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March 2020 = |
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Kathleen
Yearwood and Trappist Afterland |
Andrew Hawkey |
Mark McDowell
& Friends |
Dodson & Fogg |
Pete Astor |
Close
Lobsters |
Ed McGinley |
Jon Brookes |
Ontalva
and Vespero |
Jonas
Munk |
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TRAPPIST
AFTERLAND WITH KATHLEEN YEARWOOD – HIGH IN THE
FOOTHILLS C/W ARID TRAVELS
Limited edition lathe-cut 7” on Future
Grave
Reverb Worship have carved out a cottage
industry for themselves by specializing in
limited edition (typically 50-100 copies)
releases in a very Terrascopic vein (Primordial
Undermind, Kawabata Makoto,
Magic Carpathians, and Kitchen Cynics
have been previously honoured). Future Grave is
their new imprint that will specialize in
limited edition lathe cut vinyl and focus in the
Wyrdfolk genre. This first release of 50 is
already sold out. A 33⅓ 7” single, it marks an
hallucinatory collaboration between Australian
acid folk wyrdies Trappist Afterland (music) and
Canadian experimental folk singer/lyricist
Kathleen Yearwood. Fans of the former will be
right at home with the dreamy mood of ‘High In
The Foothills’, it’s banjo-driven foundation
combining with tinkling bells, assorted
percussive Trappist trappings and Yearwood’s
faraway voices that evoke the gentle folk of
Sharron Kraus or Ellen Mary Harris of Saint Joan
fame. Eerie, ghostly, and hauntingly
heart-racing.
Banjo is also centre stage at the
spoken/sung tale wherein Yearwood airs various
thoughts on ‘Arid Travels’. It flitters
heavenward amidst cheerio whistling and
meandering melodies and an occasional off-key
vocal that’s endearing and rather memorable in
spite of itself.
(Jeff
Penczak)
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ANDREW
HAWKEY - LONG STORY SHORT
(CD/
DL
Available from Mole
Lodge
Records )
Well,
this
is a nice surprise, another album from Andrew
Hawkey, it took 40 years for his first and this
one only took him five years to complete!
It follows on from his 2015 album What
Did I Come Up Here For, which I reviewed
at the time. Andrew, now in his seventies, has
been living in deepest rural Wales for a good
few years now and has recorded this new album at
a studio in Powys with his good friend Jeb Loy
Nichols’s principle band member Clovis Phillips,
who handles most of the guitar work. Andrew
himself plays 12 string guitar, piano, organ and
vocals.
All
the
songs bar “The Believer” (Bob Carpenter) and
“You Know” by Zoe Llani Spencer, are written by
Andrew. His last album was full of quiet,
reflective songs, very much influenced by the
passing of time and this album continues on in
the same vein.
“Dear
Friend”
the opening song is gently grizzled and sees his
world weary soft vocals framed by the backing
vocals by Bel Merriman and Penny Joubert.
“Golden Heart” is a lilting country rock song,
enlivened by David Rothon’s pedal steel guitar
playing. “Painter” is a finely observed song, a
no time to stop and stare song with Andrew’s 12
string acoustic guitar and double tracked
vocals. “Spirit” up next is a beautiful ballad,
essentially about a reignited spark; this one
had ethereal backing vocals by Zoe Spencer.
“A
Little
More”, is a beautifully observed ecological
song, with some tasty guitar work and drifting
organ, this ecological theme is alluded to on a
number of the subsequent songs. Bob Carpenter’s
“The Believer” has long held a fascination with
him and he delivers a poignant version, the song
has some terrific lines like ‘my dearest friends
are total strangers’ and ‘a dream of a meadow,
where I may lie in frosty sunlight, all between
the earth’s grey shadow’.
Next
there
follows a warm Memphis shuffle, with plenty of
organ, electric piano and Reggie Young style
guitar, in which the classic Muscle Shoals
studio sound is replicated in a studio in Wales.
