Eric Siday "The Ultra Sonic Perception" Don Harper "Cold Worlds"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Newish Australian reissue label Dual Planet gained a pretty big endorsement early on via their collaborations with supreme crate diggers Finders Keepers. Like Finders Keepers they focus on the painfully obscure but invariably brilliant. Unlike Finders Keepers however their focus is not on the global but on unearthing unknown Australian gems and presenting them to a global audience who are paying increasing levels of attention.

Their latest two releases couldn't come at a better time, and the fact that the masters of these tapes even still exist is astonishing.

It's surprising how much music used in the early years of Doctor Who came from Australian composers, including these two rare examples. Startling examples of early, pioneering electronica, they make for essential listening as enjoyable as it is influential.

First up is Eric Siday's "The Ultra Sonic Perception", a collection culled from a series of 78rpm 10" releases which showcases Siday's scientific study of sound, a concept he branded "The Ultra Sonic Perception". Combining electro-acoustic and early electronic music, Siday's atomic age sound vignettes were picked up by the BBC for use in early Doctor Who serials like The Space Museum, The Time Meddler, The Moonbase and more, helping to shape the show's eerie futuristic sounds - sounds which The BBC Radiophonic Workshop are generally given sole credit for devising, although artists like Siday were often not connected to the Beeb. By turns sinister and quirky there are lots of familiar pieces for the seasoned Doctor Who trainspotter here, and plenty for the rest of us to marvel at too.

Step forward a few years for our next release. Don Harper's "Cold Worlds" is built around a suite of music from late Patrick Troughton Cybermen invasion epic "The Invasion". Suitably enough for a story intended to portray the threat of an alien menace in a very familiar locale (contemporary London in this case), Harper's work is a more sophisticated and insidious combination of the alien and the everyday, effortlessly combining throbbing Radiophonic menace with unusual and off-kilter cinematic jazz like a paranoid, LSD addled John Barry.

Elsewhere there are moments that will seem eerily prescient to fans of the disturbing ambient side of David Bowie's "Heroes".  Also included on "Cold Worlds" is material from some of Harper's rare library releases, particularly those focusing on the sinister and otherworldly. This includes cues used memorably in George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" all of which makes this a bit of an essential treat too. Get them both.

Long may Dual Planet's archival pillaging continue.

Eric Siday's Ultra Sonic Perception is available on vinyl here, and here on CD.
 
Don Harper's Cold Worlds is available here on vinyl, and here on CD.
 

Seas, Starry "Tyto Alba"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Way back on The Active Listener Sampler #9 I premiered "Cody", from the at the time upcoming album "Tyto Alba". Fast forward to July 2014 and that upcoming album has, um, come up.

Seas, Starry are an Aberdeen based six piece who are by and large unclassifiable. The term post-rock would almost certainly have been used a few years back, but we live in more enlightened times now, times in which Seas, Starry's evocative instrumental rock can exist solely on its own merits, without the need for a parent scene to attach it to.

Pulling from all sorts of influences - shoegaze, psychedelia, drone, krautrock, oh, all right, post-rock too then - "Tyto Alba" is a lovely piece of work. Characterised by gorgeous, soaring waves of guitars which feedback and squall deleriously with fluid and organic rhythms that lack the rigid, mathematical precision of their predecessors these are songs that build to massive, glacial crescendos in a slightly out of focus fashion which only enhances its otherwordly beauty.

Album centrepiece "Silfur" does have more than an air of Mogwai to it (which is welcome), but it's the more upbeat and riffy spacerockers like "Space Boat" that best set out their own stall.

The band are already at work on a second album which we've been told will see a change of direction, making "Tyto Alba" an essential snapshot of a young band at their most fertile and creative.

Lovely.

"Tyto Alba" is available digitally here, and on vinyl here.

"крыла обречени" - a complimentary album of early tracks and demos is available free here.

Full stream here:

Nick Nicely "Headwindaheadwind"

Back in March I received an excitable (and exciting) e-mail from Nick Nicely, introducing himself (as if we wouldn't know who is - sheesh) and telling us enthusiastically about his newly recorded album. Naturally we were very keen to let you know about it immediately, but Nick and his label requested that we keep it under our hat for the time being. I've always looked rubbish in hats, so I was very pleased to see an official announcement starting to work its way around various sites, leaving me free to do my bit to spread the good word.

"Space of a Second" is the name of the album and it's due for release in September on Lo Recordings.

Preceding that (and out right now) is "Headwindaheadwind", a master class that shows that little has changed since the release of "Hilly Fields" in the early eighties. Nick is still the master when it comes to the unlikely fusing of psychedelic pop and electronica, with an implicit understanding that no matter how good something sounds (and the production here is impeccable as you'd expect), it's nothing without a killer tune, and the melody here is Nick at his wistful, pastoral best.

