NEW
THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE Sound City Beat Chiswick CD
The Radiators From Space emerged from Dublin in 1977 with a single, ‘Television Screen’, for the fledgling indie label, Chiswick
Records. Thirty five years later and they’re back on the label with their forth studio album, Sound City Beat, a collection of garage/punk anthems recorded originally by some of Ireland’s rock ’n’ roll pioneers. Sound City Beat is more than a
homage to the bands that influenced the Radiators, it’s a comprehensive review of the roots of Irish rock that fuses the well known (Them’s ‘Gloria’) with the obscure (The Blue Aces’ ‘That’s Alright’). It’s obvious the Radiators love this kind of music; they rip through an impeccable song selection with all the enthusiasm of a band half their age. Their knack of recreating the feel of ’60s beat music is only marred by a too polished production; a lo-fi approach to recording would have helped their authenticity no end. John Blaney
SEID Among The Monster Flowers Again Sulatron LP
Originally released in 2002, this Norwegian band had clearly been indulging in some exotic types of fungus and perhaps
the odd toadstool to create this offbeat gem. Playing a mix of krautrock, prog, psych and general weirdness, the atmosphere they create is winsome Middle Earth beardedness in excelsis with ubiquitous intriguing moments throughout. Chock full of fuzz guitar, tripped-out
lyrics and Arabesque guitar lines, this album truly conjures a lysergic atmosphere and occasionally achieves real beauty in its extended jams. It’s similar in scope to UK prog weirdos Cranium Pie and recommended to fans thereof. For me personally, though I enjoyed this
release, I don’t know how much replay value it has. Something about the Tomorrow-esque “mushroom-pixie” vibe didn’t quite chime with me but I’m sure there are plenty of Shindiggers who’ll disagree. This is the first release for the album on vinyl in a limited edition of 500. Austin Matthews
SHEETAH ET LES WEISSMULLER Evolution Francaise Disconfusion LP/CD Somewhat less strident than their debut for Screaming Apple, Evolution Francaise, is billed as a psychedelic album. It certainly
opens and closes strongly as such. The sitar is a major part of both ‘Acid Toxic’ and ‘Suzanne Ouvre-Toi’, the latter indeed being a veritable magic carpet ride and a perfect closer. Sitar, tablas et al are
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present in other songs too and the majority of these 11 original compositions vary between the psychedelic swirls of ‘Lundisamedimanche’ and the crafted garage-pop sound of ‘Ying Yang Young’. Whilst none of these individually grab the attention at first, as a whole, they make a solid and well-considered beat with a tuneful vibe that draws the listener in. They are sung variously in French and English and feature horns and strings in various places. In the round, it’s an engaging and colourful journey and well worth a ride. Paul Martin
SMOKE FAIRIES Blood Speaks V2
The two elfish ladies that make up Smoke Fairies follow a lineage that dates back to Fairport Convention, Kate Bush and Clannad.
If the bluesy guitars of The White Stripes or Black Keys occasionally dominate, at the heart of the autobiographical Blood Speaks beats a form of ethereal Celtic folk that the mentioned artists embellished for the eras they inhabited. Smoke Fairies are firmly of the period that followed Jack White’s liberal dose of the blues. And indeed, in this mode they can often sound a little flat and uninspired, but when coming across like mid-70s Fleetwood Mac (‘Let Me Know’), British ’70s folk-rock (‘Awake’, equal parts Trees, Bush and Clannad), Americana (‘Daylight’) or singer-songwriter flavours (‘Hideaway’) they take on a shimmering form that is lost during their heavier laments. At times, however, the quavering voices, polite production and sameness of much of the material does equate to coffee shop music rather than the cerebrally altering state of mind that the similarly-influenced Trembling Bells can bring about. Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills
SPACE AGENCY Galactic Guitars: Best Of The Space Agency Tremolo CD
In the early ’60s, twang-driven guitar instrumentals were an essential part of rock ’n’ roll’s pre- Beatles tapestry, taken to fun space-
age extremes on TV pop shows by the likes of The Sputniks. The Space Agents recognised the reverbed-up twang as an art form to be taken further, shaping a new form of deranged dub in the process. Now guitarist Simon Jones, bassist Hiromi Fukuzawa and drummer Andrew Bowler are celebrating their tenth year by collecting highlights from their three out- of-prints albums into one CD. Many tracks, including ‘Galactic Guitars’
