Monolith Cocktail Blog

A ROUNDUP OF NEW MUSIC REVIEWS BY CULT INSTIGATOR OF THE NO-FI, AND SIBLING BAND MEMBER OF THE MIGHTY BORDELLOS, BRIAN SHEA.

La Luz Photo by Ginger Fierstein

____/SINGLES\____

La Luz ‘I’ll Go With You’
(Sub Pop)

I like this. It has a feel of 1968 psychedelica without sounding like it was recorded in the 60s; a song that captures a hazy lazy summers day of yearning and going in and out of dream like states with the silent wish of eccentricity transferred onto the watching eyes of the passing expectant teenage wish monger who has just discovered the magic of Odyssey and Oracle. A woozy gem of a single.

The Tearless Life ‘The Leaving Light’

The Tearless Life’s second single “The Leaving Light” is a rather fetching blissful experimental pop song that reminds one of both early Mercury Rev and a Psychic TV. In a rare playful pop mode it features Johnny Brown from Band Of Holy Joy on vocals, who offers up the first sprouts of sunshine on the dismal horizon that has been 2024 so far. It’s a one that could well end up blasting from your local alternative radio station if there is any justice in this land of ours.

Amy Rigby ‘Dylan In Dubuque’
(Tapete Records)

I like this single even if it is basically Elvis Costello’s ‘Tokyo Storm Warning’ with different lyrics. But if you are going to rip off someone why not rip off the best. It’s better than ripping off Oasis or some other overrated non-entity. And the new lyrics are very good even if they are not as good as Elvis Costello’s ‘Tokyo Storm Warning’.

The Garrys ‘Cakewalk’
(Grey Records)

I like this single. A smooth sultry drift into twangy guitar psych; the kind of beauty that you would find on the one and only album Livin’ Love by the Feminine Complex way back in 1969 – high praise indeed. Hopefully The Garrys will not be too long in delivering an album.

____/ALBUMS\____

Poppycock ‘Magic Mothers’
24^th May 2024

I remember playing on the same bill as Poppycock a number of years ago in Oldham. I didn’t realise they where still going, but I am very pleased they still are as I enjoyed their set that night. And it is always nice to share a bill with a post punk legend, as Poppycock includes Ex Fall/Blue Orchids member Una Baines.

Magic Mothers is their debut album, and a rather nice album it is as well. It’s a slightly jazzy psych folk affair reminiscent at times of the all girl lost Sixties psych band The Feminine Complex – especially the album opener ‘Let It out’, which is rather beautiful indeed. And my favourite track on the album, ‘Lizardman’ is full on psychedelic (another gem of a track): one I can imagine her former band The Blue Orchids performing. The whole album is joy. I love the mix of jazz, folk and psychedelic pop: alas, if only the last Zombies album was as enjoyable as this.

Neon Kittens ‘It’s A NO Thing’
(Metal Postcard Records)

I am pleased to say that the Neon Kittens are back with a new album, another album of post-punk no wave sexiness. I do love the Kittens. They’re a band I think are only a BBC 6 music play away from crossing over to the mainstream. And I’m sure that one-day will be claimed to have been discovered by John Robb as he was brushing his kitchen floor.

The Kittens have a magic and their own sound: The guitar wizardry of Andy G (In a ideal world David Bowie would not be dead and Andy would be his guitarist songwriter partner) and the spoken, I am going to shove my stiletto shoe heel into your yearning heart, vocal coolness of Nina K. The Neon Kittens are one of those rare bands; we need them more than they need us.

Nicolette And The Nobodies ‘The Long Way’
(Arthaus Music)

It’s very rare, that I get country music sent to me to review. Which is both a good and bad thing, as on the whole I really don’t like modern country music. But I do love country music from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and I’m pleased to say that Nicolette and The Nobodies have taken their influences from those decades.

I grew up in a house that was soundtracked by country music, as my late father was obsessed with it. And at an early age and I could sing the back catalogue of Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and George Jones and many others off by heart. The greatest compliment I can give this album is that it would not have sounded out of place soundtracking my childhood, in that old terrace house in St Helens.  An album that lovers of old-fashioned country music should add to their collection.

Tibshelf ‘In The Ellington Conception’
(Cruel Nature Records)

Can you imagine if the mighty Krautrock legends Faust had decided they wanted to jump the disco and dance bandwagon of 1976 (what do you mean you haven’t …what on earth do you do to pass the time?!), for that is what the opening track “Threshold” on this fine cassette reminds me off, all funky get down and get with it strangeness noise boogie.

The rest of the album is equally entertaining with the sound of Stings mate Shaggy getting locked in an amusement arcade with only video games for company on the track “All Mega” and the sublime “Faders” – my favourite of the quite excellent five tracks. It is always a pleasurable way to spend half an hour or so lost in the instrumental artform (with the occasional sampled vocal/voice), especially when it combines quirkiness, experimentation, melody and danceability in such a natural rewarding way.  

Ward White ‘Here Come The Dowsers’
(Think Like A Key) 17^th May 2024

I get sent lots of albums of this type to review; the power pop-tinged guitar-based singer-songwriter variety all of varying quality. After a while it can all get very samey, and if you listen to a few in a row you can actually get confused about what artist you are trying to write about, trying to find something a little different to cling onto. But I’m happy to report with Ward White there is no such problem. White is a guitar based singer songwriter with power pop leanings, but has a slightly artier feel; a man with a more upper class quality to his voice with a touch of the 70s Scott Walker, John Howard and lyrically painting pictures/vignettes with a precise detail that at times remind me of the wonderful Ami Mann.

So if anyone is currently drowning in the mass of power pop guitar based albums being released and wondering which to go for next, I would plump for this excellent album of songs tinged with a much superior air than your common everyday power pop offerings. 

Cadillac Face ‘Songs For The Trees’
(Weltschmerzen)

This is a beautiful album; an album of lo-fi singer-songwriting bewitchery. An album full of heart and soul, broken hearts and tortured soul: the best kind of heart and soul. This is the best kind of lo-fi album, one that demonstrates that beautiful songs of fragility are best recorded in a way that sounds like it is going to fall into little pieces at anytime, as brittle as the heart that is writing and singing and performing the magic; proving that sometimes all you need is an acoustic guitar and songwriting talent with something to sing about.