The Bordellos (album)
Songs For Swinging Stalkers

It’s St Helens and not the Ukraine that spawned this band, not Gogol Bordello simply The Bordellos. We have here a four piece who produce their own brand of rock and roll, psychedelic, country pop. This re-release of their debut download album ‘Songs For Swinging Stalkers,’ follows last year’s album ‘Meet The Bordellos,’ both released on The Brutarian Label.

‘Velvet Mind,’ sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins composition performed by The Velvet Underground. Muffled vocals dominate the psychedelic sound, which descends eventually into grinding machine noise. George Best and Dennis Wilson inspired ‘Deadwood’. It starts with a murmuring guitar line that whispers like the soundtrack to a spooky thriller. Then it turns into a driving Ramones rocker with the odd vocal cry of ‘stroke the pussy til it begins to purr.’

‘Is Death the End’ layers on the Motown rhythms and shaky tambourines. It’s a roaring soulful number inspired by Johnny cash. Although clinically morose and smashed out of his head the protagonist of ‘Little Bird,’ persuades the feathered friend to hop on his hand on a late Beatles slide guitar piece. ‘The Hurting Kind’ is a touch of early Floyd while The Bunnymen-esque ‘Poet or liar,’ grabs you with its addictive bass riffs. ‘Blank Letter,’ entices you with its blues chord progression. The week after Jeff Buckley lilts along in tribute to the purveyor of ‘a thoughtful rhythm in southern Californian style.’ ‘The autumn of my youth has whispered its final goodbye,’ howls the singer. ‘Setting Sun,’ is an acoustic harmonica ballad sung by a dissonant Northern Neil Young. ‘Melancholia’ is Fried era Cope while ‘Plasticine Man,’ was inspired by the late great Syd Barrett.

The Bordellos wear their diverse influences very much on their sleeves. They owe a big debt to sixties psychedelia but borrow from post punk seventies bands in equal measure. This makes for an intriguingly weird combination of sound. The vocals veer between Mark E. Smith and Pete Shelley. The flattened northern vowels and lispy consonants were quite literally recorded under a pile of coats. With titles the fall like ‘Drunk (is a state I like to call home)’ and ‘Too old for love bites, they come from the HMHB school of lyricism.

A plethora of themes and sounds punctuate this album, The Doors do The Fall maybe? You are never bored as you wait for the next strange offering to assail your ears. They may be no gypsy punks but I bet they could hold their own in a fight.

www.thebordellos.org

GoFaster>> (single)
Flammable Leisurewear

In Liverpool’s City of Culture year a backlash comes care of goFASTER>> Mates of The Wombats and the NKOB of scouse indie, they are the exponents of the self titled bosspop movement. This band seek to upset the applecart by mischievously dragging us through their trailer park. No psych rock devotees, their narratives are packed full of up to date references. Ferrero Roche pyramids, the Jeremy Kyle show and Channel Four TV whores all fuel the goFaster>> fire. They view the world with a satirical eye and deliver post punk with their own brand of keyboard layered resonance and animalistic drumming.

The second single from this up and coming new band released on Alcopop Records is called ‘Flammable Leisurewear.’ This humorous nod to the shell suit wearer is a ‘song about where they all come from.’ Mark E Smith here’s your great-lost Fall track! ‘There are green stripes everywhere’ on a three-minute pop song with a hand clapping start, intricate guitar, bass and drum parts, a pounding chorus, wobbly keyboards and their trademark big sound. ‘Even when the sun couldn’t ever shine through we will keep our tans, our orange glow,’ they chorus, nailing the stereotype perfectly.

GoFaster>> do what it says on the tin. A seemingly loose cannon of untethered sound, actually their amphetamine fuelled catchy melodies are timed perfectly. Melodic building guitar work one minute then electronic madness the next. Think The Buzzcocks mixed with the intricate bits of Don Caballero and Inspirals keyboards creating a wall of Sigur Ros sound that also reminds you of Half Man Half Biscuit on speed.

They aim to make this single to Liverpool what Ghosttown was to Coventry, It’s ‘no win no fee compensation guaranteed,’ from the purveyors of trailer trash trisha pop.

http://www.gofaster.co.uk

To kick off new-look diskant’s first record reviews for 2008, here’s the third in a set of three from a new year-long subscription-only series of twelve 7″s (in a limited edition of 300) from Maine, Portland’s fantastic new micro-label, L’Animaux Tryst. Coming out as three 7″s per season, these records form the first batch that came out late in 2007; the newest batch are just about to become available – for more information look here.

