Tag Archives: CD

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard : Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, released November 2015

Banish any winter blues with ‘Paper Mâché Dream Balloon’, the latest album from Australian psychedelic troubadours King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. The energetic seven-piece band sing and play an array of acoustic instruments (except Eric Moore credited with ‘nothing’!) and each of the songs is a musical burst of summery optimism, although some of the lyrics are a bit darker, such as ‘Cold Cadaver’….

Opening track ‘Sense’ starts with laid-back clarinet over a jazz groove and a lyric of bewilderment. Two more songs with a similar flavour then the sumptuous title track adds punctuations of unpredictable drums, lots of flute, harmonica and kaleidoscopic words (“stuck in a daydream, under a moonbeam…”). ‘Trapdoor’ is a fast paranoid work-out, ‘The Bitter Boogie’ is a longer blues reminiscent of The Doors.

The elements used in the songs recur and drift in and out, seemingly almost random at times but always mesmerising. I saw the sound praised somewhere as ‘tightly shambolic’…
The final track has the flute playing the opening part of all the songs that came before on the album, then rewound fast to a concluding explosion!

They are gaining a reputation for brilliant live shows, I will be seeing them soon!

http://kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com/index.html

Flaming June : In Pursuit Of Happiness EP, released December 2015

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As well as a flourishing Indie music scene in Cambridge there are many performers who take that attitude and apply it in a folk setting, one of the most regarded being Flaming June, fronted by singer/guitarist/songwriter Louise Eatock. They have been recording and playing live since 2010; I saw her recently playing a spirited and well-received solo set outdoors at the Mill Road Winter Fair, just after this EP was released.

‘In Pursuit Of Happiness’ is a lively opening track, propelled by tight drumming from Paul Richards (multi-skilled member of many Cambridge bands) and smooth violin by Di Llewellyn giving the authentic folk texture. The lyric of ‘Dopamine Oxytocin’ is about the chemical balance that causes emotional response (I think), over a frenetic acoustic guitar. Then slowing down for the yearning delights of ‘The Sailor Boy’, as so often in traditional folk it doesn’t sound like the story ends well. ‘Freedom’s Fairytale For Girls’ is the new single and pivotal track on this EP, a slow-burning song using imagery from traditional tales. ‘The Devilling Kind’ is another veiled warning, again with atmospheric violin.

Louise Eatock is a charismatic and talented performer and this is a strong set of songs, drawing effectively on folk traditions with added modern twists.

http://loui552.wix.com/flamingjuneuk

Dos Floris : The Widowed Earth, released November 2017

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Based in Italy, Dos Floris is the performing and recording name of Florence Donovan. Her debut album ‘The Widowed Earth’ is a dense, multi-layered collection of atmospheric vocal and electronic pieces. Each track is crafted and complex, substantial yet brittle enough to slip through your fingers.

Every one of these cinematic soundscapes is given plenty of time to construct the right instrumental mood and reveals more on subsequent listens.A brief intro of a cassette loading gives way to ‘Rivers’, a pastoral theme built from a simple flute figure with the addition of ever-changing keyboards. The vocal simmers and yearns before final resignation. The electronic waves of ‘Before You Loved Me’ pulsing through the track, the gentle and unpredictable piano chords like droplets of rain in ‘Water’, the loose drum patterns in ‘The Other Side’ supporting simple vocal phrases; it is all elegant and addictive.
I really like the title track ‘The Widowed Earth’, huge swathes of synthesised strings in the introduction then the sustained vocal interweaves like another instrument.

