Monolith Cocktail Blog

Album Reviews – Brian Bordello 




Welcome our 2019 signing, Brian Bordello, to the Monolith Cocktail fold. The self-depreciating maverick patriarch of the dysfunctional cult lo fi Bordellos will henceforth be, in his own idiosyncratic style and turn-of-phrase, pontificating aloud and reviewing with scrutiny an eclectic deluge of releases for us. Here’s his inaugural couplet review of upcoming albums by Cleaning Women and Eerie Wanda.

Eerie Wanda ‘Pet Town’
January 25^th 2019

The lost sounds of childhood summers, the finger clicking bliss of a Joe Meek hit, the beauty of the lost rainbow in an angels wish, this LP by Eerie Wanda makes me recall all this.

Pet Town is a fine album indeed at times it gives me the same feelings of joy I have when playing The Beach Boys much-underrated classic Friends; songs wrapped up in the power of the pureness in being alone.

This is simple in its beauty and the beauty is its simpleness, the vinyl etchings of acoustic nights wrapped in your ex’s arms soundtracked by a lovingly compiled mixtape of the Marine Girls and Holly Golightly’s softer moments.

This LP is one of pure delight, a lo-fi lovers dream date, a shy boys aural pin up, this is what you imagine the sound of the girl you wanted but was never confidant enough to ask out whispering I want you in your ear.

The sparseness of the backing, the wonderful percussion sound gives the whole affair a cocoon of warmness. There are so many things to love, like the way the song ‘Sleepy Eyes’ starts with the same guitar chords as Elvis Presley’s

‘Jailhouse Rock’ and finishes with a psychedelic organ solo, and the handclaps on the ‘Hands Of The Devil’ are rockabilly percussion par excellence.

Summing up, this is an LP to wrap around you to keep you warm in the coming winter months and the LP to play as you walk in the summer sun remembering how happy sad life can be. A stunner.

Cleaning Women ‘Intersubjectivity’
(Svart Records) 15^th February 2019

I can honestly say I’ve never heard of the Cleaning Women before; a band from Helsinki who make their instruments from cleaning implements, or so they say, and who am I not to believe them it would explain why this music is so shiny and refreshing to listen to.

This LP brings back memories of growing up in the North West of England listening to the strange pop post punk sounds of the mid 80s; bands that were not scared to try something different and at the same time not afraid to make music with melody, style and beauty. And this LP has all those things in abundance.

Intersubjectivity is truly a thing of great beauty. It’s not often that you hear an album that reminds you of the 80s pop gods Aha and Can at the same time; an LP that makes you want to go back and revisit your love for the mighty Laibach whilst wishing I still had the energy to frug wildly to the captivating post punk of ‘We Work It Out’, or, to wrap myself in a sleeping bag and pogo to the funky Captain Beefheart meets Julian Cope of ‘Living On The Streets’.

This is my first review of 2019 and if all the music I write about is as exciting as this what a year it will be, or this could be a great one off and everything in comparison will be a crushing disappointment, a warning for you 2019 the standard has been set high…

Words: Brian Bordello