Lightning Strike Lightning are propelled through an echo chamber by Adrienne Heflich’s beautifully distant voice on the A-side of this 7″, entitled “The Moon”. Brad Rose of Digitalis called it his favourite 7″ of 2007, singling out the lyrics for special praise, but I’m damned if I can understand a word through this particularly pretty wash of understated percussion and what could well be a banjo providing melodic impetus. In the end, the song drifts out of rhythm into an unearthly but utterly enchanting fade-out of voices floating, calling through the cosmos to each other until they wink out like stars in the early-morning dawn.

Flip-side track “No You Won’t” floats slowly back in from the ether, with more indistinct vocals and what definitely is a banjo this time, buoyed by some severely-effected flute lines and a general sense of timelessness. It’s another minor beauty, and a wholly appropriate last side in this first batch of records, tying together similar approaches in terms of textures and ramshackle melodies, echoing gently through valleys of strummed chords and alien sounds. If this is the sound of Maine, Portland today then it’s extremely welcome in my Nottingham, UK home.

Again, a special note for the chipboard packaging, with silkscreened artwork overlaying a a photograph pasted onto the front. It’s simultaneously crude and beautiful; an apt introduction to the music contained within.

So there you have it: three 7″s making up the first of what promises to be an extremely lovely set of twelve records by the end of the year. Future 7″s will include contributions from such heavy hitters as The North Sea, GHQ and the heavenly Elephant Micah, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

The 7″ records are available together as the Autumn 2007 mailing of the Tryst Haunt series. To purchase the first bundle (for $24 USA, $28 Worldwide, postage paid), or to subscribe to the series for the full year ($75 US, $90 Worldwide, three records every three months, 12 records in all), visit http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/haunt.htm.

To kick off new-look diskant’s first record reviews for 2008, here’s the second in a set of three from a new year-long subscription-only series of twelve 7″s (in a limited edition of 300) from Maine, Portland’s fantastic new micro-label, L’Animaux Tryst. Coming out as three 7″s per season, these records form the first batch that came out late in 2007; the newest batch are just about to become available – for more information look here.

I have no idea who Bad Bus are, apart from a description of an “all-star cast of Maine crazies” and a Myspace page, which features their track on this here split 7″, “The Field”. As you can hear, it’s a mild cacophony of fuzz, delayed vocals, clattering percussion and pump organs that fizz together until the most unlikely shambolic bass groove emerges from the clutter, hand-in-hand with a two chord organ drone. It’s a beguiling free-for-all jam that is undoubtedly an excerpt from a much-longer performance, of the kind that should be thoroughly celebrated. Check it out.

Tempera are another band from Maine with a Myspace page and a good line in songs with ridiculous numeric titles. Their offering on the flip side of this 7″ is “22222222222222222222222”, and again you can hear it on their page. I’ve got a real soft spot for this one, stuffed with twisted, pitch-altered sounds that whisper, scream and howl through a lo-fi motorik jam that floats in and out of the song’s floating structure. Female vocals float through the mix, melding themselves with other sounds before being swamped by some unholy pitch-shifting that somehow manages to convey that wandering-back-dead-drunk-at-2am state of mind, where you can see all the crazies and headcases, but somehow seem insulated through a layer of booze/whatever your substance of choice, and firmly set on your path homewards.

A special note for the unique packaging of this 7″, each one coming in a hand-stitched patchwork sleeve that conveys almost no information whatsoever about the contents beyond the band names. Like the music contained within, colours, patterns and styles randomly clash with each other, to create a beautifully ragged tapestry. Excellent stuff.

The 7″ records are available together as the Autumn 2007 mailing of the Tryst Haunt series. To purchase the first bundle (for $24 USA, $28 Worldwide, postage paid), or to subscribe to the series for the full year ($75 US, $90 Worldwide, three records every three months, 12 records in all), visit http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/haunt.htm.

Hi folks,

To kick off new-look diskant’s first record reviews for 2008, here’s the first in a set of three from a new year-long subscription-only series of twelve 7″s (in a limited edition of 300) from Maine, Portland’s fantastic new micro-label, L’Animaux Tryst. Coming out as three 7″s per season, these records form the first batch that came out late in 2007; the newest batch are just about to become available – for more information look here.

It’s appropriate that Cursillistas open up the first batch of this new series, as they effectively the house band: Matt who runs L’Animaux Tryst performs under the name of Cursillistas, and put out a fantastic album in CDR form on the ever-reliable Time-Lag Records a year or so ago that really, really needs reissuing for a wider audience soon.

