Our Daily Bread 385: Bananagun, The Original Magnetic Light Parade, Deleo, Salem Trials, Sir Robert Orange Peel…
June 22, 2020
REVIEWS GALORE/Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea joined the Monolith Cocktail team in January 2019. The cult leader of the infamous lo fi gods, The Bordellos, 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, and the diatribe ‘Boris Johnson Massacre’. 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.
The Original Magnetic Light Parade ‘Smoke & Mirrors/Confusion Reigns’
(Bearsuit Records) Single/26th June 2020
Once again Bearsuit Records bring us music of beauty and sheer magical elegance, with this fine experimental two tracker by The original Magnetic Light Parade. Sci-fi synths float and caress the air to bring us, the listener, to a higher state of consciousness; a lone acoustic guitar leads us on a gentle floating journey through the clear water of the love laden memories of a past we so wish we had. So yet again, a release of true wanton instrumental genius.
Deleo ‘Mythomania’
(Made It Records) Single/19th June 2020
Ah at long last a song with melody and a melancholy pop freshness that has been missing from this batch of new releases. Yes I have had a heavy metal EP were all the songs are about video gaming and a LP the Quietus has said nice things about according to the press release (do they expect me to fall down to my knees get my cock out and wank over it just because the quietus likes it). If the quietus likes it, it can mean two things either that it is tuneless shit that so called intellectuals will pretend to like or it came out 40 years ago. But with this release the lovely sad mellow pop Deleo saves my early Saturday morning reviewing session with a blissful three minutes of sublimeness.
Bananagun ‘The True Story Of Bananagun’
(Full Time Hobby/Anti-Fade) Album/26th June 2020
From the off I like this LP. It sounds like a barrel load of monkeys discovering the joys of sunshine pop. 60s harmonies, fast strummed guitars with wah wah solo’s, and that’s only the first track, this is a band that grew up watching Matt Helm films and Beatles cartoons and longed to own a time machine so they could have played the hip and happening clubs of swinging 60s London.
5th Dimension Funk meets Syd’s Pink Floyd in an explosion of technicolour wonderment, a true joy of nostalgic longing wrapped up in the sound of pure unadulterated joyfully playful psych tinged sunshine pop.
Colossous ‘Running In The Sand’
Single/15th June 2020
This is a rather marvelous single; 80s pop synths and even amusement arcade middle eight. The kind of song that would have enriched an early 80s Top Of The Pops (you can imagine it sandwiched between Duran Duran and The Teardrop Explodes) but with a slightly post punk feel; John Peel no doubt tapping his toes and arching one eyebrow whilst we at home sang along from the printed lyrics in that week’s copy of Smash Hits. A gem of a single.
Sir Robert Orange Peel ‘Piers Morgan 1-0 Everyone Else’
(Metal Postcard Records) Single/9th June 2020
I love this. There is revolution in the air and this wonderful track sticks two fingers up at the government and their bordering on criminal handling of the Covid-19 pandemic; a track that features the sense and outrage spoken by at one time one of the most despised characters on British TV Piers Morgan, but who for some strange reason has suddenly become one of the only voices of reason and true outrage at our flimsy poor evil fat cat government who puts money over lifetime and time again this is both a wonderful protest song and a tribute to Piers Morgan [who would have believed it ]shows what a crazy world we are living in.
Salem Trials ‘Pictures Of Skin’
(Metal Postcard Records) Single/13th June 2020
The best new band of 2020 anyone?? The second single coming not even a month after their wonderful debut, these two tracks are ram jam packed of Wire like pop suss: imagine Pete Shelley gargling with a mouthful of spiders [from mars] whilst juggling old vinyl LPs of Tubeway Army and Subway Sect bootlegs, whilst starring Johnny Rotten style at some leather clad beauty who is far too good to even consider you. Yes this is perfect rock n roll that captures the magic and true spirit of the greatest of the art forms. And a big round of applause should go to Metal Postcard Records who released this, and who are quietly becoming the greatest label on the planet.
The Amplifier Heads ‘The Man With A Sun For A Head’
EP/18th June 2020
Although at the moment of typing it is currently raining cats and dogs, but even the inclement weather cannot put a dampener on this fine EP of XTC like pop wonder. The lead off title-track is a fine example of how to make let’s throw the kitchen sink at it work. A song of bright sunshine goodness leaps from the speakers leaving the room to sparkle and bathe in a glow of sunshine psyche so much so that it could easily hold its own on XTC’s excellent Oranges And Lemons album: a song so British sounding it could have only been made by a American. If this was 1967 I would predict a hit single in the offing.
