intro.
Watch out for the reviews with the black backgrounds... They are the ones bestowed with more love than Five Hearts could ever say, it's an exclusive category into which only Derya Yildirim and Grup Simsek, and The Liminanas with Bobby Gillespie fall into this week. Records so loved they burst out of their spangly love hearts. So many great records to hear this week... Thanks to OL's reviewers who head here from all over, really. Don't forget to click on our Ko-Fi button to support great rocknroll writing whether you love or loathe what you read. We are gathering money to survive . This week's reviewers...Alan Rider (7), DJ Fuzzyfelt (3), Lee Paul (2), John Robinson (1), David O'Byrne (5), LamontPaul (1), Ogglypoogly (2) and Ancient Champion (1)
singles.
by David O'Byrne
Endless Dive are a Belgian duo who describe themselves as blending "acoustic post rock with electronica and field recordings", who have played over 100 concerts around Europe. Deux Roues is the first release from their upcoming album "Souvenances" and as per their own description indeed mixes classical acoustic guitar, washes of atmospheric synth with sound recordings "sourced from old VHS tapes of their childhood". The track itself is well worth a listen. An odd melange of what should be competing sounds, it's both haunting, ethereal, and strangely calming. Although the accompanying video, which appears largely drawn from the same childhood VHS recordings may be a step too far down the "family nostalgia" road. Slated for release in February 2025, "Souvenances" is the group's fourth album. On the evidence of the pre-release copy we've been given access to is very much more of the same, and will be reviewed in due course. It's also the first by the group following the departure of two founding members. The remaining duo of Pierre Van Vlaenderen & Nathan Mondez plan to recruit two more members in order to continue playing their older material, while promoting the new album. No dates have been announced as yet.
ENDORSED
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP SIMSEK- (Big Crown) - Cool Hand (Live at the Diamond Mine Studio) (Big Crown)by Ancient Champion
Now with Big Crown Records, the label that has consistently released so many great records over the recent years, this has been hanging round on the room, our room, playlist for maybe a month. If it was a vinyl record or cassette it would be worn out. It's just so soft-shoe relaxed-amazing and driven. Anatolian folkies, drawing on beautiful poetry I can't understand, brewing it up with spare organ-y soul and psychedelia; the solo breaks on Derya Yildirim's baglama are of the magic Will Sergeant sought tp produce and tbf so often did. Derya always sings in Turkish, “It’s really important to me because that’s the language I can really express myself in, it’s my emotional language.” She explains. The forthcoming LP is coming together under the watchful ears of Leon Michels. This is a record made from such wonderful stuff I feel happier than I did before it began, every single time.
by Lee Paul
Modest, but vast (ly entertaining) space rock. Pinging, swirlying things happen. The album isn't out until next year n after hearing this, if I don't make it through to 2025, play it at my funeral because I'll be wanting to take right off. Here I come...
ZERO s
by Ogglypoogly
If you happen to be related to a pre-teen, then hold up a moment. This might be exactly what you're looking for, saccharine laced pop music that makes Harry Styles sound like an innovator, heck you'll even earn some 'edgy' points because *gasp* there's swearing in the song. Though honestly - move along, swiftly. Cats on the Ceiling isn't offering anything sunshine pop hasn't done a million times over already, if you want some pop music - we have a Kylie for that.
by Alan Rider
When a band releases an album, normally they want to generate some excitement about it, given there is so much out there to compete with. One way is to choose the absolute best, standout track and release it as a single ahead of the album (or 'focus track' as the PR jargon has it). So when Spiral XP came to release their debut album 'I Wish I Was A Rat', you'd think they would do that. In fact, they hedged their bets by releasing not one, but four tracks, one after the other. None are stand out, and Cruel World is the latest and weakest of the lot. 'Insipid, repetitive bilge' sounds about right for this if you are looking for a professional critical analysis.
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
Brazilian born, but London based musician, composer and producer Marcelo Frota aka MOMO has been making records for nearly 20 years and is, apparently, much admired by the likes of Patti Smith and David Byrne, as well as Brazilian musical royalty such as Caetano Veloso. Indeed he's supporting the legendary Azymuth on their London dates in December. To be honest, I find his usual music a bit too smooth and characterless, all very pleasant but a bit flat. His latest album, Gira is no exception, except for this piece. Para is the lead off track on the album and first single though, for radio consumption I guess, meaning it's only half as long, which is kind of annoying as its length, at nearly eight and a half minutes, is the whole point. Basically a loping bass, a repetitive maybe sample, a bit of brass,s ome sweet vocals, some random squiggles... It doesn't sound like much but it slowly draws you into its warm embrace. Nothing much happens but it does build gradually though never becomes overwhelming or falls into a quiet-loud-quiet cliche... Well maybe a couple of clangy bits of guitar towards the end. Best £1.80 I've spent on Bandcamp in a while though.
