FIVE HEARTS! The number of 5 Heart records Last Month was 33
August wasa very august month for the music we got to listen to at Outsideleft. We heard about 5000 recordings, reviewing over 100 of them and I suppose obviously enough a large proportion of the published reviews get high marks. Is there anything more distressing than taking months of someone's work and dismissing it with a snarky diss? Yeah lots of things. But we don't do much of that. Count yourself lucky if we do that to you. I mean, many people would be well advised to get a new hobby that they don't share. Maybe making music doesn't suit them. Know it. Reviewers this time... LamontPaul (2), Martin Devenney (1), Tim London (1), Hamilton High (3), Jay Lewis (4), Ogglypoogly (3), John Robinson (2), DJ Fuzzyfelt (3), Tim Sparks (1), Ancient Champion (15), Lee Paul (2), Alan Rider (12),
ADRIANNE LENKER - One A Bunch 2024-08-09 (4AD)
by Ancient Champion
A very down home Adrianne on this new single. Fiddles to the fore.
ANCIENT CHAMPION - Ooh-Ha, Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha 2024-08-02 (Fullertone)
by Ogglypoogly
There are tracks you hear, and you pick apart the production, you find the flaws and you recommend heartily against others hearing them. Not so with Ancient Champion, this short interlude of music is nothing short of wonderful (my only quibble being that it is so very short) and needs to be listened to. Why? , well, somewhere, a small funk powered robot family are grooving their way across a meadow. They pause to watch as a Butterfly crosses their path, bouncing gently on the lightest breeze. The grown robot asks “what did you all think of that” met with a chorus of “it bounces up and down” and that exchange echoes through the air, as they carry on their journey, before fading out as they disappear over the horizon.
ANNA BUTTERSS - Shorn 2024-08-16 (International Anthem)
by Ancient Champion
It's always exciting to hear what Anna Butterss does next. And ahead of a new LP 'Mighty Vertebrate', here is Shorn. Wow! What a word. Shorn here is subliminal. Shorn of shit for sure. I mean, when you play it for the 100th time, new things that you'd never heard before step forward and make themselves known. It is lush in like they way you remember your life - rich and lush when excessive and excessively drunk. It is rich. It is like the LIz Taylor and Richard Burton of pop right here in a few minutes that you won't ask for back.
BAND PRES LLAREGGUB BRASS BAND - featuring Parisa Fouladi, Mr Phormula & Welsh Voices Choir 2024-08-30 (Recordiau MoPaChi Records)
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
Take a forward thinking brass band from the slate mines of North Wales, an Iranian-Welsh singer with a voice to die for, and a world renowned beatboxer/rapper from Ynys Mon and you get the next James Bond theme.This is utterly magnificent.
BRIGHT EYES - Bells and Whistles 2024-08-16 (Dead Oceans)
by Ancient Champion
OMG. I cannot enthuse enough about this, like I don't know if Conor Oberst was out of form, but this has everything that says this is a huge giagantic return to form. Be amazed. He can write, he could always write... "Fancy cheap thrills cost a lot..." There can be accidents when you play God...! Then comes the brass and the guitar dueling with the... whistlers... Alex Orange Drink's whistles. Daphne my cats ears are dancing at that bit. She is staring at the source of the sound, Heavens Above. I am lost for the words to attempt to impress the brilliance of this upon you. If you're gonna write, write this well or don't. Please, just don't if you won't. Wow!
CLAUDE FONTAINE - Love The Way You Love 2024-08-09 (Innovative Leisure)
by Hamilton High
Well I can't argue against this jaunty outing from Claude Fontaine. There's a touch of the Liam Bailey's about this. And by the end I love it way more than I do at the beginning. It has grown on me that quick. And the percussion. When you hear it, you hear it. Wow!
DAD BOD - Expensive Hobbies 2024-08-09 (Demo)
by Hamilton High
The most exciting music coming out of Bearwood these days is getting recorded in compressed time, on the upper floors of a house over by the Woods. Expensive Hobbies is a very electric stuttering hot technicolor mess of steam and loathing. That's a sonic fear you feel. You'd expect nothing less from Dad Bod, an American in Bearwood anchored only by a wilfully discomfitting world view. "It's so hard to live these days, swimming with the whales and the stingrays, my raybans broke, I crashed my third motorcycle... My kids need dental treatment and... Dance recitals..." Someone said in Dad Bod, Beck meets Dinosaur Jr up around the bend where we can't clearly see. Simply superb.
