Vinyl Round-Up

Over the last couple of months I’ve purchased quite a bit of vinyl;  some classic reissues, some limited coloured vinyl and several one-off releases from new bands still trying to break through. I spent yesterday listening to most of it, so I thought a review was due.

Mumford & Sons “The Cave” : There’s been a lot of hype over the last few months about these guys. You may remember that I gave them a reasonable review in my Field Day post (Field Day – Review), my only complaint being the overwhelming number of students present! This is my first Mumford & Sons purchase and it follows the purchase of the Laura Marling album “I Speak Because I Can”. The Laura Marling CD came with a bonus DVD which reintroduced me to this band. (They have a strong association, Mumford & Sons often supporting Laura Marling when she plays live). So, interest piqued, I bought the single! Two tracks; The Cave and Untitled. Apparently The Cave is a live favourite, which in places hints at Arcade Fire. Both tracks are fantastic slices of new-folk. The use of banjo on both tracks adds a tinge of Americana to their sound, but they are deeply English. Untitled is an epic track, undeservedly a b-side. I’ve ordered the album on the strength of this single. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.

http://www.mumfordandsons.com/

Chapel Club “O Maybe I” : I knew nothing about this band until I bought the single. Apparently they formed in London in 2008 and they’re a rock-indie band. I’m confused by this single. The a-side, O Maybe I, sounds like a weak attempt at a Morrissey rip-off. Very strange because the b-side Machine Music is completely different. A much harder slice of indie-rock, definite Krautrock/Radiohead influences. Mrs P was surprised that it was the same band. I had to agree. I doubt I’ll be buying anything else from these guys. Nice try. Editors-wannabees.

http://chapelclub.com/

The Heartbreaks “Liar, My Dear” : The cover has a picture of a 99-er. (That’s a British ice-cream cone with a Cadburys Flake chocolate stuck in it). The back cover has a photo of a desolate, down-at-heel ice-cream booth. The sort you see on the sea-front in decaying Edwardian British holiday towns….like Morecambe. Recently famous for cockle-picking-carnage, soon to be famous for The Heartbreaks. I like this single. And yes, they are indeed from Morecambe. I can’t remember any other bands from Morecombe; Soft Cells Dave Ball, Section 25 and Tunnelvision were all from Blackpool which is close. But I’m sure local town rivalries demand that comparisons stop there. The choice of Section 25 and Tunnelvision is deliberate. There’s a definite post-punk vibe going on with The Heartbreaks, but there’s also a mining of a rich, deep musical seam. You can here traces of Motown and definitely Northern Soul. These chaps must have great record collections! There’s a lovely little Malcolm Ross/Orange Juice segue towards the end of the main track. Ones to watch. Think Creation at its best, before it was hijacked by the Man City brothers. Bodines. Railway Children. Superb.

http://www.myspace.com/heartbreaksband

Stornoway “I Saw You Blink” : New 4AD signings. I’m a bit disappointed that they’re not Scottish! But that’s my only criticism. This single is really good. Mrs. P described the a-side as ‘folky Buddy Holly’. I know what she means. There’s definately a folk-vibe to the two tracks on this single. But this is first and foremost good indie-pop. It brings to mind Camera Obscura in parts. Look, forget comparisons. This is good quality song-crafting. It’s fun. I have no idea what the new album will sound like, but I’ll be buying it!

http://www.myspace.com/stornoway

http://www.4ad.com/stornoway/

Two quicker reviews now…. Errors “A Rumour In Africa” – You should know by now that I like Errors. Like them a lot. Just like I like Tunng, who have just released “Hustle”. Both singles are stunning. The Errors release almost trumps most of the releases here purely because it appeals my love of meaningless aesthetics – it’s on red and yellow coloured vinyl! Watch that baby spin. Great.

Moon Duo “Love On The Sea” – Trumps Errors. It’s 12″ of pure white vinyl. The band is made up of Erik Johnson from Wooden Shjips, and Sanae Yamada. The reference point to Wooden Shjips is evident. They cite Silver Apples, Suicide and Cluster as influences. This is exactly what you’d expect. A fuzzed out sonic assault resplendent with lock grooves and repetitive two-note mantras. I remember (a long time ago) listening to Themes For Grind by Will Sergeant and  experiencing recorded sonics merging with the ambient sounds of the room, the same thing happened here with E-Z Street Ext which (doesn’t) terminate in a whistling lock-groove. This is sonic-food for Heads. I’ll have to add these guys to my watch list. Wooden Shjips…. come on, this had to be stunning.

http://www.myspace.com/moonduo

Guanaco± “Sky Burials” – Little information. Low budget packaging. Highest quality end-product. I had no idea what to expect. I did put it on with some hesitancy. It won me (and Mrs. P) over very quickly. It’s completely instrumental, predominantly guitar driven drone/psyche. Brilliant. I can feel a google frenzy coming on.

http://olbasnoise.wordpress.com/guanaco-%C2%B1/

Speed, Glue and Shinki “Eve” – Don’t like. Stoner rock. It just didn’t do anything for me. They were a Japanese psychedelic rock band from the early 1970s. Why I bought this I don’t know. I suspect a Julian Cope Japrock curiosity purchase. I’ll probably give it another try, but at the moment it’s going to get filed under “Nah”.

On to the gem. The reissued “The Wicker Man Soundtrack” on orange vinyl. This soundtrack has legendary status, no only because it’s a great soundtrack but because it’s a landmark release in early 1970s psyche-folk. Take a look at the wiki page. This album is a defining moment in British rock history, it’s continuing influence on new artists is a reflection of it’s quality. Every home should own this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man_soundtrack

So, finally got to the end of yesterdays vinyl extravaganza. Cheers. P.

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~ by pwdxb on May 1, 2010.