Monolith Cocktail Blog

Reviews
Brian Bordello

The cult leader of the infamous lo fi gods, The Bordellos, Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea has released countless recordings over the decades with his family band of hapless unfortunates, and is the owner of a most self-deprecating sound-off style blog. His most recent releases include The Bordellos beautifully despondent pains-of-the-heart and mockery of clique “hipsters” ode to Liverpool, the diatribe ‘Boris Johnson Massacre’ and just in the last month, The King Of No-Fi album. He has also released, under the Idiot Blur Fanboy moniker, a stripped down classic album of resignation and Gallagher brothers’ polemics.

Each week we send a mountain of new releases to the self-depreciating maverick to see what sticks. In his own idiosyncratic style and turn-of-phrase, pontificating aloud and reviewing with scrutiny an eclectic deluge of releases, here Brian’s latest batch of recommendations.

IKLAN featuring Law Holt ‘Suffer 2’
(Soulpunk) Single/24^th September 2020

This is unusual and I like it a great deal: an atmospheric almost psychedelic chant of darkness depression and suffering; a track of true warmth and soul that is normally lacking in so much of the music I get to hear, sometimes sparse cold synths and a heavenly voice is all that is required.

Juanita Stein ‘Snapshot’
(Nude Records) Album/23^rd October 2020

Sometimes you need to feel pain to know you still exist, other times you need to sing about it, and other times you need to listen to other sing about it. This is a case in hand with Snapshot, an album of well-played melancholia that engulfs you in swathes of memories of the little glories of life and the senses of loss, guilt, regrets and hopes one feels as they approach middle age.

Snapshot is one of those albums you can feel yourself getting attached to; one of those albums you will automatically put on when you get up in the morning or one of those you play as you sit alone in the evening tide of your existence losing yourself in the beauty of Juanita Steins songs and the smooth ache of her voice. Yes this is one of those albums that will slowly become like one of your best friends; one you will never feel like not seeing or spending time with, which goes to show that the art of songwriting is just that: an art that paints pictures with the melodies and words, and that over used phrase the magic of music, could rightly be used in this case as the album conjures up all kinds of sublime images and feelings. Snapshot is an album of true beauty and worth.

Marten Larka ‘Parfum De Nuit / Je Suis Un Rocker’
Single/30^th October 2020

I may not be the best at speaking French and it’s many years since I was expelled from school, but even I know “Je Suis Un Rocker” means “I am a rocker”, and what I love about this single is I think he might be a bit off his rocker as well, which I like as all the best people I find have a slightly away with the fairies eloquence about them and this double tracker is a lovely thing. What is there not to love about it? Beautiful melodies, lo-fi attitude and it does have a bit of the Serge Gainsbough’s about it, which to my mind is always a good thing. A big thumbs up from me, or “un gros pouce en l’air” even.

The Cult Of Free Love ‘Visions’
Album/19^th September 2020

What we have here is the first release from the born again influential underground label Northern Star; a label that released the four CD Psychedelica series of compilations that caught the mood and excitement of the bourgeoning new psychedelic scene of the time. This series of releases influenced many a new band and caught some now very well known and established bands early in their careers. So to kick off the rebirth of the mighty fine label we have the second album from The Cult Of Free Love and to be honest if this album had been released on the Fruits Der Mer label it would have already sold out and been acclaimed as a modern psychedelic masterpiece. Yes, this album is that good.

Orb like trance and late 80’s acid house mingle with the lost summer of love of ‘67 to weave a spell of blissed out magic. There is no one highlight on Visions as the whole album is one long stream of melody and blissed out splendor. This album I cannot recommend enough to anyone with a love of modern psychedelia or somebody wanting to know what it was like to visit the legendary Hacienda in its pomp: An album to turn this winter of discontent into the third summer of love.

Le Couleur ‘Silenzio’
(Lisbon Lux Records) Single/24^th September 2020

This is a disco sausage of a track, the kind of thing we used to soak up in the late 70’s by the Dooleys and the like. That is no insult, as much as the Dooleys were reviled by the serious music snobs of the days they made some rather splendid pop singles and this is indeed a rather splendid fun pop song that should be soaked up and danced to and enjoyed.

Flavigula ‘Jēmaraz’
(Submarine Broadcasting Co.) Album/September 15^th 2020

I think I’ll call this “modern art atmospheric jazz”. Why? I hear you shout, yes you at the back screaming what the hell is modern art atmospheric jazz. Well you cretin this is modern art atmospheric jazz. Charles Mingus has a salad with Ryuichi Sakamoto whilst listening to the brain patterns of Zappa whilst watching black and white flashbacks of Delia Derbyshire getting undressed: that is atmospheric jazz. And if it is not that, what the fuck is it?!

Yes this is a strange old album for these strange old times, but what do you expect from the wonderful Submarine Broadcasting label. You are not going to get an album of Instagram friendly booty shaking smartphone paps are you now. SB release thought provoking atmospheric hugging slices of art melancholia. Which Flavigula do very well. It is the sound of a breeze overestimating its own power and causing ripples in the sea of self-doubt soundtracked by the faint beating heart of a lost angel in jack boots: an album of beautiful extremes.

Nick Frater  ‘Fast & Loose’
Album/19^th September 2020

Any album that kicks off with a groovy 70’s spy like film theme instrumental is alright with me and then proceeds to take us down the avenue of perfect pop 70’s style where the musings of an Andrew Gold or Todd Rundgren in a mellow mood might reside. Things only get better and better, from the beautiful ‘The Ship Has Sailed’ to the even more baroque beauty of ‘Moonstruck’ – a track worthy of the zombies at their finest.

This is an album that will have all those power poppers doing cartwheels and even might actually be one of those very rare albums that will bring them to total agreement that this album is indeed worthy of the tag power pop: it certainly has power and it certainly has pop and is certainly a pure delight to listen to. One of pure pop sunny delight sunshine pop at its finest.