“You Knew” is a pretty ballad full of longing,
underpinned by brushed drums, organ and lead
guitar. Setting things up nicely for “Stony
Land” a terrific post apocalyptic flee to higher
ground nightmare of a song, up there where the
eagle flies, embellished with touches of
atmospheric bruised guitar. ‘Mama’s at the pot,
boiling up some roots’, tasty. This excellent
new album ends with the short title track “Long
Story Short”, a gentle ballad concerning our old
friends Mother Earth and a Father Time.
(Andrew
Young)
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MARK
MCDOWELL AND FRIENDS - BREAKTHROUGH
(Vinyl/CD/DL
https://markmcdowell.bandcamp.com
)
Dark
Weave,
Mark’s last album released in 2017 was one of my
favourite albums from 2017 and this one is, I
think, even better, being more of a solid band
effort. This album features a lot more synth and
the vocals are stronger too.
Kicking
off
with “People Like Us” a sprightly opening song
which features the Minilogue synthesiser in full
string mode, a great mix of electronics and
acoustics. “Wedlocked”, follows this with a more
acoustic singer songwriter song, but again with
a few electronics thrown in. “Give a the Gods”,
ups the tempo with an electro pop song, before a
couple of fine instrumentals hove into view,
title track “Breakthrough” a sort of wicker-folk
song, overrun with plenty of bleeping and
“Strastreamer”.
“Breakthrough”
announces
itself with whooshing synth, ala Tim Blake
Stylee, with some burnished guitar notes added,
before things settle down with a steady motorik
rhythm underpinning everything, allowing the
synth plenty of room to fracture off into the
atmosphere, great track this, ace.
“Starstreamer”, (the other instrumental which
follows this), is lilting song, again heavy on
the synth, but more eastern sounding, rich with
droning Bouzouki and other exotic stringed
instruments. I think on the vinyl edition they
would be separated with “Breakthrough” ending
side one and “Starstreamer” at the start of side
two.
“Sit
13”,
is up next, this is a reasonably straightforward
jangly pop- rock song, with a nice descending
rhythm and exposed nerve guitar. “First Light”,
reminds me a little in the vocal department of
Alasdair MacLean from The Clientele, another
reference in his vocal sound I think would be Al
Stewart. “De Facto (Ode To Arthur Lee)”, follows
this, a calliope rhythm introduces this song,
which is rich with keyboards and acoustics, plus
a dash of fuzz guitar. The 40 minute album ends
with “Wedding Song” a mix of all that has gone
before, with a few violin lines added into the
mix. This is an excellent album pretty much a
perfect mix of electronics and acoustics.
(Andrew
Young)
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DODSON
AND FOGG – WAITING EP
(Available on Wisdom
Twins)
The prolific Chris Wade opens 2020 with
this thematic EP based around walking and
waiting. ‘Living Proof’ is an acoustic strummer
sauntering along a dreamy path through the
forest, with touches of mandolins, keyboards and
accordion (?) along the way. ‘Keep Coming Home’
ups the electrical quotient, with double-tracked
vocals just this side of ‘Sympathy For The
Devil’’s “woo-hoos”, a strategically-placed solo
to ratchet up the blood pressure and Wade’s
signature head-nodding melody that sticks around
long after the coda.
Another
tasty
solo splices through ‘Wondering What Waits For
Me’ and the final three “walking” tracks kick up
the energy level to encourage an enthusiastic
stroll outdoors, literally in the case of the
jaunty ‘You Should Take A Walk Outside’. A jolly
little marching tune with a slight country air,
it’s sure to put a little pep in your step!
‘Walking Hand In Hand’ nods in Young’s Harvest/After The Gold Rush direction for another lighthearted country-ish
dreamaway that should also appeal to the West
Coast singer/songwriter contingent, from Jackson
Browne and Dan Fogelberg to the latest
whippersnappers, a la Jonathan Wilson. Closing
instrumental ‘The Morning Walk’ is a bit more
tentative, easing into navel-gazing ruminative
areas, with more tasty, crystalline Garcia-like
soloing dueling with acoustic ballets floating
along on cumulous clouds. It seems to end rather
abruptly, so perhaps a revisit may be in store
in the future to expand the themes into full-on
mind-melting mode!