The fact that Nick is recording and releasing new material is reason enough in and of itself for celebration, the fact that it is this good is almost too much to believe.

Download it here.
 

White Fence "For The Recently Found Innocent"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

While the string of collaborations we expected after "Hair" may not have eventuated yet (hardly surprising given both artist's prolific and varied output), Ty Segall was impressed enough with the songs Tim Presley had lined up for the next White Fence project that he insisted on jumping into the producer's chair.

A follow up of sorts then but this is much more "Cloud Nine" than "The Traveling Wilburys", with both artist's roles clearly defined, and it would be entirely fair to say that both can claim equal shares in the success of "For The Recently Found Innocent". While the songs and performances are more or less all Presley's own (and rank among his best in both regards) Segall's production and guidance provide a perfect vehicle for getting Presley's infectious melodies into your ears with the minimum of fuss but maximum impact.

The hissy lofi aesthetic that White Fence albums have been previously cloaked in is noticeably absent, replaced by a suitably vintage analogue warmth that allows the melodic charms within the perfect environment in which to shine while looking knowingly and affectionately back to the contents of what must be a pretty fine record collection.

First single "Like that" is an irresistible, falsettoed Who homage that sounds like the very best Pete Townshend demo that you can imagine. "Sandra (When The Earth Dies)" goes all "Village Green Preservation Society" ("Arrow Man is pretty Kinky too). Other tracks touch on everything from liquid San Francisco psychedelia to crystalline folk-rock to late seventies U.K punk, all forged into exciting new/old shapes that make "For The Recently Found Innocent" not so much a homage to, but a peer of so many of those classic artists.

Hugely recommended.

Available here on vinyl, and here on CD.

7" Singles Roundup - The Magnetic Mind / House of Fire / Dig Deeper

The Magnetic Mind "When The Morning Comes" b/w "The Mumbai Firefly"
Active Listener favorites The Magnetic Mind return with their second 7" for the Heavy Soul label, which easily matches the stellar quality of their debut. The a-side showcases a dramatic proto-prog sound with buzzsaw fuzz guitars, mad scientist classical organ runs and choral vocal breakdowns, all of which scream 1969 in the best possible way. B-side "The Mumbai Firefly" is potentially even better, employing wordless choral vocals with a bewitching eastern melody, and more of that mad cool organ work. This sucker will sell out quick so get in here:

   
House of Fire "The Keeper of The Doors" b/w "Drifting Sunward"
These guys are new to me, but if these two sides are anything to go by we'll be hearing a whole lot more from them soon. "The Keeper of the Doors" marries a chiming pentatonic guitar riff with a slight spy guitar twang to a relentless beat, peppered with cymbal splashes and a great, spine-tingling descending bassline chorus. This is really good stuff, and the b-side is pretty flash too, another moody opus with great tribal percussion and a general sense of looming ominousness.
Highly recommended.
7" and download available here:



Dig Deeper "May 3rd" b/w "Let Me Ride" 
Norwegian "mountain-rockers" Dig Deeper make appeallingly beardy sounds on this double a-sided release which nestles snuggly among the sounds of American bands like Band of Horses and particularly My Morning Jacket with whom they share a fondness for large, glacial guitars and wistful vocal melodies. "May 3rd" is a moody slow burner which works up a really nice head of steam and builds to a huge, dramatic crescendo. On the flip "Let Me Ride" is a more metronomic, propulsive rocker with nice swells of steel guitar and plenty of wide open spaces for some "Echoes" style sonar guitar blips.

The Jayhawks "Sound of Lies" "Smile" "Rainy Day Music"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

This fresh batch of Jayhawks reissues (loaded with previously unreleased bonus tracks) focuses on the three album period directly after the departure of Mark Olsen, half of the Jayhawks singer/songwriter partnership. The previous two albums are undisputed classics of the nineties, buoyed by two distinctively different songwriters whose voices harmonised in a way that didn't sound like anything else on the planet.

With Olsen gone, Gary Louris elected to carry on under the Jayhawks name, a decision which invariably led the public to expect more of the same, despite the sudden absence of half of the songwriting team and perhaps more importantly that distinctively odd and affecting voice.

The Louris steered Jayhawks started out strongly with "The Sound of Lies" abandoning the alt. country trappings of their earlier successes in favour of big shiny powerpop anthems. It's quite a departure, and Louris is to be congratulated for taking a brave new step where someone more tentative would have potentially been inclined to try and consolidate their earlier sound. Fans of Matthew Sweet and other contemporary power-poppers with big guitars will find much to love here, with anthemic single "Big Star" being a pretty blatant give away of Louris's ambtions and key influence for the album.