This is the first material I’ve heard since that searing blaze of a full-length and the two tracks offered up here sound very much like a continuation of the unique sound captured earlier: echoey vocals with softly strummed guitars sing beautifully windswept songs with vague lyrics and harmonies, like snatches of the most perfect folk songs drifting in and out of hearing range on a long walk through rolling hills and dipping valleys. The A side, “Taste Teeth”, has a much stronger hook and only a slight introduction and undercurrent of distorted guitars and wind chimes swept together to create a broiling undercurrent for an otherwise elegiac song. The B side, “You Float, No Evens”, is a much looser affair, with indistinct layers of voices floating in and out of focus through a seasick chant. Don’t worry, it’s not enough to make you feel queasy, but the sense of unease such studied imperfection creates is masterful.

Cursillistas create a unique sound that is to be cherished, and this is a perfect introduction to Matt’s highly individual voice that serves as an excellent opener for an extremely high quality subscription series. It also works well as a primer for his newest full-length, “Wasp Stings The Last Bitter Flavor”, just out on Digitalis Recordings.

The 7″ records are available together as the Autumn 2007 mailing of the Tryst Haunt series. To purchase the first bundle (for $24 USA, $28 Worldwide, postage paid), or to subscribe to the series for the full year ($75 US, $90 Worldwide, three records every three months, 12 records in all), visit http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/haunt.htm.

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New Flying Lotus EP – massive, incredible. Like a squelchy Prefuse 73 – big beats!!!

Phew.

Pascal xx

Vole Radio 1 is a shimmering 3-Inch EP of fun from Brighton improv collection Vole, a grand mix of electronic rattlings, flute pieces and percussive works. Seven untitled tracks which respectively share their own charming peculiarity, the next tune sounding altogether different from the one that precedes it. An interesting start to the EP with cowbell clutters and clunks pervading the sound, and then a fantastic interplay of trumpet with sitar. The ebbing of synthesized chimes in the penultimate track is utterly moving – how often is one newly greeted with a song whose genuine characteristics are nostalgic and haunting? This one surely is, with an undulating and fluttertongued flute line descanting the underpinned chimes – all brilliantly exotic. The final track displays staccatoed burst of crowd noise, weird scraped animal hollers, messy percussion, a choppy, slapped tom-tom… This truly captures the excitement of live improv.

It all seems rather cabbalistic – what with this being a live pirate radio recording, supplemented by a short press release with a secretive, awkward website. Yet it’s refreshing to hear improv music once in a while – not only is form almost entirely thrown out of the picture but you can hear decisions and manipulations in ad libitum real-time. One is inclined to think the only merit of improv music lies in watching it, but Vole Radio 1 is proof that this isn’t always true.

Pascal Ansell
http://vole.info/

Chapters are a new musical proposition, formed in London despite the fact that all 3 members originally met at school in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Ex-members of Dakota Oak Trio and Pedro, their musical ease and cohesiveness as performers together belies the band’s short lifespan so far. This is backed up by some lovely drumming work provided by Chris Walmsley, of All Traps Set and Broadcast, and most recently as part of Rick Tomlinson’s Voice Of The Seven Woods project. And very lovely they are too.

This CD is Chapters’ debut solo release, following a split 7″ with labelmates and previous diskant reviewees Angela Valid. Compiled over sessions in 2005 and 2006, it’s a consistent and satisfying introduction to an instrumental band that likes to linger in the more enjoyably melodious areas of modern forward-thinking guitar and electronic music.

Beginning with whirring, bubbling electronics and a glockenspiel bleeding into phased acoustic guitar, Chapters’ music quickly takes recognisable shape, dominated by lyrical acoustic guitar playing that carries the burden of the bulk of the “song” of each track. Based around delicately fingerpicked phrases and chords, the guitar is well-complemented by simple tremeloed electric guitar melodies with understated bass and keyboard work, propelled forward by briskly brushed drums and slowly splashing cymbals.

Electronics and experimental work is wisely kept to the background for the bulk of the tracks, only emerging to introduce or alter the texture of an otherwise-straightforward song when necessary. This, coupled with modern Tortoise-esque approaches to fluid experiments with textures and songforms, means that Chapters’ songs always sound natural and never forced, paying dividends in the form of memorable moments and brain-itching melodies running throughout the EP’s length. The aping of “In Den Garten Des Pharaos”-era Popol Vuh’s cymbal washes and organ sounds that make a false start to “Light Lay Down” is also cute and well appreciated by this particular reviewer.