DAFFO FT. SEAROWS - Poor Madeline 2024-08-02 (Concord)
by John Robinson
Poor Madeline was written when Daffo (Gabi Gamberg) was 17, a plaintive reflection on their status at the time, their mental health and feelings of dislocation. This updated recording has contributions from fellow folk artist Searows (Alec Duckart) and is a gorgeous layered experience, steel guitar, harmonies and violin with piano produced perfectly by Philip Weinrobe (Deerhoof). Achingly personal, genuine and with lyrics diving into the heart of their crisis: "Can't scrub herself better, The pain is not in her pores, Not ready to give herself over to life".
FIRE ENGINES - Chrome Dawns 2024-08-30 (Cherry Red Records)
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
Many of the OL folks have been excited about this retrospective, so much so, it has been Fire Engines Week all week at Outsideleft. DJ Fuzzyfelt has the final word with a review right here.
GIRAFFES - Pipes 2024-08-30 (Streaming and download platforms)
by Alan Rider
'Pipes' is about the water crisis in Flint - Youngstown OH, a former steel boomtown in the rust belt that is slowly crumbling due to population loss and dis-investment by the US government. An odd topic for Brooklyn based Giraffes, but, like many others, they care about what is happening to the little guys getting pissed on from a great height by corporate America. On the way they deliver a stonking tune that starts with screeching feedback (always a good sign). Think Queens of the Stone Age crossed with Jesus Lizard and a grunge version of Black Sabbath. Does that make sense? I thought not. Never mind, just crank up the volume and take a listen to the video below. Its a corker.
GUY HAMPER TRIO - Jaw Woman/The First Creature is Jealousy 2024-08-30 (Damaged Goods Records )
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
The Guy Hamper Trio's latest single with additional Hammond Organ played by James Taylor (not the early 70s folkie) is another action packed slab of thumping drums, pounding bass, slicing guitars and Taylor's virtuoso playing. Guy Hamper is another alias for Billy Childish and his recent biography just about everybody interviewed comments that Taylor was the one great musician on the Medway Scene. Proper early 70s British cop show stuff. The First Creature is Jealousy is basically a slow and solid drum, and bass groove (bass played by Childish's wife Julie) with Taylor adding his finest spy movie chops to the proceedings. A great addition to the ever expanding Guy Hamper Trio catalogue.
HAMISH HAWK - A Firmer Hand 2024-08-16 (So Recordings)
by Ogglypoogly
A Firmer Hand has been on Ogglypoogly's turntable for a while. Difficult by all accounts, to take it off. Look over here
HAWKWIND - In Search of Space 2024-08-09 (Cherry Red)
by Alan Rider
Hawkwind's 1971 'In Search of Space' album is afforded the reverence and respect it deserves in this Cherry Red Records reissue. See Alan Rider's review here.
ISOBEL CAMPBELL - Maintenant Ou Jamais 2024-08-23 (Cooking Vinyl)
by Ancient Champion
The French version of Do or Die (Now or Never) from Isobel Campbell's LP 'Bow To Love'. A gentle delight. The acoustics, the strings and the reaching the end before it an age before it outstays it's welcome. Not everyone can do this this well. Is everyone singing in French redolent of Francois Hardy? If I had a heart I'd add it here so that it could have six. It'd be deserved.
JOANNA STERNBERG - A Country Dance 2024-08-23 (Fat Possum)
by John Robinson
Given the plethora of country-pop infesting the charts at the moment, easily identified by use of banjo, stomp-box and nasal autotuned vocal, this single is a breath of fresh air. Sternberg is honest, charming, heartfelt and totally disarming here, their beautifully placed delivery of a day out with their friend. Given their confessed phobias of insects, agoraphobia etc, it's a day out that they would never actually embark on: "as I dance with you ... you'll finally see I make you happy" is followed by "this is a fantasy, it's true...". A tribute to a close friend, and to the silliness of friendship: criticism falls apart in the face of something like this, just a lovely song.
KILLER MIKE / ANTHONY HAMILTON - Nobody Knows 2024-08-16 (Loma Vista Recordings)
by Lee Paul
Yeah well I just love rap when it gets the gospelly background treatment. Marginally glitchy for moments at the outset then... Killer Mike and Anthony Hamilton - you're kidding me. This is like perfect pop now. From the LP Songs For Sinners & Saints. Turn it up.