2001's "Smile" stepped even further away from the band's alt. country roots, but the decision to bring on bombastic producer Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd's "The Wall") didn't sit well with Louris's intimate songcraft. Unfortunately this is Louris's least memorable set of songs (the best of which are available on The Jayhawks Anthology "Music From the North Country") and the frequent use of an embarrassing drum machine, makes "Smile" an album that sounded dated even at the time of release, which hasn't become more palatable over the ensuing years. Frustratingly, the bonus tracks on this are comparatively strong, so inquisitive fans may still want to shell out for this.

"Rainy Day Music" was a welcome return to form after this brief mistep. A mostly acoustic album with strong CSN influenced harmonies and exceptional, direct songs like "Save It For a Rainy Day" and the latter day Byrdsy "Tampa to Tulsa" . Most critics tend to credit "Sound of Lies" as the strongest of these albums, but to my mind "Rainy Day Music" has the edge and is a real contender even compared to their earlier albums. Great bonus tracks too.

These welcome and extremely well put together reissues shine a light on an underappreciated period in the bands history leading up to Olsen's eventually return for the excellent but commercially underperforming "Mockingbird Time" . "Rainy Day Music" and "Sound of Lies" are essential, and if you're a fan you're going to buy "Smile" whatever I have to say about it.

Sound of Lies is available here.

Smile is available here.

Rainy Day Music is available here.

The Roaring 420s "What is Psych?"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Its unclear whether Dresden's Roaring 420s (previously reviewed here), are searching for an answer to the titular question here, or offering up their debut full length "What Is Psych?" as their definitive answer. Either way, "What is Psych?" is clearly psych of a vintage fashion - none of this effects laden shoegaze on show here.

Unfortunately the prominently displayed sitar featured on the cover appears only very briefly, used to excellent effect on "These Woods of Stone", which oddly ends up sounding like a solo Thurston Moore tune.

The dominant flavour is less trippy and mystical than the cover may lead one to believe, with the blossoming folk-rock jamming of San Francisco 1967 being recalled most often; jangly guitars, heaps of vintage organs, a few mild effects thrown in here and there, and unusually for the preceding elements, a whole heap of surf too, right down to the tempos, heavy use of tremelo and the precise lead guitar lines.

It's all extremely well done, with the earlier single "Blue Jay" being the initial ear grabber, with the bulk of the rest of album taking a little longer to establish itself.  "Yes I Am" is a stomping call and response dance party rolled into three minutes of peppy fun. "You Had To Learn It The Hard Way" has a vintage British R&B roll to it. Best of all are the tracks where the band stretch out and focus on creating mood, with the eight minutes of "The Tourist" rolling to a halt much too soon.

Vinyl and CD available here, as well as four streaming tracks to sample:

Sam Asgari "Guru"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Norwegian Sam Asgari has a recent past as a producer in a more electronic vein, but saw the light recently when he discovered The Beatles' "Blue Jay Way", and his second album "Guru" is the first flowering of his full psychedelic immersion.

"Guru" is an album that has been shaped by listening to the masters - George Harrison, Donovan, Syd Barrett - but also by Asgari's own experiences traveling around India, the music of which is referenced frequently here.

Asgari's past work in the electronic field isn't completely left behind either, with tracks like the opener "Message" and "I am the Lotus Lord of Dance" being aural collages that integrate Asgari's sampling expertise without losing the ever present scent of patchouli.

"A classic encounter of the rock kind. The exploration of the aural landscape within, modernizes the visionary work of The Beatles and I. Be prepared to turn-off your mind." So says Donovan, whom Asgari has impressively managed to snaffle an endorsement from, and while the Don typically overplays his own hand a little, he does a fair job of summing up the appeal of "Guru". Tracks like "Child of the Autumn" could easily be from Donovan's own archives, and the Indian drones, backwards guitars and unerring melodic sense on display throughout makes this a total success in its intentions to continue on in a grand old tradition, without ignoring that which has come since.

If the idea of a more spiritual, Eastern influenced Dukes of Stratosphear appeals then welcome friend, you're not alone and you're very much in the right place.

Available in a limited run of 250 LPs with a lovely ornate, gatefold sleeve.

http://samasgari.no/

Origami Arktika "Absolut Gehör"

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

Norwegian artist collective Origami Arktika have been around for the last twenty years or so but outside of their native land still remain somewhat of an enigma and mystery to the average listener. Described as playing a ‘mutated folk music’ (an apt description) their sounds covers freeform experimentation, electronica and psychedelic folk with layers of drones, found sounds and traditional song that translates into genuine beauty and wonder; albeit at times of a darker hue and reflecting a sombre and unsettling undercurrent. At once archaic, ancient and alchemic, Origami Arktika seem to come from another age, or at least walk between the ages. Their music appears timeless, part of their inner and outer landscape and deeply indebted to their natural surroundings.The press release from Silber Records accurately presents Origami Arktika as ‘a knotty time machine, hotwired by haystack-poles and pitchforks, glued together with cow dung, old snippets of song, unheard drones and tones’.

