This time on the ever effervescent reviews page I bring you, well acording to all the PRs anyway, the sounds of Jeffrey Lewis who ‘may forever be “a complete unknown” to the world at large, but those who know, know. And after hearing this all-killer no-filler album, they will know it EVEN MORE.’ A bunch of tapes from the ever wonderful Cruel Nature who give us melondruie who is ‘crafting worlds through sequences, synth lines, and atmospheric sounds, providing a place for escape and respite.’ Tibshelf with ‘a violent collision of dub, hiphop, thrash, disco, no-wave funk and a sweet lacing of vocal tracks pinched from numerous film/tv haunts.’ The Silent North ‘who creates ambient and electronic soundscapes with an organic edge’. Washington Formica and ‘twelve pieces that make up this tape are the result of various sound sources mixed together. These sources come from scratched records, video tapes, radio, turntable noises, TV. The aim being to layer the pieces live, without retouching, an unrepeatable moment.’ IOM who ‘weaves themes of abandonment, perseverance, and the search for meaning amidst chaos’. Catapult Elpam who’s release is ‘introspective and eclectic, using found sounds, desolate atmospheres, and obscure samples with heavy drums, drones, pads, and vocals.’ Pound Land who’s tape takes a nod at their ‘absurdist ‘kitchen-sink punk’ past’ and finally Sacred Paws with their ‘ joyously heartbroken album’ Read the reviews below and have a listen, there’s bound to be something you like.
Jeffrey Lewis – The Even More Freewheelin’
Blang Records
The cover is a statement in itself, naked with naughty bits blacked out parodying Bob Dylan and his girlfriend. It’s definitely eye-catching. The music inside is gentle folk music with a heartfelt vocal just talking about his life and how he sees the world. I can relate to lots of it, being told to do what comes naturally but afraid then you’d do nothing. The whole album is just stories about how Jeffrey’s life, loves and fantasy affects him. Told with an honesty that goes between knowing smiles, laughing out loud and tears of sadness. Brilliantly low fi, brilliantly knowing and candid. Trust me, you will want to listen to this more than once.
melondruie – Invisible
Cruel Nature
A synth drone symphony. Driving slowly through the night across a moor with everything wide open in front of you. It’s the sound of the stars moving in the sky, the feeling of loneliness, subtle and kept in check but still being alone. Right up to the last track which is strangely bright and hopeful as everything fades into the sound of the sea.
Tibshelf – Mixed Ape
Cruel Nature
A drone and synth layered tribal groove, a groove that lurches and wavers, glitches and cruises but eventually falls to silence. Tripped out dancing when the sounds spital up to the great pyramid in the sky, dubby interludes where the smoke comes out of your ears. This tape is a huge huge sounding groove.
The Silent North – All Kinds Of Light
Cruel Nature
You can see this music, it’s visceral and liquid. Sublime synth lines over muffled perfectly formed beats. You can just hold onto this and let it take you. It changes in tone and emotion as it goes on but all the time it holds on to you. A synthetically built piece of beauty.
Washington Formica – Knick Knack
Cruel Nature
Now this tape is genius. It’s the art of found noises being piled on top and around each other until you have a groove, this is the art of the tape loop, spliced with a razor blade and playing around a mic stand. People grunting, doors slamming, garbled voices.. they must have spent hours putting this thing together, and it all made perfect sense to them. Knocks, buzzes and whirls of jazz all lumped in, weird. Anything they could find has gone into this to create grooves from thin air. A stupendous achievement.
IOM – Spiritual Wastelands
Cruel Nature
This is the menacing, nasty side of synth and static droning. It’s slow, measured and disturbing pulsing like a frayed cable connecting two pylons over a new build housing estate. The beats sound like bursts of bad energy and the overriding feeling is negative and harsh. It’s industrial but more in the way of SPK rather than overblown like Ministry. A nasty piece of compelling work.
Catapult Elpam – Boredom and Other Evil Spirits
Cruel Nature
Imagine for a moment that The Upsetter had built his studio in the inner city of some crumbling English town with equipment shoplifted from B&M and instead of the vast amounts of hash he consumed Monster and cheap tobacco roll ups. Then imagine what the output from this hellhole would sound like, there you go, you’ve got the new Tibshelf album in your head, Hip Hop samples, snatches of guitar and beats and then glitching dubby weirdness. It’s bloody great. Highly recommended.
Pound Land – Can’t Stop
Cruel Nature
This is what that bunch of smart lads from Sleaford wish they could create. At the bottom it’s whining disturbing synths, guitars and bass, cheaply recorded and as glitchy and broken as it possibly could be. Over this is the sound of fucked Britain, the lost forgotten and mentally ill. The ones left behind and dropping like flies. This is just fucked. Grim. Horrible stories of existing by holding on by your fingernails. You need to listen to this.
Sacred Paws – Jump Into Life
Rock Action
Every now and again a great indie pop record comes along and makes you dance around like you are seventeen again. Sacred Paws have made the latest one that’s made me feel alive and bright. Uplifting and with a fantastic female vocal this is a great indie pop album.
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Jeffrey Lewis’ website is thejeffreylewissite.com, he is also on Instagram and Facebook.
melondruie are on Instagram.
Tibshelf are on Instagram.
The Silent North is on Instagram and Blue Sky.
IOM is on Instagram.
Catapult Elpam are on Instagram.
Pound Land are on Instagram.
Sacred Paws’ website is sacredpaws.co.uk. They are also on Facebook and Instagram.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