KIM GORDON & MODEL HOME - Razzamatazz 2024-08-30 (Matador Records)
by Alan Rider
We love Kim Gordon at Outsideleft. With her pedigree in Sonic Youth, it is unlikely she could do anything wrong in our eyes. To be honest, if she turned up playing a kazoo it would still be brilliant. She has that Midas touch. She has teamed up with Washington DC experimental group Model Home here for 'Razamatazz', which is nothing like you'd imagine from that title. Throbbing and scratchy, minimal and experimental, it is effortlessly good. How can one woman keep producing unique and innovative music year after year? I don't know, but Kim does.
KIT SEBASTIAN - Metropolis 2024-08-09 (Brainfeeder)
by Ancient Champion
Oh man, epic, supersonic disco. This is why stereo was invented. Really is. Maybe even Quad. How did they do it? Here's my number, 07539700988, please give me a call and tell me.
LAVA LA RUE - Better feat. Cuco 2024-08-02 (Dirty Hit Records)
by Lee Paul
The sound of soul-poptastic Young London Now. Lava La Rue nails the neo-funky soul vibe on Better from their colossal LP 'Starface'. The best immersively authentic British record I've heard in a while. Better is a perfect pop song, of course, and there should be every chance of that from someone who wanted to form a West London street Clash when they were 13, half their lifetime ago. With a backstory to love, not maybe to live, Lava La Rue is breathtakingly amazing. A bit Prince-y maybe, but, goddamn steal from the greatest. Oh and Cuco sings too, but Lava La Rue gets to do the talking parts. Duncan Jones! New talking parts in a record, I know you're gonna love this.
LAVA LA RUE - Sandown Beach 2024-08-23 (Dirty Hit)
by LamontPaul
Whistling is the least of it. Amazingly. The whistling is really something though. From the summer's great LP, 'Starface', Sandown Beach arrives towards the end, welcome and warming. There's a pleasant-louche, and opposed to any other, wondrous connotation. This is funky-pop-soul now and it's a restorative. It's sounds like a break from the weight of expectation foisted on the young by the mantle of pop music history. By pop historians. Lava La Rue doing it their way and doing it oh so supremely well. Lava La Rue, wearing hats better than you.
LIGHT OF ETERNITY - Extended Play 2024-08-16 (L.o.E Records/Bandcamp)
by Alan Rider
I am a bit late to the party with this one as it came out in June, but it is still well worth flagging as this makes mincemeat of most of the drums and guitar driven music I come across. That's not a surprise as this is the baby of former Killing Joke drummer Big Paul Ferguson and has every bit of the power that you would expect from that. The strong opener, 'Edge of Fate' is akin to Killing Joke at their finest. You couldn't hold a candle to Killing Joke when they were firing on all cylinders and Ferguson's driving drums were absolutely integral to that. Light of Eternity amply illustrates just how important that contribution was, as this has that signature drum sound and is frankly, great! That high standard is maintained until 'Extended Play' ends on a high with 'Tipping Point', which, again, is reminiscent of classic Killing Joke. With guitarist Geordie's premature death, Killing Joke may be no more, but I'd say that Light of Eternity has taken up the mantle in no uncertain terms.
MARK HANEY - Placentia Bay: Summer 1941 ft Meaghan Williams 2024-08-09 (Bandcamp)
by LamontPaul
Mark Heaney is a Vancouver based composer and builder of arts communities. Placentia Bay is a piece written for, as I understand it, the bassist Meaghan Williams; and is performed against an elegantly understated chamber backdrop. It is the third concoction of a beautiful musical triptych, inspired by the story of the Atlantic Charter, which cemented an anti-fascist security allyship during World War 2, while fomenting a post-war emphasis on peace. I think it's okay to quote Julian Cowley's Modern Composition column from Wire Magazine here, column here, "The theme is topical, given current anxieties in the West." It's is this week in Britain 's most multicultural city, a timely,evocative and optimistic piece. I am bouyed with joy.
MELT BANANA - 3+5 2024-08-16 (A-Zap)
by Alan Rider
Alan Rider reviews 3+5 and interviews Melt Banana over here, don't miss...
QUIVERS - Fake Flowers 2024-08-16 (Merge Records)
by Hamilton High
This is genuinely exciting guitar pop... They have everything to be the next gen giants. Might be Australian? You can here there pop genealogy. Whatever they're doing isn't east to do. Just great.