Opener ‘Ro Og Hamle’ is a freeform drone slow builder with percussion clattering and shaking to both disturbing and hypnotic effect. However ‘Bryggja Te Jol’ is where the album really lifts off; a harmonium drone keens over an empty landscape as vocalist Rune Flaten invokes a traditional folk ballad in his native tongue. Bass then starts to propel the song and sawing bowed strings come together to create a virtual maelstrom of a track. Cinematic and hugely evocative, make no mistake; this is widescreen music. ‘Háttalykill’s discordant plinks and thumps lead into an evocative folk lament; this is music hewn from the hills and lakes and reminds this listener of the psychogeographical exploits of the splendid Xenis Emputae Travelling Band in its sense of place and rural mysticism. ‘Folkestadvisa’, with its single, sustained organ note and multitude of layered vocals is almost ethereal; a choral folk song both gentle and powerful. At times the Norwegian folk idiom seems to resemble to the Gaelic and Scottish Western Isles laments; the traditional yet instinctive phrasing and sense of melancholy and yearning bears close relation. ‘Tora Liti’ is an acid folk procession, strings and tabla merging with bells and effects in this traditional song rearranged by Arktika in line with their own keen sense of custom and belief. Dulcimer shimmers and echoes throughout the shadows; there is something altogether pagan and otherworldly at work here that steps outside of modern music. It is both ritualistic and profound and is truly mesmerising in it sparse power. It is tempting to think of the landscape of the collective’s native region of Telemark soaking into their inspiration; the fjords, mountains, black skies and rain drenching their spooked muse.

‘Det Syng For Storegut’ by contrast begins with an almost jazz led bass line as xylophone and drums create a trance like rhythm over which ominous drones rumble like peals of thunder. Disturbing and thrilling; this is music that follows only its own path. Comparisons to Primordial Undermind, the Jewelled Antler Collective and Book Of Shadows are reference points but here Arktika are in their own unique groove. Bowed guitar and hushed vocals add to the brooding atmosphere, at once intense yet also hugely exciting and not unlike like finding yourself under a massive thunderstorm. This is experiential music. An eleven minute epic, the song holds the tension expertly throughout. This track feels like the album's lynchpin and contains the vital elements of Arktika, namely the organic and adventurous spirit that underlines their aesthetic and approach as well as their able grasp of dynamics and hugely affecting atmospheric soundscapes. ‘Skonde Deg Du Jente’ – Lurlokk’ ends the album with an (almost ) acapella traditional folk song. The sense of barren beauty and windswept landscape lingers long after however.

There is supposedly a myriad of players in Origami Arktika and the revolving door collective not only contain musicians but filmmakers and painters and poets. Yet this is a cohesive and standout album with its own identity and sense of unique purpose. Walk out into the storm; spend some time with Origami Arktika.

Available now in a lovely handmade sleeve from the splendid Silber Records.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "CSNY 1974"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

A labour of love largely spearheaded by Graham Nash. This ornate box set aims to present new evidence in the case of a much maligned tour.

It has been widely accepted that CSNY weren't at their best on this 1974 tour, an opinion that the widely bootlegged Wembley Arena show does little to dispel, but this collection culled from multiple shows and constructed and sequenced as a representative show from the tour goes some way towards readdressing this balance.

Those expecting the smoothly harmonised, soft yacht-rock CSNY will be potentially disappointed, but fans of Young's ditch period will find much to enjoy here. Harmonies are shaggy. Voices (particularly those of Stills and Nash) are ragged. Lyrics are occasionally forgotten and stumbled over. But there's a ragged groove here that they rarely achieved (or aimed for) in the studio. It's also great to hear material from the CSN trio's uniformly excellent early solo albums sprinkled with those trademark harmonies, which even in roughly hewn shape tower over those of their contemporaries.

A brace of rarities makes this an even more compelling purchase for fans. Neil Young fans are particularly well served with two of his most coveted previously unavailable tracks "Traces" and the magnificent "Pushed It Over The End" (which Young refused permission to release on the CSN box set) finally seeing official release.

At three full discs this is a long set, but representative of the shows on the tour. There's also a single disc highlights package for the casual fan that bypasses the rarities and sticks with the hits - a bit of a waste of space to be honest, but the full set, rarities, oddities, warts and all is a necessary purchase for fans of any or all of these artists, most, but not all of whom were nearing the end of their golden patch.

The 3CD / DVD edition is available here.

The single disc esition is available here.