LIDO - Sagan Megadrive - EP Review

Deep in the heart of the North-East last August, a new four-track EP was brought to life at the Ginger Music Company, out of the fevered mind of Chris Minnis, the sole console of Sagan Megadrive. Though live, you might see him working his nimble fingers around an acoustic guitar with a Casio keyboard in tow, on record he is fully fledged with special guests filling a spectrum of sound.

LIDO kicks off with The Quest For Coal. Minnis’ progressive tendencies are instantly laid bare with an 11/8 bluesy electric guitar riff. We are then swiftly taken to a complimentary section replete with bouncing brass. Theme and variations continue, until a spookiness is toyed with later in the track; synth wobbles over stabbing chords. Finally, a euphoric lydian lead line transports our journey back into the light and the main theme. It certainly feels like we have got closer to the coal by the end. This track also has a video full of eclectic and amusing imagery (including laughing masks and a dragon) all montaged and crudely edited together. Seek it out - It compliments the vision well.   

Next up, with an opening fanfare, is a musical response to a Doom Cheat “…to Dissemble and Smoke Berserk Pack Pts 1- 3.” This instrumental chops dramatically between feels and beats. If Queen influences were not suspected previously, halfway through this track we are treated to a harmonised distorted exposition in the identifiably May-school of guitar playing.  

Following on, bursting ahead of the music (with a glorious North-East accent,) is the lead vocal of the only sung song on the EP. Faces, in the Crowd jigs along with a glistening strummed acoustic guitar, supported by warm, and at times Gospel-style, backing vocals from Fiona Tobin. The dominant seventh chords rattle around until a swung bass groove takes the reigns, and steals the track away into strange synthesised sounds.
    

The EP concludes with the title track, and it is the most monstrous of the collection; with cacophonic instrumental harmonies and hyperactive drum patterns. It appears that Minnis’ outdoor swimming area is overpopulated with riotous attendees! As this EP concludes we are left with so much energy transferred to our ears from crashing white horses.

Each track sits between three and just-over five minutes in length (the EP itself just seventeen minutes) but with the flurry of ideas in each, each orchestrated part mixed crisply, you feel like you have ventured far, and heard many audio wonders.

Like visiting a theme park, LIDO will thrill you in the way it whisks you around, but will also draw a wry smile from your mouth as you catch a moment to observe some of its colourful aesthetic choices and references. It is bustling with fun, and Minnis does not ever let his perfectionism trick him into taking himself too seriously, and the compositions are freer for that. 

[2015.08.06] for NARC Magazine.

Hapsburg Braganza / Yeah You / Kieran Rafferty / Alright Lover - Live at The Globe, Newcastle

Upstairs at The Globe, gig-goers relax on the balcony in a bright Summer eve, whilst sound-checks are completed. On first, Alright Lover (Craig Pollard) starts on his knees, mildly neurotic, building prerecorded phrases with his sampler. These carefully constructed sounds underlie songs sung with fragility and angst.

You may have enjoyed Kieran Rafferty live before, with his impeccable voice of saxophone melodies and bright chordal tensions from his Fender. Tonight, our next act’s sound is expanded, as certain technologies divide the notes he plays on his Jaguar as part bass-simulation, part traditional electric guitar tones. Drum loops complete orchestration, and these new songs grip the room.

The only guarantee of Yeah You live is knowing you will be surprised, and that is a fantastic guarantee.The sonic organisms created tonight, from a square table of toys, are less volatile than many of their previous pieces. One light creature was born when a keyboard demonstration was accidentally triggered and then eaten up into their style of improvisation.

Due to the rhythmic energy of preceding acts, Hapsburg Braganza’s exquisite soundscape painting brought the feelings in the room safely to land for the night. Phil Begg started his set with a minute of eclectic snipped spoken quotations before embarking on a rich collage centrepiece of ambient sounds.

[2015.07.23] for NARC Magazine.

Fun Lovin’ Criminals / Artistas del Gremio - Live at The Gala Theatre, Durham

Billed as a headline event of the Durham Brass Festival, Huey and Chums were set to put a jewel in the crown at The Gala Theatre with their brand of schmoove, mob-inspired hip-hop. Entering the venue, this possibility seemed doubtful initially, as the auditorium felt palpably sparse as the night began.

Members of the all-brass support, Artistas del Gremio, crept onto stage like faux-timid pantomime pucks before unleashing a wealth of camp alongside masterfully rearranged covers, including Bohemian Rhapsody and I Feel Good. Perhaps their unapologetic monkeying around was a yin to our headliner’s yang. It certainly was an unlikely ECT start, but seemed to spark the hips of this almost exclusively young-in-the-90’s crowd; a shot of something present in the arm before nostalgic feelings could be satisfied.

The theatre had filled when The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, complete with their singer’s cheshire grin, arrived on the stage to joyous applause and kicked off with their winking protest song, King Of New York. Particular highlights of the night were Bombin’ The L and Up On The Hill. To add colour, and service the festival, a brass trio accompanied the band throughout.

