Monolith Cocktail Blog

RELEASES ON THE RADAR FROM THE LAST FEW MONTHS & A METAL POSTCARDS LABEL SPECIAL/REVIEWED BY WRITER-MUSICIAN GRAHAM DOMAIN

Letters from Mouse ‘Clota’
(Subexotic Records) – Vinyl LP and Digital DL

Steven Anderson (Letters from Mouse) returns with a beautiful album of ambient dreamscapes played with a lightness of touch using modular synthesisers.

In Celtic mythology, the Goddess Clota was patron of the River Clyde and brought purity to the natural landscape. The album pieces reflect the beauty of nature and how nature evolves and changes, both with the day and with the changing of the seasons.

The album begins with ‘Frogspawn’, which sounds like new life emerging. A red sun high in the sky, watercolours smudged by the brightness of the day.

‘Juniper’ sounds like beautiful winter landscapes illuminated by a low winter sun. Wonderful.

‘Bowling Greens and Tennis Courts’ sounds like the sun coming out as the last remnants of a summer storm fade. It’s late in the evening but still light, as the sun has one last boastful appearance before the end of the day.

‘Piglet’ employs electronic harp and sounds very playful. It puts me in mind of summer, very early morning as the sun rises, rabbits and small animals appear, foraging for food, the dawn chorus of birds mixes with the hum of insects in flight, busy for the day ahead.

‘Cosm’ sounds like swimming under water, the sunlight getting stronger, shining through the water as you approach the surface.

‘Habitual Joy’ sounds like the warm morning sun, life affirming, awakening to the joy of a brand-new day.

Altogether it’s a beautiful album that deserves to be heard by many. It is also a great ambient album for meditation or creative work such as painting. Wonderful.

Various ‘The Faithful: A Tribute to Marianne Faithfull’
(In the Q Records / Bandbox) – Vinyl and Digital Download

As the name suggests, this is a tribute album to Marianne Faithfull with all benefits going to assist her in her recovery from long Covid.

Marianne has had a checkered career with numerous labels and her voice changed and became more ‘lived in’ as she struggled with severe bouts of laryngitis and addiction. This has not given her body of work a consistent identity. However, her struggles with addiction, illness and health problems have never stopped her working. After losing her voice, her last album was spoken word poetry backed by Warren Ellis (of the Bad Seeds). Marianne is an intuitive survivor!

Most of the songs on this tribute album were not written by Marianne. Her forte being in the way she sang and interpreted the songs of others. While not having great commercial success after the 1960s, she was always appreciated by other singers, musicians and music critics. Her most well known album Broken English often being name checked by other artists. Thus, we get 19 appreciative artists covering the songs of MF. The standout tracks are ‘Working Class Hero’ by Iggy Pop and Cat Power, ‘Why’d Ya Do It’ by Shirley Manson and Peaches, ‘Broken English’ by Joan As Police Woman and ‘Love, Life and Money’ by Lydia Lunch. Hopefully, it will make enough money to help MF in her darkest hour whilst also creating interest and investigation of her colourful back catalogue, with maybe some reissues. Get better soon you husky voiced inspiration.

C’mon Tigre ‘Habitat’
(Intersuoni) – Vinyl and Digital DL

This is the fourth album by international music collective C’mon Tigre featuring, amongst others, Seun Kuti, Arto Lindsay, Xenia Franca and Giovanni Truppi.

It’s a beautiful menagerie; a wondrous sound fusion underpinned by Brazilian and African rhythms. The essence is always danceable and the album becomes more and more fascinating with each play, incorporating elements of jazz, electronic, funk and a subtle blend of influences from all around the world. Both Tricky and Sly Stone are in the mix.

Standout tracks include ‘The Botanist’, ‘Teenage Kingdom’, ‘Nomad at Home’, ‘Na Danca Das Flores’ and ‘Sixty-four Seasons’, but to be honest all the tracks are excellent.