ENDORSED
THE LIMINANAS - Prisoner of Beauty (featuring Bobby Gillespie) (Berretto Music)by DJ Fuzzyfelt
Lionel and Marie Liminana the normally prolific couple at the centre of the wonderful noise that is The Liminanas have been uncharacteristically quiet of late, however this wonderful single announces their return in brilliant fashion. It's nothing particularly new stylistically, all stomping drums, pumping bass, a guitar riff hammered to within an inch of its existence so good it drags the best vocal performance out of Gillespie in....well....forever. Oh Liminanas it's fabulous to have you back. Will probably end up being my single of the year.
by Ogglypoogly
I’m not sure what kind of music I expected to come out of Norway, but it wasn’t this, some gorgeously produced fusion of R&B and Soul - genres I don’t particularly care for in all honesty. Whether it’s the simplicity of the beats, the vocal delivery or more likely the intertwined combination of the two - there’s something annoyingly lovely happening here. The perfect escape from the grey, coldness that has arrived to steer our moods down as we head towards winter. Buy it over on bandcamp here
by Alan Rider
Harking back to the glory days of Transvision Vamp in more ways than one, Wendy James's latest to be taken off her 10th solo album (yes, her tenth!) is a great, riffy, reminder that Transvision Vamp as a band were actually pretty good. The rest of the band's contributions were, of course, totally overlooked in the media frenzy to get pictures of Wendy pouting, winking, grinning, bouncing up and down, rolling around in her underwear and sporting various skimpy outfits. All TV fans were male, many a lot older and balder than you would expect, and most probably wouldn't have been that interested in the band if they were fronted by a skinny male, or older female. Like Blondie before them, the weak protestations that they were 'a band' were belied by James's enthusiastic teasing for the camera and the media's obsession with her anatomy. Do You Dig It? Do You Love It? Is It Groovy? is a fun single. That it is accompanied by a video collage of 'unseen footage' of James in her Transvision Vamp days, and has a sleeve showing her with Vic Reeves, who was famous back then for surreal humour rather than boring us with programmes about painting birds, tells us that she is still more defined by the sexpectations of others, than by herself.
by Alan Rider
The sound of mud. Someone please tell them that reverb they are using has a 'mix' setting that doesn't need to be whacked up to 10 all the time.
ep's.
by Lee Paul
Dredging up the dour bits of the 90s. It's slow, it's low and aggressive. There'sthe refrain before it all goes wrong. Before the kerosene. "Big Wheels mean big pimpin'..." Of course they do. It's lazyloading fun. Would you ultimately though, take a drive with her?
by David O'Byrne
Mode Collapse is the latest project from a Russian / Arab electronic musician currently working in Georgia, for the obvious reasons. Describing themselves as an "alternative experimental hip-hop act", their new EP - Alternative Dreaming Techniques, is a disturbing mix of clashing genres and haunting lyrics. The sounds are overwhelmingly electronic backed with looping beats and what appear to be "found sounds", with the loose style tending in parts towards free jazz. The vocals - predominantly (?) in English are delivered in spoken hip hop style with a nod to alternative hip-hop artists such as Jpegmafia and Iceboy Violet. While the lyrics - as the title suggests, deal with dreams, Specifically " recurring entities we all face in our sleep—could it be crooked stairs you try to jump over and over again or trying to catch something you desire.." in what the creator describes as "a weird blend of imagination and real life". It's an engaging and at times disturbing mix, and which at points hints towards "Voice of America" era Cabaret Voltaire. Which obviously is never a bad thing.
by Alan Rider
Heretic Savant is the latest incarnation of Glaswegian Andy Isaacson, also of Luminous, who has transcended health issues that would have floored many of us, to continue his musical career. This EP contains four improvised electronic tracks, circular in nature, with a smattering of cut ups by Carl Sagan (who has THE best voice for a cut up) and others inbetween the blips and bloops and atmospheric pads. Its intense, but not too heavy going for all that and is another string to Isaacson's already string filled bow. I love the printed 'reduced' sticker adorning the cover artwork, which shows a sense of humour at play here too.