In nearly an hour of music there is plenty more to get lost in, including the two part epic ‘To The Wolves’. As a change to guitar music, give this album a late-night listen.

https://www.facebook.com/dosfloris

Smoke Fairies : Wild Winter, released November 2015

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While on the lookout for another seasonal disc to complement the grizzled optimism of Bob Dylan’s ‘Christmas In The Heart’ I found this atmospheric offering from Smoke Fairies, originally given a limited release last year and now reissued.
Opening track ‘Christmas Without A Kiss’ sets the tone for the album, as deep bass pedals and distant sharp-edged guitar underpin a world-weary lyric ‘I don’t have the one I love, I want snow I get rain’. This album is clearly no jaunty collection of clichéd sleigh bells and happiness revolving around the big day.

‘Steal Softly Thru Snow’ showcases the duo’s hypnotic harmony vocals with an attractive instrumental break in there too. ‘Give And Receive’ has abstract references to the Christmas story, all floating over an elegant instrumental backdrop. ‘Circles In The Snow’ is a shimmering delight, ‘Bad Good’ is a more disquieting affair, then the title track ‘Wild Winter’ is like a sinister walk in the woods, followed by an acoustic interlude, ‘Snowglobe Blizzard’.

‘So Much Wine’ is a disturbing tale of domestic disharmony, then final song ‘All Up In The Air’ is a distillation of what has been before, the gentle introduction building to an impressive finish.

So ideally sat in front of the fire with mulled wine in hand (or perhaps some ‘Wild Winter’, a 6.8% beer brewed for this release?), slow down, hibernate and listen to this bittersweet album, contemplating the unchanging rhythms of the winter solstice.

http://www.smokefairies.com/

Tellison : Hope Fading Nightly, released September 2015

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A belated review of ‘Hope Fading Nightly’, the third album release from indie-rockers Tellison.

Opening track ‘Letter To The Team – After Another Imperfect Season’ is a plaintive tale of fate and failure, sung over gentle acoustic background with a bit of keyboard. It is a distinctive, unusual and effectively disturbing song. When the guitars crash in for ‘Helix And Ferman’ we feel on more familiar territory but the lyrical despondency ‘now all things just pass, you still come in last…’only has the answer of ‘drink red wine’ . It is a belting rock song, quickly followed by the energy and superior pop structure of ‘Boy’ with its hookline that you can’t get out of your head.

There is more despondency in the lyric of ‘Wrecker’ with an efficient demolishing guitar. And so it goes on, mostly lyrically bleak and musically powerful (the sublime ‘Tact is Dead’ needs to be played extra loud..!), especially on my favourite track ‘Orion’. Beginning delicately, then the band crash in as the narrator walks out on his life ‘And Orion looked down vengefully on me…’. I look forward to hearing this one live when they return to Cambridge next year.

‘Hellhole’ sounds like pure electronica but played on guitars. ‘Tsundoko’ is a Japanese word for the act of buying books and never reading them, I’m glad there is a special word for that, it is also the title of the epic final track, with the closing line ‘They said if I tried and tried I’d be happy…’

This is a heartfelt, thought-provoking, challenging album and there is a musical and lyrical depth that makes it a bit special.

http://www.tellison.co.uk/

The Granite Shore : Once More From The Top, released May 2015

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The Granite Shore is the project of Occultation Records curator Nick Halliwell. This is a proper concept album, chronicling the life and death of a rock band as a metaphor for the passing of time and the nature of regret.

It is a thoughtful and complex undertaking, starting with the enigmatic castle pictured on the sleeve, the long quote from Chaucer’s Man Of Law’s Prologue balanced against a quote from Ian Hunter(a minor hero of mine since seeing him practically dragged off stage for starting late and over-running at a festival) of Mott The Hoople and a tempting menu of guest players, mostly acoustic.

To the music, it is divided into two 5 song sections ‘In Public’ and ‘Behind The Scenes’. The opening two songs are rich arrangements with buoyant and idealistic lyrics; ‘Nine Days’ Wonder’ is positively jaunty and suggests that ‘I would dance from here to Norwich in the rain, as long as crowds came out to see me in my triumph and my pain’. Notwithstanding the low annual rainfall in East Anglia, the optimistic lyrical sentiment soon starts to go a bit sour as ‘The Management’ gets entwined with the band and there is also tension with the fan/band relationship. All of this sung to a backdrop of pure sonic joy as the carefully balanced instrumentation glides beneath the melancholy vocal.

