On this lovely Sunday which of you are not on a diet like me you will have already made yourself sick on chocolate Fighting Boredom give you our latest bunch of record reviews, here’s what their PR people say they sound like. Starting with a sound that feels like it’s broadcast through a warped transistor radio from another dimension, Fugue State is redefining the boundaries of weirdo punk. Buffet Lunch and their pleasingly imperfect pop songs. Michael Grigoni and Pan•American and ‘a series of reflections on the zeitgeist of our present moment, the spirit of our age: the isolation and loneliness that continues to echo in the wake of the pandemic’, Chronepsis who give us ‘a terrifying collection of stories engulfed in horror, conquest, vengeance, and transformation’. Anika whose album ‘Abyss was born out of the frustration, anger, and confusion Henderson feels from existing in our contemporary world.’ Dalila Kayros’ album ‘inspired by chthonian deities of Greek mythology, who ruled the underworld before the formation of the earth’ LA Witch’s latest that is ‘simultaneously romantic and menacing, reverent and profane, a celebration and a lament.’ Finishing with the soundtrack of London’s Middle Earth Club from the end of the Sicties a psychedelic freaky treat. Have a read and listen below and let us know what you think.
Fugue State – In the Lurch
Strange mono
This is over the top, frenetic and frantic. It starts high pitched and wacky and dissolves into just psych incoherence and total weirdness, are Fugue State trying too hard? I don’t think so. Think of a bastard offspring of the immense Butthole Surfers and Jello Biafra, sadly a match we never saw together. The last track is the culmination of the record with a sound that feels too much like a mind fracturing as you watch, just buy the damn thing and make them famous.
Buffet Lunch – Perfect Hit
Upset the Rhythm
This a nonsensical indie post punk spiky pop record. It’s really annoying and also really endearing. It feels like a proper throwaway strange for the sake of it album when you first play it but it becomes apparent that they really just make this music because that’s what’s driving them forwards, another album to get under your skin and annoy people in the pub with, that’s pretty much where I am with it.
Michael Grigoni and Pan•American – New World, Lonely Ride
Kranky
The sound of guitar, banjo and bluegrass feelings echoing across the night sky. It’s just finger picked guitar, but that’s like saying that a daisy is just a white flower with a yellow centre. It is truly beautiful, complex and intricate. It’s like drifting off with the smoke from a fire in the wide open country. Beautiful.
Chronepsis – Weight of Eternity
Technical Death Metal from New Jersey. You know what this sounds like, a high pitched growly vocal and grunts over decent death metal drums, guitar widdling and solid basslines, it doesn’t really stray from this but why would it? Good in a Metal way, does get a bit wearing but still a great EP.
Anika – Abyss
Sacred Bones
For me this is all about Anika’s voice. It’s a strange strong sound, arrogant and pure with a definite emotion driving it on, whether it’s sadness, matter fact fact or storytelling it just sounds great. The music sways from hard pop, weird fuzzy garage rock and endearing sadness. An album well worth your time to discover.
Dalila Kayros – Khthonie
Subsound Records
Menacing, demonic and nasty. I’m not sure what language Dalia is threatening me or indeed what she is saying but quite frankly, I’m terrified. This is a brilliant piece of bleak electronic music that feels like at one side a rant at a vanquished foe and at another a call to all out war, music to scream along to and incite violence, it’s not pretty but it is very very good.
LA Witch – DOGGOD
Suicide Squeeze
I like LA Witch, they’re creepy gothy rock vibes create a little niche in my musical minds eye and light up something. It’s the lazy drawled vocal, the high rock’n’roll guitars and the desert rock vibes that flow across this record like sweat. Ace.
Various Artists – Middle Earth 1967-1969
Cherry red
This is the sound of the most happening club in London, Middle Earth, from 1967 to 1969 and it’s quite a list of artists on the three discs. There are the obvious, Family, Arthur Brown, the Bonzo’s, Pretty Things and more which of course are always worth a listen but it’s when you dig deeper it gets interesting Captain Beefheart, the free jazz cuts at the end of CD 2, the weird blues and garage feel of the odd dotted around artist. I’m not naming them, you deserve to look for yourself and pretend you are there wearing a smart suit and tie freaking out with the flower children.
–
Fugue State are on Instagram.
Buffet Lunch are on Instagram
Michael Grigoni’s website is michaelgrigoni.com. He is also on Instagram.
Pan•American’s website is musicpanamerican.com, he is also on Instagram.
Chronepsis’ website is chronepsis.com they are also on Facebook and Instagram.
Anika’s website is anika-music.com, she is also on Facebook.
Dalila Kayros’ website is dalilakayros.net, she is also on Facebook and Instagram.
LA Witch’s website is lawitch.tumblr.com they are also on Facebook and Instagram.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
