixes on the digital version). In a world where Death Waltz Recording Company is (rightly) deified, it's not unreasonable to expect that there is a little bit of love left over for something as expertly crafted as this.

My money's on the vinyl version of this selling out pretty quickly, so I wouldn't sleep on it if I were you.

Available direct from Giallo Disco on 12" or as a download with two bonus tracks. Check out both through the Bandcamp stream below:
 

Terror of the Deep "Death of the Gideon"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Wellington's Terror of the Deep have been on my sizable list of bands to check out for quite some time now but several recent events have pressed me into being a bit more proactive about doing so. Firstly, I just happen to have acquired tickets to see the Bats with support from these guys later on in the month, and secondly I've just discovered that their newest E.P has recently benefited from a vinyl release on awesome New York label Selection Records (who also have a reissue of Anonymous' great "Inside the Shadow" on their books to attest to their good taste).

Back to Terror of the Deep now, what we have here is an extremely melodic set of jangly, Flying Nun inspired tunes with subtle but insistent hooks that sink in deeper and deeper with each listen.

With the able production assistance of Tom Watson (a bit of a New Zealand legend who seems to be an honorary member of pretty much every guitar based band in Wellington, and whose onstage antics often attract equal billing to whichever band he's playing with at the time) they've put together an extremely lush sounding record with plenty of jangle, washes of psychedelia, glorious harmonies aplenty and melodies that bypass the obvious in favour of something more insidious - direct but elusive.

Expertly sequenced too with the first side hitting with a quick 1-2-3 of shorter, sharper shocks ("Fallen Down Tree" sounds like Real Estate with a bee in their bonnet), while the second side gets a little more involved and complex. "Model Train Village" starts with an eerie wash of psychedelia that builds effortlessly to a regal instrumental refrain that serves in place of a chorus, and which I suspect I may never tire of. Closer "Get It Together" miraculously doesn't feel anticlimactic after this high watermark, despite its less lofty ambitions, aided in part by one of the E.P's most wistful melodies, not to mention some endearingly wonky thrift shop synthesizer.

Immediately appealing, but repeated plays reveal this to be something extra special.

Non New Zealand readers can purchase the 12" version from Selection Records in New York here. New Zealand readers should be able to find a copy in Wellington's Slowboat Records or Christchurch's Galaxy Records.

Also available digitally here:

"The Very Best of The Marshmallow Overcoat"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

To mark the conclusion of a mammoth nine album reissue program (all available here), Tucson, Arizona's Marshmallow Overcoat have hit us with this extremely generous 28 track best of, available on both vinyl and digital formats (but more on that later).

Between 1986 and 2011 Timothy Gassen and friends amassed an impressive catalogue of fuzzy garage psych, which this collection does a pretty great job of drawing the highlights from. Gassen is a scholar of the eighties garage psych revival (not to mention the original sixties stuff), with several books to his name on the subject. Bomp Records legend Greg Shaw even dubbed him "The Guru of Garage", and this from a man who knows a thing or two himself.

Bearing this in mind, you'd assume that the work of the Overcoat would perhaps be a little too reverential to its sources of inspiration, but Gassen and co never take a scholarly approach to their material. There's certainly never any doubt that sixties garage psych tugs at their collective heart, but it's also apparent exactly when these tracks were recorded.

Presented chronologically, "Groovy Little Trip" and "Psilocybin Explosion" show a young band at the punkiest end of the garage-psych spectrum, but it's directly after this that things get really interesting; "Suddenly Sunday"displays more of a subtle touch and is the first indication that Gassen had the songwriting chops to match his enthusiasm. This and the majority of tracks that follow from the late eighties and early nineties integrate more of a contemporary jangle element that reminds this listener favorably of the Chills and the Go Betweens, but with lashings of fuzz guitar and psych organ applied liberally.

Other highlights include "The Mummy" which is a creepy little number that evokes The Birthday Party with a Universal monsters fixation, while "The Spell I'm Under" shows that they're just as strong when they tone things back and builds the sort of atmosphere that the Doors used to tap into on some of their quieter, more introspective pieces. And while we're talking variety special mention should also go the tastefully applied harpsichord and string arrangements on "Our Love (Will Survive)", and the closing mellotron swansong of "The Beyond" which provides a fitting finale.

Vinyl with free digital download or digital only version both available here:

Free Download Roundup

Here's a bunch of free stuff from various places online (supplied by the artists themselves, nothing pirated) that I won't have a chance to review but all of which are well worth looking into.

First up, one of our favourite U.K acid folkies Sproatly Smith has curated a Greatest Hits of his work up to now, none of which are actually hits of course, but all of which are worthy. You can download it for free (or a name your own price basis) from his Bandcamp page here, where you can also buy digital versions of his other albums - The Minstrel's Grave is particularly good.
You can also pick up limited edition runs of most of his CDs through Reverb Worship.



Next up is the latest album by Schizo Fun Addict, "The Sun Yard". We featured a track from this on our 18th sampler, but you need to hear the whole shebang and they're giving it away for free on their Soundcloud page here (you'll need to download track by track). If you need further prompting, they're the folks responsible for that amazing "Suspiria" cover on Fruits de Mer that I reviewed a month or so back. Top Stuff.



