through a shared love of folk and a shared home of Western Cornwall. At this point


things could have descended into coffee table platitudes and cosy


contemplation but, thankfully for us, they went the other way. Shades of The Incredible String Band, Pentangle and Joni Mitchell and well- worn acoustic musical settings are in evidence but the girls’ collective songwriting savvy and vocal harmonies – often un-tethered and occasionally wayward – are all their own and rather lovely to boot. And if the title track isn’t the


direct result of Mama’s love of Linda Perhacs’ 1970 acid-folk masterpiece Parallelograms I’ll eat my straw hat. Andy Morten


ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. Catnip Dynamite Oglio CD www.rogerjosephmanningjr.com


Many sharp-eyed Shindiggers will realize that this is Roger Manning of what was for many the most beloved pop band of the ’90s, Jellyfish. As fans of Jellyfish


know very well, that band’s love of all things ’70s was palpable in everything they did, from the way they dressed to their concert accoutrements to their songwriting. So, it’s no surprise that ’70s themes abound on Catnip Dymanite, Manning, Jr.’s second album. The fun starts right off with ‘The


Quickening’, and the second track, ‘Love’s Never Half As Good’ could be a Partridge Family song from one of their mid-period albums. ‘Down In Front’ morphs from a ‘You’re Mama Don’t Dance’ opening to a ‘Son Of My Father’ groove to a ‘Waterloo’ chorus. Whew! Other ultra-groovy tracks like ‘Imaginary Friend’ and ‘The Turnstile At Heaven’s Gate’ could be soundtracks to a Hanna Barbera cartoon and an After School Special respectively. The most awesome track (literally) is ‘Survival Machine’, an art- rock extravaganza that might remind one of early Ambrosia (when they were good) or Kansas (when they were good). Don’t let this review mislead you:


although most of the songs are proudly reminiscent of the ’70s, Manning Jr.’s signature is all over them, giving each song his Midas touch and an indelible stamp of originality. It’s an absolutely wonderful listen


from start to finish. David Bash


MARK & THE SPIES Give Me A Look Screaming Apple CD & LP www.screaming-apple-records.de This is the real deal, folks; twelve authentic sounding beat could-be classics by this Dutch combo who already have one equally excellent album under their belts! The opening track, ‘Gimme Your Love’ takes a ‘For Your Love’


melody line and runs with it, ‘Hers To Keep’ and ‘It’s True (I Need You)’ are minor key delights, ‘Please Think It Over’ is as sweet a confection as a beat band


came conjure up, the title track adds a bit of ‘freak’ to the beat, and ‘Won’t Work On Me’ adds soul in equal measure. The best track is probably ‘It Don’t Matter To You,’ which is like manna from the gods: think The Golden Earrings meet The Hollies. Perhaps as further evidence of


where their heads are at, the boys add a nifty cover of The Motions’ ‘We Fell In Love’. Great stuff! David Bash


RED PLASTIC BUDDHA Sunflower Sessions Spade Kitty Records CD www.spadekitty.com


Ranging from The Pretty Things, Syd Barrett and The Action through Hawkwind, Van Der Graaf Generator and Tangerine Dream to The Jam and


Brian Jonestown Massacre, Chicago’s Red Plastic Buddha’s full list of influences is eclectic to say the least. Opener ‘Forget Me Not’ is a rousing psychedelic anthem – all swirling guitars and chant along chorus – but they really nail their garage-psych credentials to the mast with a creditable and haunting version of The 13th Floor Elevators’ ‘Rollercoaster’. Elsewhere though, they possess a


distinctly more modern psych-pop sensibility, albeit at times, to these ears at least, sounding like Nirvana (the Seattle model). If none of their own other tunes quite make the same initial impression as ‘Forget Me Not’ or closing track ‘Gingerbread Pornography’, which was, perhaps tellingly, recorded live, they do grow on you, particularly ‘Clouds’. All of which bodes well for All Out


Revolution, the working title of their follow up CD, due out at the end of this year. Rich Deakin


THE SETTING SON Spring of Hate Bad Afro CD www.badafro.dk


Song titles like ‘Girl Of Sorrow’, ‘Depression’ and ‘Demons In My Head’ suggest a very dark and downbeat album, but the tunes and chiming guitars are


more upbeat than the lyrics. This is Sebastian Kristiansen’s second album as The Setting Son, and it retains the many qualities of the first. Producer Lorenzo Woodrose has marshalled a strong band of Copenhagen’s finest. There’s


some splendid guitar and organ, and layers of well arranged backing vocals. At times the lead vocals are reminiscent of Michael Querrcio from The Three O’Clock, giving the songs a pleasant but ultimately lightweight quality. Phil Suggitt


THE SHADOW KABINET Smiling Words Apart Sounds Good CD www.myspace.com/shadowkabinet


Steve Somerset, AKA The Shadow Kabinet, deserves to take his place among the distinguished company of several English ’60s- inspired psych-pop


troubadours. If you are so inclined you can detect in his music traces of Bowie, Syd, Donovan, Ray Davies, Robyn Hitchcock, XTC, Martin Newell and a score of lesser lights, but such influence-spotting is to miss the point. Mr Somerset excels at inventive and romantic tunes on which he plays and sings everything. The songs are simply too good to be derivative; fans of the artists mentioned above will really enjoy this CD. There are some wry observations on ‘Office Life’ and ‘Trouble And Strife’ and a gentle humour is at work on ‘Bad Hair Day’ and the nifty instrumental ‘Tabla Motown’. Another instro, ‘Surfing On The Shadows’ is a twanging, rumbling guitar-fest. One of the strongest tunes, ‘The Strings Of Her Sitar’ contains no sitars at all. With 19 songs and a running time


of over 79 minutes, the finer points of this excellent album are best appreciated in smaller doses. Phil Suggitt


THE SOUNDCARRIERS Harmonium Melodic CD www.melodic.co.uk


Citing “Tropicalia, Bollywood, European folk, ’50s surf and exotica” as their influences and talking freely of “psychedelia”, Nottingham’s Soundcarriers


present an album of dense, trippy, hypnotic and downright groovy (in a 1969 exploitation movie love scene kinda way) tunes that update the ’60s experimental easy/electronica mash-ups of The United States Of America, Fifty Foot Hose and Free Design with captivating results. Flutes, tablas, analogue keyboards


and Leslied male/female vocals snake across floral drum/bass grooves that recall Ennio Morricone and Gabor Szabo far more than they do Stereolab, Broadcast and their ilk. The whole thing was done on analogue equipment so the sound should appeal to retro pop and psychedelia snobs too. Hell, they even manage to sound like The Strawberry Alarmclock covering The Byrds’ ‘I See You’ on ‘Caught By The Sun’! Riveting.


Andy Morten 77


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