(Jeff Penczak)
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PETE ASTOR – YOU
MADE ME
Faux Lux/Gare du Nord/ www.garedunordrecords.comLP/CD/DL
Pete
Astor is a man with a vast array of past
projects, groups and solo albums already behind
him and now releases an album of cover versions.
His first release was back in 1884 with The
Loft, I believe, he then played with The Weather
Prophets, The Wisdom Of Harry and Ellis
Island sound to name a few. This is Pete’s
eighth solo album now, releasing them through a
variety of labels like Static Caravan and
Fortuna Pop amongst others.
His
hand picked band for these tunes consists of
Dave Tattersall, Andy Lewis, Pam Berry, Sean
Read and Nina Walsh with Pete and Ian Button
producing.
Billy
Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’ kicks things off
with a fuzzy guitar infested indie song, a
light motorik beat and glammy guitars driving
things along nicely. Next comes a lightly Latin
flavoured cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Black Star’
the title of which is said to be the inspiration
for David Bowie’s final album. ‘Chained To
An Idiot’ is the only original song on the album
dating from 1974! It tells of a smitten teenager
chained to his needs. Cat Power’s‘Manhattan’ is
next, a classic tale of lost love that I wasn’t
familiar with until this record, I can see the
attraction, it’s a definite earworm of a
tune. ‘Nitcomb’ is a lesser known song by Joe
Strummer and recorded by him with
his Mescaleros, I remember having to have a few
of these nit combing sessions at my old school
in the early seventies. Richard Thompson’s
classic motor bike song ‘Vincent Black
Lightning’ follows this, a fairly
straightforward (although definitely
worthwhile)rendition that moves along nicely.
Here’s
a surprise, John Martyn’s song about Nick Drake
‘Solid Air’ is next and works very well, some
tasty electric guitar and a cool rockin’ rhythm
section, to try to replicate his echoed guitar
fills we have some tasty wah-wah with hints of
echo. Back over to the states now with Pete’s
cover of The Replacements song ‘Can’t Hardly
Wait’ a song ostensibly about longing, of being
away on tour itching to get back home. Conor
O’Brien’s song for his recording project
Villagers is another winner, catchy and
heartfelt, a lover’s rock. David Berman’s song
‘Suffering Jukebox’ for his band Silver Jews
follows this and is another album highlight, it
also has some fine guitar action from Neil Scott
(Felt and Denim). It tells of the record machine
in the corner breaking down and pouring out
heartfelt emotions. The record ends with Loudon
Wainwright’s moving ‘One Man Guy’. Pete has
chosen some unusual songs here and some that are
new to me, it’s well played and sung and well
worth seeking out.
(Andrew
Young)
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CLOSE
LOBSTERS – “POST NEO
ANTI: ARTE POVERA IN THE FOREST OF SYMBOLS”
(Available on Last
Night From Glasgow)
More than three decades after their
previous album, Paisley’s power poppy purveyors
of jingly jangly loveliness return with that
long-awaited follow-up to 1989’s Headache
Rhetoric, a swan song that thankfully was
not to be! Coaxed out of retirement in 2012,
several Popfest appearances followed (Madrid,
Berlin, New York, Copenhagen) in the run-up to
their comeback “Kunstwerk In Spacetime” EP in
2014, followed by the “Desire and Signs” EP the
following year (all four tracks comprise Side
B).
‘All
Compasses Go Wild’ could have been recorded 30
years ago, its incessant earwig melody placing
all comers back in those heady ‘80s when
foxheads stalked the land kissing flowers in
bloom and skyscrapers set the knees a-tramblin’.
‘The Absent Guest’ is even better, delivering
heart-fluttering smiles and fond memories of
like-minded pop perfections from the likes of
Robyn Hitchcock, Candyskins, TV Personalities,
and the glorious Weddoes.
‘Godless’
and
‘Let The Days Drift Away’ feel all set to be the
next big anthemic singalongs, lighters akimbo
and arms swaying to the heavens. The Clobbers
are back with a vengeance, storming into your
hearts and minds with one of the best releases
we’ve heard this year.