You want more? OK how about this odds and sods collection from the U.K's premiere spacerock kings The Earthling Society. "Brotherhood Of The Cod - 13 tales from a Fylde Coast Fish Cult" rounds up a whole bunch of hard to find and out of print rarities, including lots of tracks from their various Fruits de Mer appearances, which means you get their fabulous version of Fleetwood Mac's "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)". Again, a name your price download from Bandcamp with the option of downloading for free.



You all know by now that I love the Death Waltz Recording Company label I assume? Their soundcloud page is full of lots of lovely streamables (including some of their RSD releases for those of us who missed them.) Hidden among these gems are two exclusive downloadable tracks by Umberto in which he pays open tribute to John Carpenter by covering his "Chariots of Pumpkins" & "Christine". Click on the song titles to be transported to the download links.



And lastly for a bit of self promotion, I'd like to remind you that the latest Active Listener Sampler was released a few days ago. As usual, it's a name your price / free Bandcamp download, featuring the best tracks from albums and e.ps we've reviewed over the last month as well as premieres from a few other artists in a psych / prog vein that we hope you'll enjoy. Download or stream through the link below:

No Bodies

Reviewed By Nathan Ford

Yet another excellent newish Canadian act on the prolific Poncho Records label (Shadow Folk, Walrus etc.), the duo of Craig Hamlin and James O'Toole do a great job here of creating the illusion of a band - this sounds like a bunch of guys in a room playing together, not a series of multitracking sessions.

That famous cover suits the music surprisingly well too, and the appropriation doesn't end there with opener "Tell Me Who You Love" neatly combining an "Eight Miles High" inspired verse with the sort of "Who do you love" derived chorus that graced the stage of the Fillmore West on numerous occasions during the hippie era. And while that may not sound strikingly original, the skillful blending of the two, not to mention the production flourishes they're cloaked in help this cross the line from derivative to inspired.

There's plenty more garagey psych greatness to be found here too, all laced through with a fuzzy pop heart, and layers of wistful harmonies that offset the ragged squalls of lead guitar nicely.And as for energy, the rhythm guitars on "Tonight" build to such a feverish pitch that it's hard not to mentally picture the responsible party steaming slightly by the end (which may account for a hasty fadeout, just before the wheels fall off).

Best of all though is epic closer "Fence Post", a fabulous, tribal psych anthem which pulls the listener doen into a hypnotic undercurrent of weirdness with some great organ and guitar duelling and a surprise acoustic guitar coda at the end which features guitar tone to kill for, and eastern influenced playing to match - outstanding!

This was originally released digitally in June last year, but Poncho Records have recently released a cassette version, both are available here:

New Giallo Vinyl From Finders Keepers

Amazing vinyl archaeologists Finders Keepers have three lovely looking Bruno Nicolai Giallo reissues just about to hit the shelves.

First up is a full soundtrack reissue of one of Nicolai's best works, "All The Colours Of The Dark" ("Tutti i colori del buio"). This is pretty essential in my book and knowing Finders Keepers track record for such things, will be sold out before you can blink.
Tracklisting: 1. Sabba 2. Magico Incontro 3. Propiziazione 4. Evocazione 5. Magico Incontro 6. Bambole 7. Insidia 8. Oppressione 9. Insidia 10. Espiazione 11. Medium 12. Sabba
Order here.
 
Also due is a 7" 4 track e.p of  "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" with a creepy new sleeve (pictured) and at a bargain price. Again, expect the sold out sign to appear very quickly.
Order here.

Last up in this Nicolai fest, and a little more elusive at this point is a 10" reissue of "The Case Of The Bloody Iris". Not currently pre-orderable, the Finders Keepers website lists it as 'available soon'. Keep an eye on it here.

New Krzysztof Komeda Vinyl Reissues

A mysterious outfit (by mysterious I mean no website and no information that I could dig up on them) called Active Distribution Ltd (no relation) have three very interesting looking Krzysztof Komeda reissues due out on the 28th of April.

Sure, these soundtracks have seen their fair share of reissues over the years, but what makes these interesting is that they're all 7" e.ps featuring 6 tracks rather than the full soundtracks (except for Cul De Sac which has only ever been released with 6 tracks). Nice looking picture sleeves too, and a pretty good price. I reckon these will be worth grabbing quickly before they disappear.

You can pre-order them here: Rosemary's Baby, Cul De Sac, Dance of the Vampires.

Sleeping Orchard "II"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

This second E.P in less than six months from Canadian trio Sleeping Orchard is a nice little piece of rootsy psychedelia that combines vintage San Francisco-style guitar work (including plenty of tasteful instrumental breaks) with a hippyish, organic vibe that's quite different to the production-heavy psychedelia that dominates the current scene.

Best of an intriguing bunch is "I Hope I'm Going Somewhere" (which the band were perceptive enough to recommend if I only had the chance to listen to one track), which features some fabulous, sinuous lead guitar work that sounds like someone force-fed Tinariwen a bunch of weed, as well as a great, insistent keyboard refrain which has a distinctly Doorsy vibe. And there's some very tasty fuzz guitar buried low in the mix there that reaches out lovingly without ever getting too heavy and dominating.

Closer "Map of the World" deserves special mention too - a lovely, mellow, round the campfire singalong with dexterous Garcia-esque guitar leads flowing easily between the vocal lines, until its candle is snuffed well before time by an early and rapid fadeout.

Promising stuff, and I get the impression that lessons have probably been learned making this E.P that will ensure that the next one is even better.

Available as a name your price download here: