list.co.uk/music Records | MUSIC
GLASGOW CASSETTE COMPILATION THE INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA GUIDE TO MINDFUL INTERNET EXPLORATION Various artists (Instructional Media) ●●●●●
Instructional Media is the tape label brainchild of Lewis Cook, a musician, digi-psych hunter/gatherer and next-gen web ethnomusicologist. Laudable titles (mine not his), but after hearing this curio of local, weirdo-pop brews he put together, such lofty praise sits well. Fans of synthjam visionary labels Olde English Spelling Bee, Editions Mego and No Fun should jump on it like free beer. There’s a joyous freedom, as if the Technicolor tunes were concocted in petri dishes, retaining a singularity of vision, without veering into self-indulgent sonic solipsism. Yes, the outer limits are odd but its embrace is warm. Take the afrobeat grooves of Falconry and his electric Kool-Aid drenched ‘2 Limes’. Similarly Frams Torners' elegant soundtrack to your next astral projection, ‘Butties’ has a shimmering, euphoric and transcendental vibe. Mother Ganga’s 'Private Browsing' is straight up cold wave; a stoic jolt of icy pop in amongst the warm meanderings. (Mother Ganga = Lewis Cook, incidentally.) You expect the eccentricity and risk taking, but it’s rare that this combines with such an engaging, inviting listen. This tape is not designed to provoke with its vanguardism, but to seduce, encourage and, yes, to guide. (Mark Keane)
EXPERIMENTAL, ELECTRONIC CHRIS CARTER, COSEY FANNI TUTTI AND PETER ‘SLEAZY’ CHRISTOPHERSON Desertshore / Final Report (Industrial Records) ●●●●●
The late Peter Christopherson’s idea of a tribute to Nico’s seminal, hair- raising solo album Desertshore dates back to 2006 with his old Throbbing Gristle cohorts Chris and Cosey, who completed the project on his behalf. Despite Chris and Cosey’s solid production and an array of famous vocal guests, Desertshore sadly comes across as industrial vaudeville. Cosey’s gentler vocal contributions and Marc Almond’s version of ‘The Falconer’ stand in stark contrast to other guest vocalists who appear out of their element, such as Sasha Grey and her sleepy mumblings and an FX-ridden Gasper Noé mess.
Thankfully, the vastly superior instrumental half of this double LP salvages this as a formidable yet relatively positive send-off for this trio of friends. (Nick Herd)
PUNK/ REGGAE BAD BRAINS Into The Future (Megaforce) ●●●●●
The DC hardcore legends return with their hybrid brand of punk and reggae fusion – a staple in the punk pioneers’ genetic makeup since the get-go of their colourful career. Despite numerous line-up changes throughout the years, the band have never strayed far from their youthful integrity and Rastafarian principles, all accompanied by London-born frontman H.R’s distinctive vocal drawl throughout. With the classic line-up back in the mix, Bad Brains prove to be anything but a spent force. Despite lacking the raw tenacity of their earlier efforts, especially evident on their seminal ROIR-released self-titled cassette, the record is littered with interesting moments, especially the subtle dub instrumentation, which provides an interesting dynamic between the rugged guitar chops throughout the record. (Jack Taylor)
POP REMASTERS THE BLUE NILE A Walk Across the Rooftops / Hats (EMI) ●●●●●
The Blue Nile might never have achieved the world domination that their richly evocative output seemed to deserve, but chances are that situation suited those Glasgow boys just fine. With the remastering of their epic first two albums, a whole new ungrateful generation gets the chance to ignore them all over again. The sound is pure classy 1980s
Glasgow, but Paul Buchanan’s voice is a timeless creature, a delicate lullaby merchant one minute, a soaring eagle the next. As well as the original 14 songs, this collector’s edition features B-sides, rare tracks and production rejigs on the likes of ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Saturday Night’. Yet, reworking such perfect slices of pop is akin to sticking a See You Jimmy hat on the Mona Lisa. (Brian Donaldson) See listings for info on Sun 25 Nov's Blue Nile album playback session.
EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC, AFRICAN CUT HANDS Black Mamba (Very Friendly) ●●●●●
This is the darker follow-up to 2010’s transgressive debut from Cut Hands, the Africa-inspired solo project of Whitehouse founder and noise radical William Bennett. The clamour of chimes and
djembes on the title track ‘Black Mamba’ swamps you from the get go – but it’s a far more ceremonial journey this time around, and ritualistic synths abound during the album's atmospheric pieces. It’s a swift machete to the chops by the time ‘No Spare No Soul’ kicks in, an impressive concoction of locust- like electronics with balls to the wall polyrhythmic drum patterns. There still exists the same inquisitive combo of West African and Haitian joujou – with a western twist – but Black Mamba is a fascinating progression into a deeper and far more introspective terrain. (Nigel Hennessey)
FOLK-POP GAV PRENTICE The Invisible Hand (Instinctive Racoon) ●●●●●
This solo debut from Over The Wall vocalist Gav Prentice may be lacking in the fanfares that define his euphoric electro-brass duo, but this album’s small-town Scottish tales of getting old and family and work are characteristically familiar and well-observed. Few capture loss (of youth, of love, of home) as acutely – as achingly – as Prentice, and his voice remains equal parts ecstatic and heartbreaking. ‘Give It Up’ is a gorgeous,
hammering, stripped-back paean; ‘King George’ is all acoustic shimmers and raging choral retribution (‘I’m well versed in bended knee and communion wine still stains my teeth’); ‘Burning Down’ commemorates his eroding neighbourhood with a drive-folk diatribe. The Invisible Hand is a warm refuge while we await more from Over The Wall. (Nicola Meighan)
EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC TIM HECKER AND DANIEL LOPATIN Instrumental Tourist (Mexican Summer/Software) ●●●●●
An icy collaborative effort from two experimental heavyweights, Instrumental Tourist melds Tim Hecker’s distinctive digital decay with Daniel Lopatin’s (Oneohtrix Point Never) transcendent synths. The aptly titled opener ‘Uptown Psychedelia’ sets the cruise control, blending Terry Riley-esque key progressions with crumbling laptop electronics not far removed from Hecker’s Ravedeath, 1972.
It’s a strange merger of something earthily and eerily familiar being defragged in a dystopian headspace – as heard with the torn up jazz keys on ‘GRM II’ or the soothing spectral instances on the record’s highlight, ‘Ritual for Consumption’. It’s a retrogressive delight, but it truly hits the mark when the performers allow each other a bit of breathing space. (Nick Herd)
15 Nov–13 Dec 2012 THE LIST 79