itself, seem possessed by the bastard mutant son of Dick Dale and Joe Meek, rogering The BBC Radiophonic Workshop with The Electric Prunes’ oscillator. Though cuts like ‘Clandestine’ and ‘Cyclone’ recall classic forms, the blender of spacey effects and bottomless reverb madness
they’re put through results in a new form of avant garde electronic weirdness. A stellar work of crazed, analogue
devotion. Kris Needs
SUPER DISTORTION Utopia International Pointy Bird CD Another
idiosyncratic bulletin on his own label from the fertile brain of Pete Bradley (AKA Man In Formaldehyde, Art
Giraffefungal). Named Super Distortion after the ’70s guitar hot-wiring gadget, the second album under that persona sees Pete singing, his rich and resonant guitar tones sweeping or blow-torching every track, whether the sweeping Eastern psych-drone of ‘Open’, buzzing along like a Turkish wrestler’s sandpaper jock strap on ‘Captain Impossible’ or pointing epic ballad ‘Beautiful Life’ at the heavens. If the last two tracks are optimum
cruise level psych-rockers (displaying nifty Farfisa organ tones), preceding outings traverse a wayward but powered up grab bag of whimsy (‘Think Only Good Things’), wackiness (‘Mr Spock’) and cerebral wig- out (‘Mind King’). Best thing about Bradley’s audacious aural expeditions is he has no rules or shame, but a mighty love of immortal musical forms and sense of surreal humour. Shindiggers could spontaneously
ejaculate. Kris Needs
THREE MINUTE TEASE Three Minute Tease Idiot CD This new trio features The Soft Boys/Egyptians’ rhythm section behind cult loon Anton Barbeau on 10 fluttering pop-
psych psalms. ‘Love Is Onion’ may feature the world’s first backwards mellotron (Nick ‘Bevis Frond’ Saloman’s on there too), ‘Milkko II’ finds a nostalgic John Lennon singing a misheard Hot Chocolate lyric, and ‘Dust Beneath My Wings’ is a heart-lifting love song. Of course, Ant’s surreal sense of humour permeates everything and pure powerpop is the order of the day. Who else could get us humming about onions, potatoes, pot brownies, apples, alien angels and the sensual pleasure of pie? Ant’s released about 20 gems like this
over the past two decades, so if you’ve never experienced his musical cornucopia, this is a good place to jump in and enjoy the water. Fans of intellectual pop with a side order of Julian Cope or Robyn Hitchcock will find this right up their alley. Jeff Penczak
THE TIME & SPACE MACHINE Taste The Lazer TIRK CD
Although first making his name with ’90s dance titans The Grid, Richard Norris revealed his lifelong psych obsession in the Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve project with DJ Erol Alkan. The Time & Space Machine, set to blast this year’s festivals
The rough-hewn American voice of the ‘Bonnie’ Prince and his untamed Frontier appearance up against the stained pureness of the classically trained singer Lavinia Blackwell and her embodiment of a Thomas Hardy heroine have something of Don Segal’s haunting 1971 Clint Eastwood vehicle The Beguiled about them – that notion of the underlying battles of the male and female, fraught and brimming with carnal sexuality and deception.
Centred around the distinctive duets the songs consistently deliver: ‘I Can Tell You’re Leaving’ follows a relationship break-up in call and response with an old- timey feel recalling the experiments The Incredible String Band were undertaking at Island in the early ’70s; Dorothy Parker’s poem ‘Excursion Into Assonance’ features a beautifully refrained Prince vocal over haunting piano and strings and, again, the Prince shines on ‘Love Is A Velvet Noose’ – sheer classic American songbook, not unlike prime Parks and Newman. To close the portentous free folk of (Billy/Oldham’s former band) The Palace Brothers’ ‘Riding’ is tackled in Trembling Bells style with Mike Hastings’ guitar driving the piece’s claustrophobia whilst Robin Gibbs’ surreal ‘Lord Bless All’ (from his solo ’70 album Robin’s Reign) is reinvigorated to spectacular effect. A dazzling album, which defies description, yet follows the boundary- breaking of the original psychedelic era. Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills
with its retina-frying light show, takes that fixation back to the original spirit of blowing minds and emotional catharsis, carrying on where
2010’s debut, Set Phazer To Stun, left off, this time constructed like a proper night out. Although straddling a disparate variety
of styles, the core of Norris’ heady musical narrative plants a widescreen array of hallucinogenic melodic textures and dreamy vocals over NEU!-like motorik rhythms, veering between the dancefloor and earth’s core. The title of the single, ‘Pill Party In India’, only hints at the unearthly delights in store, although Out of My Head might have been a worthy title for this decided Album Of The Year contender. Kris Needs
TREMBLING BELLS FEATURING ‘BONNIE’ PRINCE BILLY The Marble Downs Honest Jons
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