This greatest hits show, though trapped in the pre-millenium glory days of the group, was enthusiastically performed and what was loved then, was lapped up now in an unlikely setting for New York grooves.

[2015.07.17] for NARC Magazine.

NARC Magazine Demo Reviews - July

10ft Tom / Austin Tweddle / Cactusman / Northern Horizon / Six Billion Monkeys

You’re on your own at the back of a smokey bar, drinking away the pain of a lifetime of bad decisions and troubled situations, feeling lost. Don’t worry. 10ft Tom (and his Leprosy Crooks?) are singing a lil’ rock’n’roll just for you with their song, People Like Us. The chord cycle in the verse rolls like a stone whilst our giant singer reads a register of dedications. The excitement as the band speeds up in the choruses is endearing, like a child taking you by the hand to show you a new painting they’ve drawn. As a single-finger keyboard string line is added to the orchestration, and the singer assures us we’re not alone, the song leaves the ground carrying the listener to a more hopeful place.

As our singer meanders through lyrics reflecting upon the complications of a femme fatale, Austin Tweddle’s appreciation for Sheffield’s LA Teddy Boys could do with being ever so slightly diluted. His lazy drawl is seamless and cool, and this modern noir is completed in Blueprints by a female backing vocal singing in unison at the choruses. The production is crisp and perfectly judged, allowing tastes such a modest tremolo part and a soulful distorted distant guitar to sit within the mix, embellishing without distracting. The track outros with a rally of repeated distorted guitar motifs as our Romeo’s frustration finally concedes and he begs for his beau’s ‘blueprints’ of the song’s namesake.

Cactusman certainly have a taste for the bittersweet in their song Death Of Me; from the teary lead electric guitar tone painting with arpeggios, to the rainy lead melody. Even the accompanying visual artwork to this song is a delicious extension of the mood, with its heart and death collage of mixed materials. Death Of Me classically combines the optimism of a recycling positive chord sequence and resigned and mournful lyrical content. When a female voice harmonises in the choruses, our lead singer’s mildly flat pitching is emphasised. Though certainly an imperfect flower, this ballad is the demo that glistens the most this month. Alongside entries that celebrate traditional forms,
this is no exception, but Death Of Me feels like a sudden expression that captures a mood instantly, and the band have had the wisdom not to mess with that.

The production does not get slicker this month than with Northern Horizon’s Miss Hopeless, a song psychically connecting the teen spirit of Ajax, Ontario at the turn of the millennium with the present adrenaline of five boys from the North East. Steve Waltl’s accent denies any British routes for a seamless brat American voice. His delivery and control of glimpsing falsetto moments are expertly handled and own this punchy and angsty pop ballad. The track rocks its groove seamlessly between a full and half-time feel whilst maintaining a solid heart throughout. With just a pinch of something more unique in the ingredients, this would have walked the demos this month. 

The most embryonic demo this month comes from Six Billion Monkeys, seemingly the pseudonym of Rodney Hall. There is a devil sat on my shoulder tempting me to reflect the tracks title, Are You Prepared?, back on the songwriter and if he was not selling the song, I would have not let those thoughts onto this page. The track pumps Am, F, and E chords over a crude delay-heavy drum pattern as lyrics are yelled through distortion far back in the mix, barely audible. Though it may serve as a useful draft, those with the lowest-fi, punk penchant would still want to add a cherry or two before calling this finished. 

[2015.07.16] for NARC Magazine.

Flying Saucer Attack - Instrumentals - Album Review

Throughout the nineties, David Pearce and his Flying Saucer Attack produced albums annually, showering sounds from the orbits of a shoegaze sun. At the turn of the millennium, Pearce seemingly hung up his FSA gown in support of a quieter lifestyle, with some brief excursions with other collaborators at the turn of the naughties. Now, after fifteen years away from public output, to a dedicated following’s delight, FSA are back with an album of fifteen brand new instrumentals.

Though arbitrarily numbered after their order on the record, each of these pieces is quite distinct, and at no point across the hour of music is there the sense that material is being duplicated or filled. All tracks are almost exclusively built with effects and amplification manipulating the sound and progressions of electric guitars. Each enjoys a bespoke colouration, for example, with Instrumental Three, the chords gently shimmer with delaying ripples, whilst Instrumental Four outlays drones and pad-like fuzz. The sixth instrumental dramatically interrupts the mood, breaking from tonality to explore the potential of crushing and wild white noise; from screaming pitches to factory raws.

Released ahead of the album, with an eery video montage of rural scenes, Instrumental Seven is worthy of distinction. Using guitar feedback alongside a second guitar moving around minor tensions, a rich, almost pipe-like sound is created. As well as this, the sound gates every so often. This fracturing of the recording creates a further unease, first established by its sorrowful melody. 

Instrumental Ten, once more introduces a new perspective, with an open-position string exploration supported with a gentle oscillating ticker in the background.