Close
observers
will also appreciate having the EP tracks close
(sorry!) to hand to complete the package of
post-breakup releases, but the new material is
as fresh and exciting as the first time we were
blown away by ‘Just Too Bloody Stupid’ kicking
off their debut with a rousing surf riff and
snappy backbeat morphing into a jingle-jangle
ramble that announced a talented bunch of
Paisley poppers were ready to take on all
comers. Welcome back, lads! Now about that
title….
(Jeff
Penczak)
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ED
McGINLEY – TANGLED ROOTS AND TWISTED TALES
Sonic
Justice Records
www.edmcginley.com
CD/DL
A
very nice album has just arrived for review, and
unusually for this column, was actually released
last year.
When
a songwriter of the calibre of Bill Fay
recommends an artist then I sit up and listen.
Bill has been saying how much he likes Ed’s
cover version of his song Cannon’s Plain on this
album and tips him as a real talent.
Ed
was leader in The Winters and has also played
guitar and written songs for The Dixons.
Featuring a core band of players the album is
firmly in the singer/songwriter tradition with
the music touching on folk, country and blues.
The band consists of Kevin Malone: drums, Garvan
Gallagher: bass, James Delaney: organ, Darragh
O’Kelly: piano, electric piano and harpsichorgan
with Ed himself playing acoustic and electric
guitars, organ and vocals.
‘The
Curse of the Midnight Special’ the opening track
has a cool descending riff some tremendous
drifting organ. ‘Tattoo on my Heart’ is a tender
bruised love song with nice brass touches. Tim
Hardin’s song ‘Shiloh Town’ sees Ed and band
(augmented with banjo and fiddle) relocate to
Appalachia giving the song a slight bluegrass
flavour. ‘Highlands’ is a beautiful ballad,
decorated with pedal steel played by Percy
Robinson. ‘For the Last Time This Year’ is a
terrific song, rumination’s on the passing
seasons, tethered to emotions and situations,
with some tasty organ and electric guitar fills.
Next
sees a well placed cover of Hank William’s
classic mournful song ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could
Cry’ which here is introduced by a low key
funereal brass fanfare, some bluesy electric
guitar licks and taken at a slow pace, I love
nightjars and Hank sings of the haunting sound
of the whippoorwill (which is basically the
American variety) in this song. ‘Long Ago and
Far Away’ has more pedal steel and is a timeless
tale of relocating and memories, nice organ and
a cool percolating rhythm section. ‘The Willow
and the Oak’ is slightly folkier in nature, a
sad tale of a drowned girl, the seasons change,
tangled roots and twisted tales. ‘You’re Never
Coming Back’ follows and its best to have a box
of tissues handy as it tugs at the old
heartstrings big time, it also has some nice
brass touches, electric piano and keening pedal
steel. The album ends with the aforementioned
cover of Bill Fay’s ‘Cannon’s Plain’.
(Andrew Young)
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JON
BROOKS
– HOW TO GET TO SPRING
Clay
Pipe www.claypipemusic.co.uk
LP/DL
Jon
Brooks and Clay Pipe have had a fruitful
relationship; this is his fourth record with the
label. The artist and label both sharing a
similar ethos across a number of albums, and
they fit together like hand in glove.
‘Fonn’,
the album's opening song is a pastoral delight,
the drifting dreamy tones of a mellotron, piano,
percussion, plus acoustic guitar, all find a
place to weave together into a beautiful opening
track, it’s drowsy and bucolic. ‘A Lesson on
Attachment’ twinkles into life, echoes and
flanged guitars sending out probes, I wasn’t
expecting the big drum sound to arrive but it
kicks the song into life, anchored by deep bass,
synths squiggle about throughout, again its
quite dreamlike. Funnily enough the next song is
entitled ‘Dreaming And Further Still’, where
things start off slowly, before the melody
establishes itself, some nice found sounds
appear, old crackles and windup toys; again
beautiful piano notes are dropped like dust
motes caught in the light.