SHE DREW THE GUN - Mirrors 2024-08-16 (Submarine Cat)
by Martin Devenney
Martin Devenney reviews the new She Drew The Gun right here
SHELLEY BYRON - Moon Song 2024-08-16 (independent)
by Ogglypoogly
Found yourself with five minutes to spare and ears that cry out to be filled with something all a bit lovely? Well it’s high time you listened to Shelley Byron, who conveniently have a shiny new track out. “An ode to the quiet ones in our lives” Moon Song is something quite remarkable, both lyrically and in it’s composition which moves between tempo and tone so fluidly it’s hard to believe this isn’t a long established band with a vast following of dedicated fans. Make the discovery early, you don’t want to miss a moment more from them.
SKEET - Simple Reality 2024-08-09 (Efficient Space)
by Alan Rider
'Simple Reality' follows up short lived Coventry band from 1981, Skeet's, previous archive release 'Park Road', which appeared at the back end of last year, and contains some of the same tracks, along with freshly unearthed tracks, all remastered to an impressive quality, given they were all recorded on a basic reel to reel tape machine. Its a mix of studio, instrumental, and live tracks taken from their farewell gig (out of a mere 10 in total) atop an articulated lorry trailer in a Coventry pub beer garden. Despite the basic drum machine popping away quietly in the background, hesitant performances and nervous vocals, there is a genuine charm on show here, coupled with fledgeling song writing skills. We can only guess at what might have happened if a label like Postcard had happened across them at the time, (as we said in our review of 'Park Road') but we will never really know. At least we still have this, though, to give us a hint of the possible future success that eluded them.
SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR / GROOVE TERMINATOR - You Got The Love 2024-08-09 (Umculo House)
by Ancient Champion
If any music moved me to tears of joy this week and I can't tell you why, affective lability maybe, it's been a truly joyless few weeks... Soweto Gospel Choir's You Got The Love from their really really excessively brilliant LP 'The History of House' is the one.
TASHA - So Much More 2024-08-09 (Bayonet Records)
by Ancient Champion
All This and So Much More is Tasha's meditation on abundance... On everything that comes your way that surrounds you and the opportunities everyone reading this on some expensive computer phone thing has. Our lives are as rich as we allow them to be and what are you going to do with that. I loved the quietly introspective Tasha, and will just have to get used to the rockin' a bit more rollicking-like version. If Tasha can, I can.
THE ROTATIONS - The Cat That Got The Cream 2024-08-23 (YouTube)
by Ancient Champion
Some recordings come our way and where they come from, sometimes it feels best not to ask. "(Our new single is out tomorrow (BLUE MOON MONDAY) albuim to follow called Gung-Ho)." Mr Robert Anderson had me at the typo. Banjo swordfishing Tom Waits type in some moments. Callum Easter-y at others. Oompa oompa. All alone in dialing up a certain circumspection of the generic form in the functional world of music. AI could do this but never would.
THROBBING GRISTLE - TGCD1 /The Third Mind Movements 2024-08-30 (Mute)
by Alan Rider
Alan Rider says, "Sometimes the idea of a band is as important, no, MORE important, than the music they produce... Forget modern ‘Industrial’ bands - amateur Heavy Metal all. This is what Industrial was really all about and why if it hadn’t happened by itself, you’d have needed to step in and make it." See what he means over here
TOM WAITS - Get Behind The Mule (Spiritual) 2024-08-09 (Anti)
by Ancient Champion
On the 25th anniversary of his Mule Variations LP, Tom Waits releases a previously unheard version of Get Behind The Mule (Spiritual) from that LP. This is no desultory toss off kept in a tape warehouse for two and a half decades, tweaked with expanded bass. It's prime Tom, and if that's your thing then you'll want it bad. Crystalline-intense and unforgiving, souls saved from God's plan. Get Behind The Mule is beautiful, and your're sure to hear it, the piano sounds busted. Not spoiling my enjoyment.
YG MARLEY & LAURYN HILL - Survival 2024-08-23 (YG Marley)
by Ancient Champion
A great take your mom to work day effort here... While 'Survival' is beautifully smooth, lush and amazing, it's just, when your mom is Lauryn Hill, her work here is so incredibly more magical, invoking, immediate and evocative. It's like when a famous guitarist came by and made my guitar talk while he nonchalantly and concurrently chatted about teaching himself to play as a kid by listening to Wes Montgomery tapes borrowed from the Thimblemill library. After he left the guitar was returned gently to the case, slid back under the bed and while never forgotten never played again. When you take your mom to work and mom is Lauryn Hill, everyone leaves work and doesn't bother coming back in on Monday. No one knows better how to get the job done than Lauryn.
Essential Information
Main image from the Bandcamp page of Shelley Byron
