Monolith Cocktail Blog

BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.

The Conspiracy ‘Tick-Tok’
Single (Metal Postcard Records)

What I like about The Conspiracy is how bloody artfully British they are, like the Kinks or The Fall or Billy Childish or Comet Gain or the much-ignored Wonky Alice were artfully British. In fact, very much like Wonky Alice as The Conspiracy, like the aforementioned Wonky Alice, are criminally ignored, for The Conspiracy release songs of pop wonder that are maybe too clever to appeal to the common everyday white bread and I cannot believe it is not butter Oasis indie rock salivating radio X listening imbeciles.

Yes, The Conspiracy release songs filled with art pop and sublime arched melodies matched with pithy knowing lyrical commentaries on life today. They should be celebrated not locked away like the hidden treasure they truly are.

Empty House ‘Dream Lounge’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 29^th November 2024

Dream Lounge is a two-track instrumental album of pure dream inspiring glory. The first track, and title-track, is a 15 plus minute journey of subtle dance dream adventure that at no point ever grows boring and keeps you enrapt. It has the same hazy magic as The Smiths How Soon Is Now but with Morrissey’s vocals being replaced with Doug Ingle like organ virtuosity subtly weaving its way in and out of the track.

The Second track “Red Door” is a much more subtly rambunctious affair with throbbing synth bass and John Carpenter like soundtrack feel if written by Coil, and once again a long instrumental that never loses your attention.

Hornorkesteret ‘Dans fra dalstrøka’
Album (Panot)

This is marvellously unhinged. Its instrumental Norwegian folk music performed on string instruments made from Reindeer antlers accompanied by percussion, bass and mandolin: need I say more.  

Well, it is all rather strange and quite wonderful and best described as ideal music for sploshing through snow to whilst making your way to the tavern over the hill. At times I keep expecting the dulcet deranged vocal stylings of Tom Waites to emerge; he really should consider making an album with Hornorkesteret,it would be rather beautiful indeed.

The Muldoons ‘We Saw The View’
Album (Last Night From Glasgow) 29^th November 2024

Guitar pop jangle, don’t you just love it. I do when it is the coating to such bittersweet songs as these; songs that deal with life as you move on from your younger years of your early twenties of college and the excitement of first love to the problems that come with responsibilities. The boredom that can happen and slowly growing apart in a long-term relationship (“27 Year Itch”), the lack of joy in fulltime employment (“Same Old Same”), looking back at what could have been (“The Hill”), all subjects done with a warmth and melodious guitar strum. All is not lost though, “Lost Without You” is a song of true love and respect, and “We Saw The View” is a heartwarming and enjoyable listening of extremely well written snapshots of life wrapped in a pop glory the Pale Fountains and The Trashcan Sinatra’s would be proud of. 

St James Infirmary ‘All Will Be Well’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 29^th November 2024

All Will Be Well is an album made up of six long tracks of psych-tinged extravagance and 60’s ambience beauty that will appeal to all those who enjoy the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Velvets and their ilk. The opening track “Fingertips” is a seven-minute jaunt of Velvet Underground-like inspired beat and guitars, which finely carries into track two, the excellently named “Tremelo Voxstar”.

My favourite track on the album is a nine-minute instrumental of wonder, part Spacemen 3 part The Lounge Orchestra, a relaxing float through the nostalgia of 70’s TV testcard heaven.

The final and title track is over ten minutes long and starts all psych folk and ends up being a church like ode to heavenly discovery and cultdom. All Will Be Well is indeed a beautiful and lovely sounding album of bewitching subtle musical genre shifting originality.

The Salisman Communal Orchestration ‘A Queen Among Clods’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 29^th November 2024

If I remember correctly I gave The Salisman Communal Orchestration’s “Of The Desert “ EP a rather marvellous review earlier in the year, and rightly so as it was a fine beast of a EP. And this album is also of the same quality.

I love the psychedelic otherworldliness of SCO. I love the way the lead vocalist phrases his words. He sings with the soul of an sad imperfect empathetic angel, you actually believe in what he is saying, “[If I Wasn’t ]So Godam Blue” is so goddamn beautiful, and with some pretty wonderful lyrics: “remember those days when I pissed in the street, well that is not my style anymore”. Pure heartbreak poetry at its best. The following track “Rum Punch” is as equally beautiful, a psych country-tinged beauty full of sadness and pathos.

I really do love this album SCO have the perfect blend of magic and tragic, and “A Queen Among Clods” is defiantly one of the most impressive and heartfelt original sounding albums I have had the pleasure to write about this year. A true stunner.

SASSYHIYA ‘Take You Somewhere’
Album (Skep Wax Records)

“Take You Somewhere” is a rather wonderful pop listen. 12 songs in 35 Minutes and each minute blessed with a charm of post-punk indie pop magic that is quite lovely to behold.

For those who love the sound and feel of the output of the likes of the Fall and early Orange Juice and The Raincoats and Modern Lovers. Jangly guitars, post-punk basslines and quirky lyrics are all wrapped together to make a highly enjoyable album of perfect indie pop. SASSYHIYA have provided us the lucky listeners with a debut album of pure pop suss.

The South Hill Experiment ‘Silver Bullet’
Single

“Silver Bullet” is a rather fine pop single. Quite Beck like at times, it’s all clockwork rhythms and mantra choruses: “I think I’m getting over it” is repeated hoping to convince the poor soul that he is getting over, although obviously not, but the simple beauty of this song is in fact the simple beauty of “it”.

The South Hill Experiment have the same magic that can be found in the best of Hall & Oates, but with a slightly more alternative darker curve. 

Tremendous ‘Slipping Away’
Single 13^th December 2024

“Slipping Away” is a rather catchy slice of FM/AM pop rock that one of a certain age might remember lighting up the radio in the 70’s early 80’s, all Raspberries guitars and the second-hand glamour of hi heeled glitter boots floppy hats and velvet trousers. Tremendous are a band steeped in the nostalgic pull of how slightly underground mainstream rock sounded, arching the same bow as Redd Kross and The Darkness and doing it with a supreme confidence and love.

Unicorn ‘Shed No Tear The Early Late Unicorn’
Album (Think Like A Key) 6^th December 2024

“Shed No Tear The Early Late Unicorn” is a compilation of the first and final recordings of the 60/ 70’s British Pastoral rock band Unicorn, and any lovers of country rock will no doubt love this fine laid back stroll through the British countryside. The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Eagles and even at times Crosby Stills Nash and Young and The Byrds in more of their country days all spring to mind when listening to these lovely warm sounding laid back well written songs of soft rock excellence.

Without sounding like a Ronco advert from the 70’s “Shed No Tear” may well be an ideal Christmas gift for your Eagles loving relative, for country rock is for life not just for Christmas.