If you are open to innovative music or want to insert something different and exciting in your DJ set, then this is a great album to check out.

A METAL POSTCARDS LABEL SPECIAL::

The Bordellos ‘Nobody’s Listening’
ALBUM – Digital DL

As Bill Fay said ‘life is people’ and here we have thirteen songs about the ups and downs that make up peoples’ lives. The themes are universal, the culture – survival in a world where the outgoings are more than the income. The highlights are many.

‘Running Back to You’ is a ‘standard-in-waiting’, ready-made for covering. Indeed, it may be that time of the year, but with a few Christmas bells added and a video with white snow parkas (a la East 17) it could be a Christmas smash!

‘Brief Taste’ has all the warped charm of an Eels track, with the refrain ‘Seduction ain’t that much of a hobby when you ain’t got that much of a body.’ Brilliant!

‘Soundtrack to getting your end away’ sounds like New Order jamming with Bob Dylan. Great lyrics and supernatural melodicism. Poetry for the soul!

‘Marianne’ is part Pixies, part The Fall, part Ted Hughes. Wonderful!

‘Tom Waits Blues’ has the melancholy atmosphere of a rainy day spent scouring shops looking for your favourite bands’ new album only to find no one has it in stock! Soaking wet and missed your bus, but there’s always tomorrow!

‘Soft Get Smile’ is a true anthem. A sing-a-long for the disenchanted. Hope among the ruins.

This is another perfect ‘slice of life’ album from The Bordellos. If all they had was a pair of spoons and a cassette-recorder, they would still be driven to record these hazy snapshots of life, in the same way that L S Lowry splashed his canvas with the daily drudgery and drama of the northern working-class. Was anyone paying attention to Mr Lowry at the time? No! But today there are hotels, theatres and tree-lined streets named after him. (Even Bowie was one to acknowledge the match-stalk painters genius titling his best album Low)!

No one (sic) may be listening to The Bordellos today but one day… recognition will be theirs! (Bordellos Night on the X Factor anyone)?

Tim. M ‘Turn This Thing Around’
Single – Digital Down Load

This is the second solo single from Tim. M (the Aliens singer). A piano based ballad, it falls into the space somewhere between James Blunt, Harry Nilsson, Crowded House (Neil Finn), Karl Wallinger (World Party) and the New Radicals.

The song grows on you with each play and after a few plays I knew all the words. Orchestrally it reminds me of Bowies ‘Life on Mars’, leading me to sing Bowie-voiced backing vocals on the chorus of ‘Listen to me now…yeah yeah’. If he stays with the piano and keyboard sound, I want to hear more.

Andi Roti (featuring Oti Soe) ‘Shazam Me At the Beach Bar’
Single – Digital Down Load

This is a great chilled dance record destined to be played in many air-conditioned beach bars around the globe. The bass line sounds very Chic-like, while the funky guitar is underpinned by warm keyboards and bongos. When it starts it reminds me of a Thom Bell production from the 70s. Topping it off are soulful Indonesian vocals from Oti Soe. Already an underground classic – make sure you ask for it on your next night out! Stone Cold Electric! #Shake that Leg Thang!

K. Board and the Skreens ‘Beauty Lies Everywhere’ and ‘Mythical Creature’ Singles – Digital Down Loads

Two singles released in rapid succession.

‘Beauty Lies Everywhere’ sounds like Sultana by Titanic deconstructed by robots and beamed live to Roswell Roxy Cinema in 1968 to soundtrack a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western. Not the usual pop hit – aliens, robots and time travel meet Ennio Morricone! Fantastic!

‘Mythical Creature’ is a brooding synth fare that sounds like the soundtrack to John Carpenters Assault on Precinct 13 crossed with a possessed cat on heat and dwarfs dancing round a maypole. All recorded during an alien-visit-power-cut-surge! Stup-id-end-ous! Play it when doing Cat -Yoga!