Ageing Children ‘Live’
(Bearsuit Records) LP/18th June 2020
Noise is a musical virtue; it is one of the wonders of the world when it is performed right, and in the right situation can make the dullest of days seem like an adventure into the unknown, and this album of discordant guitar noise is a case in point. This has everything one wants in a noise album; it has atonal discordance it has melody seeping from the dark corners of your psyche. Track two, ‘You Have to Work Hard To Live Like This’, could have easily fitted onto Scott Walker’s masterpiece The Drift, and the wonderful ‘Silaninans Head’ sounds like the theme of Jaws played under water by the Mary Chain in the middle of a fox hunt: a truly magical listening experience indeed.
If anyone out there wants to dip their toes into something a little different and get away from the four white boys playing guitars and drums and singing about love, then this is an ideal place to start from. This is one of the most rewarding listening experiences I have had this year; for it has everything one wants from an album, it has noise power and moments of sublime beauty.
REVIEWS/Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea joined the Monolith Cocktail team in January 2019. The cult leader of the infamous lo fi gods, The Bordellos, 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 releases include The Bordellos beautifully despondent pains-of-the-heart and mockery of clique “hipsters” ode to Liverpool, and, under the guises of the Idiot Blur Fanboy moniker, a stripped down classic 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.
With all live gigs and events more or less quashed for the foreseeable future, buying music (whether it’s physical or through digital platforms such as Bandcamp) has never been more important for the survival of the bands/artists/collectives that create it. We urge you all to keeping supporting; to keep listening.
Princess Thailand ‘And We Shine’
(À Tant Rêver du Roi and Luik Records) Album/Available Now
If the swooning sound of post punk is the thing that swings your swinger then this fine album by Princess Thailand is the thing for you. Siouxsie and The Banshees attitude and early Cure like darkness melts over the proceedings like a black-hearted vamp of loneliness offering you one last grasp of togetherness. Guitars and sultry vocals merge with the feeling and memories of 80s post punk and, dare I say it, Goth to bring together an enjoyable flange filled half hour or so of dark sparkle angst.
Sir Robert Orange Peel ‘Are You Mod Enough’
(Metal Postcard Records) Single/Available Now
Welcome to another musical history lesson from Sir Robert Orange Peel; this time teaching us all about the mod culture fashions from the 60s: myself being too young to remember such a thing, but old enough to remember the late 70s revival. The joys of being a rockabilly in the early 80s, leather jacket winklepicker boots and huge Stray Cats like quiff surrounded by the be-parkered ones at a early 80s Kinks gig: and what a gig it was.
This is a joyful hipster swing of a track; one you could imagine Michael Cain sipping on a whisky and coke to, wearing horn rimmed glasses whilst watching the mini skirted beauties shaking their tail feather and there long lank hair swaying to this organ led beat happening at the London groovy discotheque.
Sir Bobby Jukebox ‘Friendship Gift’
(Already Dead Records) Album/22nd May 2020
Is there anyone out there old enough to remember the early 90’s and the wonderful joyful happy sounds of the Frank And Walters, who mastered in releasing catchy indie pop with melodies that caressed all the parts you wanted caressing by joyful indie music whilst hiding the dark underbelly of sadness.
Well if you do, this could well be for you. It has the same magical qualities but with the added spice of diy everything but kitchen sink woozy psychedelia, the injection of a “nah nah” chorus rush frenzies, and the Postcard era jangle of guitars – especially on ‘the has Edwyn entered the room’ ‘You Only Dance’. A joyful sugar rush of an album.
Bigflower ‘Hold You In Place’
Single/Available Now
Another day in lockdown and another slice of dark wonderful distorted searing guitar from the equally wonderful bigflower, an artist that should be celebrated not ignored: if this was the 90s when people still gave a shit about new music bigflower would be all over late night radio and in the serious music press. As this is Monolith Cocktail, and one of the only remaining serious music blogs still standing [no clickbait 10 songs about making tea from us] it is our duty to review and to publicize such a serious talent.
If dark beautiful guitar music that you can dive into and totally submerge yourself in is your thing, bigflower is certainly the man/artist/band for you. Get downloading: it’s free. And tell your guitar loving friends to do the same.