‘Dandelion
Clock’ spins around to a cyclical three note
melody, sequencers and synth dominating as the
track progresses, joined by drums and bass which
drive the track forward. I’m reminded of the
sound of Tangerine Dream a little. ‘Siorraidh’,
again has more drum than I was expecting, and
the bass sound is very deep, all the various
components complement each other highlighting
the melody. The start of ‘Neist Point’ is
slightly menacing, all sepia keyboard tones,
like some old thriller film music; this then
becomes the melody around which the song
revolves. ‘Well Then’, has a simple melody,
pretty and descending, it is joined as the song
progresses by all sorts of instruments, pulsing
and flashing. The final song on this 40 minute
instrumental album, is the title track ‘How to
get to Spring’. I love a bit of bird song and
this one has plenty, it’s another elegant,
bucolic, peach of a track, a dreaming in Albion,
we hear the distant ringing of synthesised
bells, a collective sigh in the warming breeze,
nothing is hurried and it gently unfurls like a
new leaf in spring. Another cracking release
from Jon and another must have Clay Pipe
release.
(Andrew Young)
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ÁNGEL
ONTALVA & VESPERO
- SADA
(CD/Digital
on OCTOBERXART
Records)
Sada
is the second studio collaboration between
Spanish guitarist Ángel Ontalva and beloved
Russian space-prog-jazz-psych geniuses Vespero.
The two previously broke ground on 2018’s
‘Carta Marina,’ which in turn led to the live
album ‘Sea Orm Liventure’ before this latest
work. Clearly, they have a good thing going, and
they bring out the best in each other.
(There’s even a new album, ‘Shaman Rock,’
featuring just Ontalva and Vespero’s bass/synth
player Ark Fedotov, for some dialed back guitar
and atmospheric moods). I
strongly recommend ALL of these albums.
Ontalva and Vespero make a superb
combination. Their
works - all instrumental - remind me a great
deal of Mahavishnu Orchestra.
So kindle your inner mounting flame and
come along for the ride.
Ontalva
is a gifted, passionate composer and guitarist.
He’s also a very talented artist, his
work including Sada’s cover art.
Although the guys knew each other from
mutual R.A.I.G. records days, it was actually an
Ontalva art exhibition in Vespero’s home town of
Astrakhan that finally led to their first
sessions and the Carta Marina album.
(I love when performers cross over into
the other arts. OK
maybe not William Shatner.)
Vespero shows great versatility in
adapting their sound for Ontalva.
What we hear is a bit less spacy and more
prog for them. But
since we are talking about musical virtuosos
each and every one, they are fully up to the
challenge. And
it definitely contains their trademark musical
thrill rides through musical peaks, valleys and
hairpin turns.
It
proved to be somewhat of the “difficult second
album” (as a collaborating team at least).
I was a bit surprised to see that
revelation from members of Vespero, masters of
some extremely complex music.
But according to bass and synth player
Ark Fedotov, more of the music on Sada is
composed by Ontalva than the group
improvisation-based Carta Marina.
It is deeply personal music for Ontalva,
straight from the heart and soul, and required
Vespero to go outside their comfort zone.
I
mentioned Mahavishnu Orchestra, but there are
also moments that sound like Steve Hackett on
‘Selling England by the Pound’ or “Los Endos”
from ‘A Trick of the Tail.’
And when you think a track is mellow
jazz, it will veer off into high-paced prog.
Or when you’re settled into a prog-based
passage, Vespero just might launch you back into
outer space to ponder the cosmos, with Ontalva
zigging and zagging the damn ship with an
impassioned jazz guitar lead.
Everyone
here is firing on all cylinders instrumentally.
Ontalva is a brilliant, emotional
guitarist who can combine technical virtuosity
with soul and passion.
Vespero uses what I call their “secret
weapon,” violinist Vitaly Borodin.
Every time Borodin enters the picture, he
lifts up the song to the skies and beyond,
casting his warm glow of light on the melody.
There are some priceless little moments
of Borodin on violin and guitarists Ontalva and
Vespero’s Alexander Kuzolvlev playing off one
another (“Theme for Sada,” “Futari Kiri”).