long plays.
by David O'Byrne
If you want to know how many live Fall LP's are too many live Fall LP's... read David's review of Grotesque. Whatever that number is, we haven't reached it yet.
by David O'Byrne
Interesting - sounds a bit like Fire Engines without guitars. Wikipedia tells me Volapük is a constructed language created between 1879 and 1880 by a Catholic priest in Baden, Germany, who believed that God told him to create an international language. Cuneiform I know is an early form of alphabetical writing impressed into clay tablets in Mesopotamia using a special stylus, on account of their not having invented paper and ink. As the only contact given is noreply@bandcamp.com that could be as much as we ever learn...
by John Robinson
Momus summer LP Ballyhoo is reviewed by John Robinson, right here
by David O'Byrne
PP Arnold's live album, recorded in Liverpool is reviewed right here
by Alan Rider
Why would you wait until your 12th album to release an eponymous one? And that, dear reader, is the only original thing about this album (and no doubt the eleven that precede it). From start to finish it's sub Sisters of Mercy/Mission/Bauhaus fare, like pretty much every other act in the long dead genre of Goth. The best bit tbh is the 30 second instrumental intro, which is comprised of ethereal synth and a bit of distant clanging. Can you have a 30 second album? Now that would be something original!
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
This week's Billy Childish album is one of his collaborations with famed Hammond Organ player James Taylor. The album is wholly instrumental with Taylor taking the lead on all but one track where some tasty trumpet can be heard. I have a few Guy Hamper singles and,to be honest, I think they should stick to that format as there are some excellent tracks on here but there are also some horrible blues jams on here which would be disregarded elsewhere. I'm sure the Childish, and Taylor purists will love it all but for the rest of us stick with the 7's or download your favourite tracks for Bandcamp.
by Alan Rider
April 29th this year saw the sudden and unexpected death of rural Michigan based ambient musician Vince Wald. Vince’s music was not well known. He chose not to release his music on record labels, nor did he seek to promote it. He did not play concerts. Instead, he ploughed his own furrow, assembling a catalogue of literally hundreds of self-released albums and developing friendships with a network of like minded people, literally all over the world. Vince was likely not unique in choosing this path but he was a sweet, funny, interesting, inquisitive, caring and giving person and Vince passed away, a group of his friends decided that the best way of celebrating his life and his work was to undertake a project to remix of his music and to release that commercially, so that others might be encouraged to explore and embrace his music.
The resulting CD features 13 tracks with an extra five mixes included in the Bandcamp download. Not all of the remixers knew Vince personally, but all were moved by his music. interpretations of Vince’s work are by artists such as Graham Lewis of Wire, Edward Kaspel of The Legendary Pink Dots, Jochen Arbeit from Einsturzende Neubaten, KK Null, Rapoon, Pine Tree Radar, Anatoly Tokee Grinberg and Llyn Y Cwn, Snowbeasts, Fugue State Radio, Horizonte de Sucesos, Anazanaut and Dead Voices on Air. All in all, 18 artists from Russia, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Argentina, Wales, England, Canada and the USA contributed. Given the nature of Wald's work, ambient and instrumental, this album follows that path, resulting in a synergy and similarity between the tracks, yet a great variety and depth is on show too, which you would expect from such a broad cast of contributors, from the ethereal 'Silent Altogether Revisited' from Llyn Y Cwn to the rhythmically driving percussion of Anatoly Tokee Grinberg's take on '-40 Degrees' and all points inbetween. Proceeds go to the Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS), an animal rescue charity that Vince supported, so all in a very good cause, but unlike many a charity or tribute album, this one is a strong release in its own right and has a unique aspect in that it is the first time Wald's work has been released anywhere. Under different circumstances, this would have made the ideal introduction to a skilled ambient musician.
so, have you got anything else.
by LamontPaul
The Pete Williams, is the lendendary founder of Dexys Midnight Runners, this is from his solo lp, Roughnecks and Roustabouts. Pete will be performing an acoustic set, that will look much like this video I think, at the Outsideleft Night Out on Saturday November 30th, with Andy Wellings. Admission is Free. Details, here.
by Alan Rider
This is what pop music should sound and look like. Wannabes, please note.
Essential Information
Main image Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek from the Big Crown Records website
Previous Week in Music 'In Precious Times' is here