Palavas ‘Centerpiece’
(Wormhole World) Album/Available Now
Discordant noise merges with electro soundscapes that paint a sweeping aural picture of dark beauty, sometimes verging on the slightly psychedelic industrial sound that Throbbing Gristle used to thrive in producing; and I would advise any fans of Throbbing Gristle to give this festival of noise [noise in the best way] a go as I think they could well enjoy and be intrigued by this sound wash of danger. Once again Wormhole World Records produce the goods.
Salvatore Baglio ‘Sonic Doom: A Lo- Fi Home Companion’
Album/Available Now
Lo-fi is what I do best musically, so when I’m introduced to a 25-track album of such lo-fi beauties I’m indeed like a pig in muck. Recorded in various places on various recording equipment over the last 20 years by Salvatore Baglio, and compiled into this gem of a release.
Songs that makes one think of XTC, Guided By Voices, Cleaners From Venus, Clinic, and The Beach Boys at their crazy best amongst many other, what these songs have are invention, melody and tongue in cheek humour, and a great amount of songwriting talent.
There is the wonderful warmth that one gets from using cassette tapes to record that this album and these songs benefit greatly from; the warmth most of these songs, if not all of these songs, couldn’t be improved upon by using a state of the art 64 track studio, for what people do not quite grasp is that to succeed in making truly great lo-fi music you have to be a hugely talented songwriter with a inventive mind as you cannot hide behind 32 tracks of synths or millions of overdubs and get some producer to cover up some of your weaker tracks with studio trickery, and this album really does not have any weak tracks.
From the experimental instrumentals to stunning guitar pop all are polished gems. Some achievement that over the 25 tracks one does not find their minds wandering or wanting to skip songs. This really is a album all music lovers need to dive into and lose themselves in; a truly wonderful album and a masterclass in songwriting.
Nightingales ‘Four Against Fate’
(Ting Global Productions) LP/22nd May 2020
The Robert Lloyd warble is a thing of punk and post punk beauty, and here we are still in 2020 still enjoying the lyrical dexterity and humour of the great man: and long may it continue. As always songs of post punk verve leap from the speakers drenching you in memories of late night glories of listening to the much-missed John Peel; it really is like the last 35 years have not happened.
This album is simply timeless guitars jangling and twisting and distorting – as all great post punk guitars should do. Melodies reach out and throttle you while gently pulling on your heart strings reminding you no matter how bad things seem to be getting their are wonderful bands and characters like the Nightingales making enjoyable discordant pop songs full of wit adventure and wonder.
Xqui ‘Microchasm’
(Wormhole World) LP/15th May 2020
Found sounds or found zounds if you want to be funky, and I’m in a funky mood, the kind of mood where I feel like listening to cut up sounds welded together to make music with or without melody, the kind of thing you may find attractive whilst cutting a garden hedge or two. You can imagine Fred Astaire walking down a staircase whilst surrounded by beauties in fine gowns in black and white photos, whilst some guy is annoyingly recording the clip clop of his feet and making a strange trance like dance track from the aftertaste of the be-swathed one.
Found Zounds as I am now fond of calling them are something to be admired and beholden in a fashion not known by man, or men depending how many there are, or women even – let’s not be sexist about this. If you want to start and experiment into making found zounds you could not do worse than giving this a listen and losing yourself in the found zound wizardry of Xqui.
Simon Klein ‘Cat’
(Gare Du Nord) Single/Video/15th May 2020
Ah at last I was just beginning to despair of finding something I liked enough to be kind to in a review when this bountiful in bounce beauty came into my email box; a song that flounces with a fine subtle rockabilly beat, the kind of song that one twists to in their kitchen whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. And did you notice I wrote song and not track for it has lyrics and melody and everything. It is a song you can both dance to and stroke your chin to: hurrah!
Our Daily Bread 301: Delicate Steve, Mozes And The Firstborn, Sir Robert Orange Peel, Bibi Den’s Tshibayi
February 7, 2019
Review Roundup: Words: Brian ‘Shea’ Bordello
Delicate Steve ‘Till I Burn Up’
(Anti/ Epitaph) 1st March 2019
Well this LP by Delicate Steve is a music publisher’s dream, if I had handed this into my publishers they would be performing cartwheels and my back would be bruised from all the backslapping. Nine well written well performed instrumental works that are catchy without being annoyingly so commercial, without being overly commercial. Tracks that will be played on both FM and alternative radio shows; instrumentals that one can be imagined used in adverts and TV shows of all genres, Sci-Fi, spy, romantic dramas, tunes being played behind the days sporting highlights.