Often the tracks are faded out, sometimes swiftly, almost crudely, giving the impression that their conclusion is arbitrary: the context of an album limiting our access to their fuller existence. However, the album concludes on lengthier tracks. The penultimate piece uses harmonics of IV and V chords with reversing sound to create a wonderfully eternal and hypnotic effect, whilst the last stand revels in a regenerated Em chord with hammer-on flickers and fuzz.

This album of instrumentals is a wonderful celebration of the distorted electric guitar, with each track utilising it in a different, peculiar way - often isolated, the only instrument from silence. Here, the ear is given the chance to focus on all of its frequencies and qualities aside from other instrumentation. It is testament to a fine musician to take something as familiar as this instrument and with each track take a listener’s ear back to a more virginal sense of expectation for its sound, but as tracks unveil on this new FSA album, demonstrating a wealth of different techniques and colours, Pearce does this.  

After breaking from Domino Records in 1999, FSA now release Instrumentals with their support once more. It is a good to see Domino Records, ever popular through floor-filler acts like The Arctic Monkeys and Hot Chip, still keeping their umbrella wide and soul filled with important alternative artists speaking to audiences with more intimate desires. As well as bringing joy to loyal fans, may this new release on an ever prominent label introduce a new generation to FSA.

[2015.07.02] for NE:MM Online Magazine.

Rhian Thompson / Rhodri Davies & Mark Sanders / Shelly Knots / Callan - Live at The Old Police House, Gateshead

As people arrive for Hauskonzert #20, quietly growing his set out of his soundcheck, DJ Callan moulds tones quietly through the PA kneeling discretely at the side of the main living room space. Using LP’s with soft ambient tones, he delicately interacts with the dials of a little box in loop with the vinyl player, effecting and editing the sounds. This gradually evolving ambiance graciously soothes the ears.

Stepping up behind her laptop in a bright yellow Adidas jacket, Shelly Knotts then starts her set, teasing, what sounds like a hive of lizard tongues lashing, into life. These percussive acceleration and deceleration cycles then adopt a soggier character and we are transported from the desert to the monsoon. At a climatic point, a wonderful dominant seventh interval sustains in a synth sound as clashing thunder falls around it. SK shrugged as she finished her set, suggesting a concern about what she had produced. The audience’s applause however indicated that if she had doubts, they were her own.

Next up, on the first floor, a drum kit and harp sit, anticipating heartbeats. If you need a further reason to love Hebden Bridge, Rhodri Davies introduces his long-term musical collaborator, and duo partner for tonight’s performance, South London drummer Mark Sanders, with an anecdote explaining that he first met him whilst visiting West Yorkshire’s artist’s haven in 1994, and that discovery of Sanders’ musicianship was a primary influence for his own exploration into the greater world of improvised music. 

The improvisation between them that follows is sublime, with Davies and Sanders’ intuition of each others instincts palpable. The combination of Davies’ emerging muscular arpeggio patterns breaking free, and Sanders’ more fluid and joyful beats, blends into a complicated and fascinating animal. Sanders would swim in sections of his drum kit throughout - a hydra of cowbells, then a woodblock and tambourines for example - and draw focus to these timbres before moving on to another compliment with unstoppable enthusiasm.

If this jam put excitement and encouragement into the audience’s blood, Edinburgh’s Rhian Thompson concluded the bill, putting a chill back into it - with an eery piece, complete with indistinct voices (wound and rewound live on a handheld tape recorder,) klaxons, and doll rattles. With the daylight fading fast outside of the window, Thompson uses these sounds, supported by synthesised drones and pedal notes, in an interrupted and less repetitive way; not allowing any certainty to establish itself in the mind of the listener. She concludes this instrumental, reaching the maximum tension, by sustaining a loud high-pitch feedback, defeating some listeners into shielding their cocleas. It has been another delectable edition to the history of Davies’ Hauskonzerts for sure.

On a personal note, I think it is important to note that composer Mariam Razaei, with close friends such as Adam Denton, has, in a short period of time, turned this once Police Station, then Youth Centre, into a magical space for passionate musicians to create and perform without any distractions beyond the occasion itself - nought but music and participation. We are fortunate to have discerning curators like herself and Rhodri, supporting peculiar talent in this area, and connecting us with such from afar too. Involve yourselves in the events that take place in this little house on the Gateshead side of the river, and the rewards will be true.

[2015.06.18] for NARC Magazine.

Micachu & The Shapes - Good Sad Happy Bad - Album Review

Mica Levi and her Shapes follow up 2012’s Never with a record that finds subtle detail in mope and sadness. The mixing is deceptively simple, but one-off touches, and unusual dynamic placement of certain instrumentation gives these pop songs a cosy setting.

Like M&TS’ previous output, tracks are given distinction with bespoke sounds: Oh Baby’s stubborn misery is realised with minor riffs from a kettle drum and 2-bit timpani interjecting. Unity sports guttural screaming. LA Poison is a doped acoustic grunge skank whilst Sea Air’s disorientated melody evokes Robert Wyatt.

May the recognition for Levi’s soundtrack for Under The Skin bring more attention to her other work. Her invention is uncompromised by whichever pool she’s swimming in.

[2015.06.15] for NARC Magazine.