On this Sunday’s reviews page from Fighting Boredom headquarters we bring you Little Annie with a collection that ‘features the cream of Little Annie’s collaborations with some of the greatest names in the ‘alternative’ music world’ AR Guda who ‘develops IDM-inspired work through digitally processed samples of electro-acoustic sounds.’ Greg Nieuwsma & Antonello Perfetto whose music invites ‘a deeper exploration of how different creatures experience time and self-expression.’ Mien who are ‘Dark and atmospheric, energised with driving motorik beats and shifting textures’. Operation Suffocate with a ‘volatile clash of raw extreme noise and hypnotic industrial metal’ A collection of the first two Julee Cruise albums, sublime and beautiful. Plus a eclectic bunch of Cherry Red Compilations, some better than others.. Jingle Jangle Morning – The 1960s U.S. Folk Rock Explosion, TIME! GENTLEMEN! Pub Rock Rhythm ‘N’ Grooves – Classic Cuts and Rarities 1974-1982, Feel Good All Over – The Sunshot Singles 1972 – 1973 and Motor Psycho – Lux and Ivy Feel The Need For Speed. Have a read and listen below.
Little Annie – With
Cold Spring
Marc Almond introduces Little Annie as wonderful and incomparable and then they sing a moody, brilliant song and her rough used voice works brilliantly with Almond’s croon, full of memory and regret, fantastic. That’s not even the best song though. The weird sleaziness of Coil’s collaboration and the broken down Western saloon desert smothered Kid Congo Powers song are both as good if not better. Her voice is broken, rough and so expressive and she has chosen her ‘withs’ carefully and whatever they do, however they sound they turn into another perfect foil for Little Annie. A totally wonderful record and just to say, that Swans track could have been twenty times as long.
AR Guda – Isolamendurako Praktikak
Cruel Nature
To say this is minimalist may be a very slight understatement. Built on electrical tones and droning, whines and throbbing, there does appear to be a geiger counter at one point and it does finish with a rolling beat. But this is space used to create emotions from pure pulses of sound. Quite remarkable and very addictive.
Greg Nieuwsma & Antonello Perfetto – Bird Brain
Cruel Nature
A fantastic experiment inot the nature of time, do creatures that live lives measured in days or weeks or far fewer years than we get, do they experience time differently? What does that sound like, what does it feel like? Actually, to cut right through all the words, how does it sound quite this good? The messed with recordings of the blackbird’s nest are weird and mind warping enough without the free jazz stylings and Sonic Youth alt rock leanings of the pieces placed in between. It comes in and out of focus, speeds up, slows down and cycles round continually. Disorientating and mind bending, this is just wonderful.
Mien – Mien
Fuzz Club
An electronic psych groove drives this album, it’s got a kraut rock repetitive driving rhythm which moves it towards the left field and makes it interesting. At times menacing and at others bright and clear, it’s an emotional journey that never loses focus and drifts with you up into the stratosphere.
Operation Suffocate – Feudal Age
The Doorway to Label
Aptly named as this could be the last thing you hear, as a boot pushes your face into the earth. Muffled and indistinct, this is Merzbow played through a hedge, Noise and static with guitars and drums playing heavy nastiness underneath and a growling screaming voice hidden somewhere in there too. Just horrible, obliterating nastiness. I like it a lot.
Julee Cruise: FALL FLOAT LOVE (Works 1989-1993)
Cherry Red
Luscious production and languid to the point of nodding out, I remember seeing the episode of Twin Peaks with her singing onstage as all the bikers cried. I loved her from that moment on. This is intrinsically intertwined with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti and is more the richer for it. Words like, still breathtakingly beautiful after all these years and stone cold classic are scattered through my notes and they are not idle words. Floating into the night is a dream addled fever of a record. The Voice of Love comes in second but is still gorgeous, somewhere the bikers are still crying as she stands in front of velvet curtains and sings.
Various Artists: Jingle Jangle Morning – The 1960s U.S. Folk Rock Explosion
Cherry Red
Hippies eh? Flowers in their hair and waltzing around promoting free love and free grass. Well, yes and no. There was a lot more to them and this music reflects that. Unfortunately, especially for me, some of it just isn’t much more than wishy washy folk or average country rock. But fortunately some of it isn’t. These three CDs are filled to the gills with the former and the latter then shines through like a sunbeam onto the crowd at Woodstock. For every Bob Dylan there are three or four wanabes, so thank God that Bob’s here. Barry McGuire, The Byrds, Mams and Papas all shine. Love’s sublime Alone again or is here, Jefferson Airplane and Linda Rondstat. Both here, it’s worth it for the jewels, a shame you have to sort through the mud to get to them.
Various Artists: TIME! GENTLEMEN! Pub Rock Rhythm ‘N’ Grooves – Classic Cuts and Rarities 1974-1982
Cherry Red
Pub rock is the unruly older brother of Punk rock, it was around before it, did all the drinking and shouting before it and a lot of it became part it’s younger snottier angrier little brothers club. There’s not much here that isn’t turbocharged rhythm and blues. Plus it’s got the second greatest song in the world ever on it which I know you already own but it’s always nice to hear. Just stick it on random and grab a pint of bitter, brilliant music for the most part, ideal for drinking and shouting along to.
Various Artists: Feel Good All Over – The Sunshot Singles 1972 – 1973
Cherry Red
It’s sunny, or it was about ten minutes earlier, so lets listen to this excellent collection of Reggae singles. This is all about the groove, smooth choppy and bass led, languid and flowing, it’s perfect. Just ease back and melt into the instrumental grooves that follow most of the tracks, it’s another excellent collection.
Various Artists: Motor Psycho – Lux and Ivy Feel The Need For Speed
Cherry Red
I have heard and own a bunch of these Lux and Ivy collections but, really, this is the best one yet. From the very first seconds of a souped up engine growling past to the sleazy rhythm that closes the record, this is a white knuckle, oil dripping, leather clad switchblade sharp ride. It’s rockabilly, crooning, psychobilly, rock’n’roll and novelty, sometimes all at the same time. It’s sexy and sleazy, sweaty and lust filled. To be frank, it’s brilliant and I love it.
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Little Annie is on Facebook.
AR Guda is on Facebook.
Greg Nieuwsma & Antonello Perfetto have a linktree page
Mien are on Facebook and Instagram.
Cherry Red’s website is www.cherryred.co.uk
All words by Adrian Bloxham