Side Two delves deeper behind the façade, with ‘Recorded Sound’ an early highlight with guitar arpeggios and achingly beautiful brass textures. The alcoholic drummer dies, to be replaced with a drum machine in ‘Keeping Time’ then legal wrangling and finally a long meditation by the burned out narrator reminiscing, when it is all over.

It is a triumphant and ambitious piece of work, introspective in parts but the vision and musical realisation of the concept has to be admired. Like Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ it cannot be a relentlessly cheery tale but the sombre words deserve study, as repeated plays of the music continue to reward the listener.

http://thegraniteshore.co.uk/

Sound Menagerie : Clocks & Towers, released May 2015

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In this site’s pursuit of the full range of independent music around Cambridge I’m not sure how this one slipped by, but better late than never!

Sound Menagerie are the vocals of Abi Parker and the songs and guitar/bass of Steven C Wilson, accompanied on this album by a range of guest musicians. It is the follow up to ‘Far Or Through’, released in 2011. They describe their sound as Alternative/Dream Pop and they have plans to perform live with a band at some point.

I could be down the front of the venue for that, or wistfully considering it from further away as the textures of voice and varied instrumentation blend into a timeless concoction. ‘Smile in The Sky’, the opening track is a jaunty piano driven delight, ‘Stay With Me’ an inviting mixture of acoustic yearning. The title track is a darker affair and echoes the multiple coloured images of clocks and towers on the album cover. Sinister waltz ‘Cat In The Mirror’ ends with haunting sound effects leading into intricate up-tempo love song ‘Colour Of The Rose’. ‘The Silver Tree’ is a lovely brittle folk song, especially in the first minute before the main band comes in and takes it in another direction.

Taking us back most obviously to heady late 60s summer days is the restless ‘Agatha Jones’ and especially one of the strongest tracks on the collection ‘Penny Farthing’, possibly a homage to their love of Syd Barrett and his ‘Bike’ and many of the other influences from Pink Floyd’s debut album.

The album ‘clocks’ in at 52 minutes of enigmatic and carefully crafted songs, plenty to get lost in on a summer afternoon or a late evening…

http://www.soundmenagerie.co.uk/

Bouquet Of Dead Crows : Of The Night, released November 2015

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After their boisterous double A-side single set the pace, a track by track review of the forthcoming album from the Cambridge four-piece rockers…

1. Everything Is Temporary. A distant wind blows in some pensive guitar notes; like many bands they have opted for a gradually building introductory track. The vocal sounds world-weary to reflect the title and the instruments have a subtle presence until it all steps up a gear, guitar crashes in and we have a fully developed anthem. A sinister electronic insect swarm ends the track and starts the next…

2. Epicentre. This is when the band kick off the earthquake, you can sense the pleasure they get playing this one, plenty of noise but some sophisticated and varied arrangements too.

3. Just A Little More. Released as a single and reviewed on this site, the track slots in nicely here. “…seems to cram a lot into the three minutes, opening with a guitar figure partly reminiscent of classic prog-rock ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’ by Yes (high-praise indeed!) and dominated by Antoinette’s powerful vocals and a strong hook line. A short bass interlude(Graeme Clarke) is some quieter relief then the track rocks to a heavy finish….”

4. Without You. Slower and sad, excellent sharp bass. As is clearly shown on this track the production on this album is excellent, capturing their ‘live’ energy and contrasting dynamics very well.

5. Drownout. Distorted and heavy, the guitar sounds like some stalking creature, threatening to engulf the vocal. Intense stuff, again with some nice bass touches.

6. The Fundamental Flaw Of Solitude. A lovingly crafted epic track, from the title to the bluesy intro and grinding riff. The hookline works into your brain effectively as does thunderous drumming and extra-low bass.