The rhythm section of the Fedotov
brothers, Ark on bass and Ivan on drums,
generates tremendous power, with Ivan’s drumming
especially more dynamic than ever.
Keyboard player Alexey Klabukov expertly
fills in spaces in this guitar-dominated album.
My
favorite track is the finale, “Futari Kiri.”
It’s a real tour-de-force, full of light
and shade, with all sorts of eddies and
currents, with everybody contributing his best.
Sada
is a tremendous work of style and energy, with
Ángel Ontalva and Vespero contributing visions
of jazz and prog mastery.
It’s a bountiful guitar lover’s dream,
inscribed equally by brush strokes of colorful
starbursts and inner journeys.
Long may they continue their musical
paintings.
(Mark
Feingold)
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JONAS
MUNK – MINIMUM RESISTANCE
(LP/CD/Digital
on Azure Vista Records)
Jonas
Munk has many musical
identities. The
Odense, Denmark native is
lead guitarist of stoner psych gods Causa Sui;
he’s made many solo albums over
the years, both under the moniker Manual and in
his own name; he’s collaborated
with artists such as Nicklas Sorensen, Kanaan,
Ulrich Schnauss, and Billow
Observatory; he runs two record labels – El
Paraiso Records, in which he shares
duties with fellow Causa Suigian Jakob Skott,
and his own Azure Vista Records;
and finally, he’s a talented producer and
recording engineer.
He’s a very busy man.
If
your entre into Minimum
Resistance is Munk’s psych guitar brilliance
with Causa Sui, you’ll be
surprised – but not in a bad way – as this is an
electronic ambient record, and
an outstanding one, which is part and parcel of
Munk’s solo oeuvre.
The sounds on Minimum Resistance may seem
like they were made by keyboard synths, but the
majority is actually processed
guitars and effects.
I
want to tell you how I
listened to Minimum Resistance, because it had a
profound effect.
I listened in the car, on one of the last
days where working at home due to the horrific
Coronavirus was still
recommended, but not yet mandatory for many, so
workplaces and towns were in an
eerie limbo of partial capacity, more empty than
full. It
was a chilly, overcast day.
The roads were nearly empty.
Businesses in town were closed.
The usual yellow school buses were
missing,
their children home, possibly for the rest of
the term, even before the spring.
Parking lots looked like they would at 3
am. The
trees had not yet started
budding leaves, their limbs looking like
Nosferatu’s claws waving in the breeze.
A brisk wind whipped through farm fields
in
the grey morning.
It
was in this environment, in
this mood, that Jonas Munk’s atmospheric,
chilling electronic ambience laid down
a cinematic soundtrack never to be forgotten.
Even the silence between tracks seems to
be just a few beats longer than
normal, as if to pause and reflect, which made
me think of our increased hand
washing and cleansing, and how it adds just a
little more empty but necessary time
to our daily lives.
While I’m sure Munk
didn’t set out to create dystopian incidental
music for a pandemic (the album
was recorded before all this misery arrived), it
hits a nerve and strikes a
mood for the times.
Minimum Resistance
manages to be both stark - minimalistic, yet
full of sound and color, albeit a
drained or faded color, at the same time.
It evokes a late winter scene.
The
ten tracks average about five minutes apiece,
just right, and never overstay
their welcome. This
isn’t New Age navel
gazing. It
has a quiet, stately
beauty. While
it doesn’t really plow any
new musical ground, the music is very appealing,
very soothing. You
want to keep listening to it, and then
you want to hear some more.
An indelible
piece of work.
While
we’re on the subject of
ambient instrumental, please go listen to the
new one-off track “Scene Suspended”
by Jon Hopkins.
This melancholy song
takes a completely different tack than Jonas
Munk. It’s
a solo piano piece, developed from an
improvisation Hopkins did during a January
performance at the Sydney Opera
House. There’s
some tasteful violin accompaniment
(played by Emma Smith), and the whole thing’s
achingly gorgeous.
Be
well.
(Mark
Feingold)
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