This LP is ideal for soundtracking your daily routine without interfering too much in it. The music goes from having a modern day vibeness funk of Daft Punk, ‘Selfie Of A Man’ to the wonderful opening track ‘Way Too Long’, which if anything is way too short: With its squonky Synths and Robert Quine like guitar this is the kind of track you would have run home from school in the 70s for.
My personal favourite track is the royally majestic procession of a thing, the synth driven beauty Purple Boy, a song if not named in tribute to the sadly missed wonder that was Prince should have been.
It’s an LP that is well worth investigation.
Mozes And The Firstborn ‘Dadcore’
(Burger Records) 25th January 2019
An LP that wants to be a mixtape, a very good idea; an LP that is a love letter to rock music is music to these ears. Anyone who knows anything about my band The Bordellos loves such concepts, and know all-too-well how we go for things like that: Our How To Hate Friends And Influence No-one was a hate letter to the music industry and how bland it was becoming. I can happily report that this LP is in no way bland or boring but is a fine power pop album: All Glitter band drums, Raspberries guitars and melodies you could float on.
Songs that mention radio in the lyrics is always a good guide, whether the band have pop nouse and can be trusted with your pop heart, and any band that rips off The Beat’s ‘Save It For Later’ (or should I say is influenced by it) is alright with me as one should also try and rip off the best.
The opening title track is a fine example of what The Clash performing the Bay City Rollers ‘Saturday Night’ might sound like, if you ever wondered. Any lovers of The Eels and Fountains Of Wayne will no doubt embrace this LP; it has all the right chords in all the right places, it has its heart in its art; it has the right amount of darkness – as we all know when the darkness meets the light magic can happen and it does happen on a number of occasions on this LP.
It’s also nice to see that Burger Records can get things right occasionally (they turned down the chance to release a Bordellos LP (I’m not bitter, just a little twisted) but I do not hold grudges, even if I did I would still say this is a worthy addition to any lover of guitar pop collections.
Bibi Den’s Tshibayi ‘Sensible’
(Pharaway Records) 14th February 2019
This album is a gem of Ivory Coast Funk, kicking off with ‘Africa Mawa’, a wonderful mixture of jangly guitars and post-punk-funk like Synths; if it wasn’t for the vocals you could imagine it fitting nicely on Orange Juices’ Rip It Up album: A great way to start an LP. It is followed by the quite lovely ballad ‘Djwa Yango’; again of its time, this LP being recorded in 1983, it has the 80s synth sound but a wonderfully repetitive haunting synth riff.
Track three started and it sent me spinning back into the past: I was all of a sudden 18 again listening to the wonderful John Peel show, as he so very often filled the airwaves with quite wonderful African funk and the Sensible title track is indeed wonderful African music – maybe my favorite track of this four track album, quite marvelous in fact. Chanting vocals, funk guitar and incredible drumming, a song that puts the fun into funk. Then the final song comes all to soon the only fault I can find with this LP that at just over twenty five minutes on length it is over all too soon. I have not heard an album this joyful in a long time. In fact I’m going to put it on again.
Sir Robert Orange Peel ‘Turn That Bloody Racket Down!’
(Metal Postcard Records) 31st January 2019
Another LP from the wonderful Metal Postcard Records; this label releases so much wonderful music that is wrongly ignored. I am here to put that right.
This LP is a fine example; any LP that starts off with a wonderful farting synth and proceeds to erupt into a fury of lo fi funk before going on to a sample of telephone scammers over a slow drumbeat (slow very funny and very strange) is what the world is crying out for; music that deals with everyday life but with a dark smile on its face.
Who else would take a 70s sample of Mastermind the TV quiz show, when the persons specialist subject was the Sex Pistols, and just put a simple drumbeat behind it?!! As I have already said, insane but brilliant, the whole LP carries on in a similar vein and conjurers up both feelings for the nostalgic days of the past and the horrors of the world today.
I will not go into the subjects of all the tracks, as I do not want to spoil this wonderful eccentric dance record for you. GO AND DOWNLOAD IT AND CHEER YOURSELF UP!
Words: Brian ‘Shea’ Bordello
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