7. The Silent Path (Time Goes By). A gentler meditation on the nature of time. Acoustic guitar (and drum machine?) framework for some thoughtful lyrics and layered instrumentation.

8. Don’t Panic! The second song on the single, from my previous review “…starts with a thunderous guitar riff from Neil Bruce that hardly lets up and I am always pleased to hear dynamic drumming, energetic stuff from Andrew Coxall, especially in the anarchic instrumental break towards the end…”

9. Like A Flower. In full acoustic mode for this subtle but pivotal piece, featuring the album title line and some neat harmonies.

10. Endless. At just over seven minutes you know that this song is going to cover some extensive ground and it doesn’t disappoint. A catchy vocal line and some well developed instrumental passages.

The album will be launched at the Portland Arms on Friday November 6th…

Bouquet Of Dead Crows : Don’t Panic!/Just A Little More, released 28 August 2015

http://www.bouquetofdeadcrows.com/

The British IBM : Psychopaths Dream In Black And White, released 4th September 2015

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The second album from Cambridge based three piece The British IBM, consolidating their reputation with a new collection of thoughtful and distinctive songs. ‘All the Time’ is a low-key opener, strummed acoustic guitar and plaintive vocal from IBM songwriter Adrian Killens, it hangs in the air full of regret and disappointment. Electric guitar and glockenspiel fade in and out, perfectly setting the tone for the atmosphere of the album.

‘Hey Mikie’ is a favourite of mine; this one rolls along well with an infectious hookline belying acerbic lyrics. As the album proceeds it does not try to emulate some of the rockier dynamics of their debut but there are many more subtle pleasures on offer here.

Strings are used to great effect on the song of resignation ‘Nothing Ever Lasts That Long’ and resurface on many of the later tracks. It is good to hear some political ideas in ‘Evolution’ but it is the next track ‘We Were the Stars’ which is the pivotal summit of the album, a measured stately ballad about decline and ending, featuring massed voices and strings and also the subject of a smart retro animated promotion video. As a companion to ‘the British IBM’ title track on their first album it stands up well.

‘Nothing’ is bass driven with an insistent guitar line, then the final track is ‘What More Can I Say’, just guitar, voice and cello, ending suddenly.

Each of the eleven tracks has been meticulously produced to get the construction just right, although some of the lyrical concerns may seem a bit downbeat, the layers carefully reveal and sink into your consciousness with subsequent listens.

http://www.thebritishibm.com/

Bouquet Of Dead Crows : Don’t Panic!/Just A Little More, released 28 August 2015

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What’s in a name?
Cambridge-based ‘Bouquet Of Dead Crows’ sound like an object found on an ancient quest or the worst order that Interflora have ever had to deliver. But the ambiguity of their name actually suits the music very well. They are a four piece Rock/Pop band and have just finished recording their debut album ‘Of The Night’, due for release later this year. On this new double A-sided single they show their hardest rock sound, but tempered with smooth melodic vocal from Antoinette Cooper sailing majestically above.

Opening track ‘Don’t Panic!’ starts with a thunderous guitar riff from Neil Bruce that hardly lets up and I am always pleased to hear dynamic drumming, energetic stuff from Andrew Coxall, especially in the anarchic instrumental break towards the end. The second track ‘Just A Little More’ seems to cram a lot into the three minutes, opening with a guitar figure partly reminiscent of classic prog-rock ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’ by Yes (high-praise indeed!) and dominated by Antoinette’s powerful vocals and a strong hook line. A short bass interlude(Graeme Clarke) is some quieter relief then the track rocks to a heavy finish.

I caught some of their tight live set recently (at Corner House Cambridge) and also some acoustic songs on a radio session. More evidence of their versatility and variety as musicians, I look forward to hearing the album…

Bouquet Of Dead Crows : Of The Night, released November 2015

http://bouquetofdeadcrows.com/