A real highlight of the EP is the 8-minute centre-piece song “The Last Days Of Steam”, which sees Chapters at their sunniest and most accessible. Sounding distinctly reminiscent of the careful instrumental arrangements of Jim O’Rourke’s ‘pop’ records, back when he was juggling obsessions with John Fahey and Burt Bacharach (see “Eureka” and “Insignificance”), it happily burbles along in a jolly electro-acoustic manner, gradually building in depth and energy as it switches between 2 different passages that act as chorus and verse, but never forcing itself to an unnecessary climax. And who needs a climax or even a coda when you’ve got two tunes that fit together quite as well as this? It’s a delight, and you’ll barely notice the running length as the band explores the limits of the song’s possibilities.

My only real criticism of “EP1” is that, as a whole, the textural experimentation and use of instruments feels very ‘set’ from the opening track. Once Chapters have established a certain sound a couple of minutes into this release, they seem content to explore it without too much variation from track-to-track. You certainly couldn’t tell that this was recorded in more than one session. For me then, it’s crucial that this EP only lasts 26-odd minutes. If Chapters are to produce a full-length album in the future, I’d hope for slightly more variation in terms of ‘experimental’ approach. But this is still worth checking out, and I look forward to hearing where Chapters are at next time they decide to release anything.

www.worldinwinter.co.uk
www.myspace.com/worldinwinter

Run Of The Mill don’t release a lot of records, but when they do they’re invariably peaches, plucked from the ever-fertile DIY scene in Leeds. D’Astro may be one of the most unusual looking fruits of the LS6 forest, germinated and tended to by frontman (and solo artist in his own right) D. Millard. They also feature Mary from the mighty Pifco on drums.

Millard claims that D’Astro make “ugly and stupid dancing music for sexy and clever people”, and their sound certainly lives up to this billing. Some totally lo-fi production, highlighted by trebly guitars scratching across some bordering-on-distorted bass and drums and glazed over by D. Millard’s witty, self aware lyrics, shove 2 songs down your throat before you’ve barely had time to take a breath. The surprisingly harsh guitars tinnily scour across the tracks, punctuating the loose, rolling rhythms that verge on baggy beats at times. This rollicking, almost makeshift, sound reminds me most of The Fall, but D’Astro certainly have enough ideas to forge an identity of their own. In particular, the girl/boy harmonies and singing at cross-purposes sound great, and the lumpen danceability of the beats suggest a great band to lose all your pretensions and get down to when they perform live.

There are barely 5 minutes of music across both sides of this 7″, but all the flab has been cut away from the meat to leave lean and strong songs that serve as a brief, but very welcome introduction to an intriguing new (since 2004!) kid on the block. I like to think of them as a David Mamet of bands: they don’t labour with wanky or unnecessary dialogue or scene setting; they just get straight to the point, make it well and make it their own. An admirable debut.

www.dastro.co.uk
www.runofthemillrecords.co.uk

Yum.
Giraffe Running – Great name for a band, great name for an album.
So that’s two out of two so far.

Giraffe Running are a duo of Greg Barrett on bass (formerly of Joan Of Arse) and Hag on drums.
Yes I know, that smacks of Lightning Bolt BUT (and it’s a big BUT), GR are an entirely different monster altogether.
Formed a few years ago in Dublin, GR create superb not-quite-danceable-not-quite-jazz splurges of instrumental tom foolery.
That’s in no way meant to be a put down – this is tom foolery in the same way Flann O’Brien’s writing is tom foolery. There’s some deeply enchanting and often very funny music in here, it’s simply wrapped up incredibly tightly with a mood of playful glee.
The bass slips and slides like an oiled eel around some ferociously syncopated drumming.
There are nods all over the place to the sinewy instrumentation of late period Beefheart, the mathematical workouts of Gastr Del Sol and even the jump-cuts of John Zorn.

Released as a double CD in staggeringly lovely packaging – handmade, embossed, colour printed grey card with a poster, inserts (the packaging in itself is a nod towards the aesthetic that GR are chasing – this artwork could easily be wrapping one of Steve Albini’s releases) – CD one is five ‘basic’ tracks recorded ‘live’ in the studio.
CD two is fifteen tracks long and is essentially a bunch of remixes and reworkings by various different artists – Mike Stevens, Bryn Cloke, Agata, Max Tundra to name but a few – and it gives a whole new dimension to GR’s music: This is what might be if the duo were a band.
It works with just a couple of exceptions. The guest musicians using GR’s original recordings and simply adding whatever they want.

If you want fun, interesting, intelligent music to lose yourself in and delight your friends you really should hunt down a copy of this.

As I said – YUM.