Review: The debut album from hotly-tipped London/Oxford self-dubbed 'Flowerkraut' collective Mandrake Handshake comes eagerly-awaited as they've built up a strong following from playing live. As the album cover suggests, the overarching feel of this album is quite blissed out and psychedelic. The Stereolab-esque 'Hypersonic Super-Asterid' is a case in point as it combines a motorik beat with lead singer Trinity Oksana's Laetitia Sadier-esque vocals. 'Find The Tree and Dig (Deep)!' is their darkest number with overdriven guitars offering an ominous undercurrent to the lush dream pop vocals and resplendent flute flourish. It's an adventurous collection by a band that sound refreshingly removed from the zeitgeist and are operating in their own parallel universe.
Review: Carpet of Fallen Leaves serves as the luminous introduction to Eddie Marcon, a folk-pop project from Eddie Corman and Jules Marcon. The collection takes in more than two decades of intimate, self-released recordings that all bring fragile beauty and melodic grace from Japan's underground psych-folk scene. Gentle guitar, soft organ and deft bass interlace with pristine vibraphone, flute and pedal steel sounds to form sparse and spare yet intricate arrangements. Collaborators like Ikuro Takahashi and Shintaro Sakamoto add their own contributions, and so songs shimmer with a real emotional depth and Eastern charm. Highlights like 'Tora To Lion' and 'Shoujo' inspire quiet wonder while capturing fleeting moments of everyday life with a real tenderness and elegance.
Review: If you were indeed wondering why, well, Gary Marks doesn't claim to have the answers. Amid an honorary reissue campaign of this under-storied musician's early LPs by P-Vine (after he moved on to become a published fiction and non-fiction writer), Marks' third record from 1978 stands out among this folky jazz singer's best. After his debut record Gathering and then the sophomore Upon Aonda's Wing, this ponderous yet sprightly record follows Marks' relocation to the West Coast of the USA in 1976, after which he began working with Art Rande and Oregon member Paul McCandles. Considered his masterpiece by many, this hidden avant-garde folk jazz diamond contains stirring narratives, cathartic piano ballads, and hum-along heart-pinchers, weaving twin threads of personal disclosure and mystery Americana.
Review: The exquisite 1974 debut album by American pianist, guitarist, producer and songwriter Gary Marks hears a deserving reissue through Lantern Heights. Now a published fiction and non-fiction author, Marks' early musical career ended all to shortly, and was Marked sonically by sweetened contemporary jazz and folk arrangements, heard best on this homeward but still subtly cosmic opening statement of an LP. The open-ended, pathetic-fallacious 'Sherry's Song' is our twinging piece de resistance, with Marks serenading a young flame as the object of his gushing folksy affections, while the immediate follower 'Gathering' indulges a completely "other" set of progged-out emotions. 'We Free' unites the two through a bossa nova downturn, and 'A Gina Theme' isolates the vibraphone in a kind of giant sonic glasshouse, serving as one of several interludes that steadfastly beautify the record.
Review: Known as much for their outlandish costumes as their constant musical evolution, Martin Circus were one of France's most intriguing bands of the 1970s and 80s. Originally formed in 1969 as a psychedelics-inspired progressive rock combo, they later successfully turned their hand to wonderfully camp, over-the-top disco and synth-sporting new wave. Evolution Francaise 1969-1985 does a brilliant job of charting that remarkable musical evolution, dashing between tail end of the 60s prog sounds ('Tout Tremblant De Fievre', 'Facon de Parler'), early Black Sabbath-esque heavy rock ('Annie, Christine ou Partricia'), gritty, Rolling Stones style rhythm and blues ('A Bas Tous Le Privileges'), psychedelic disco-rock ('Les Indiens Du Demier Matin'), Cerrone-ish throb-jobs ('Mon Premier Hold Up', Francois K re-editing 'Disco Circus') and synth-pop ('J'tai Vu Dans Le Canoe?').
Review: The debut album Approach to Anima by Maya Ongaku landed originally in May 2023 but sold out quickly so is now being reissued. Initially available as a rare import, the album features Sonoda's fluid guitar and vocals, Takano's undulating bass, Ikeda's ethereal woodwinds and delicate synths and percussion to create a calm yet unsettling atmosphere. Tracks like 'Approach' and 'Water Dream' showcase their diverse influences by blending "Neo-Dada and Fluxus" with 1960s recording advancements. Based in serene Enoshima, the trio's music is free-spirited and reveals hidden depths and untamed vitality which reflect their ongoing creative journey.
The Edge Of The Switchblade (feat Wiliam Duvall & Slash) (4:16)
Black Boots (feat Tim McIlrath) (2:47)
I Am The Fun (The Phoney) (3:38)
Twenty-Five Miles (3:56)
Because Of Your Car (3:01)
Boys Who Play With Matches (3:00)
Blind Eye (feat Dennis Thompson) (3:17)
Can't Be Found (feat Vernon Reid & Dennis Thompson) (3:40)
Blessed Release (3:03)
Hit It Hard (feat Joe Berry) (2:41)
Review: For many, MC5 were the world's first punk band. A Detroit crew that managed to set fire to the rock & roll rule book during the late-1960s and early-70s - a period of time observers will often argue was defined by a lack of rules - they disappeared into the ether almost as quickly as they blew it up. Almost fading into forgotten music memories, thankfully at least one of the original lineup kept the lights on, with three founding members now sadly dead. This leaves guitarist Wayne Kramer to take a lead on Heavy Lifting, the first MC5 album since High Time in 1971. And it almost recaptures the magic of that era, bringing both grit and funk in equal measure, ensuring that hard rock grooves all night, or at least for the duration of this record. A fierce, welcome return that feels fresh, rather than pastiche.
The Edge Of The Switchblade (feat Wiliam Duvall & Slash) (4:13)
Black Boots (feat Tim McIlrath) (2:46)
I Am The Fun (The Phoney) (3:34)
Twenty-Five Miles (3:50)
Because Of Your Car (3:04)
Boys Who Play With Matches (3:05)
Blind Eye (feat Dennis Thompson) (3:11)
Can't Be Found (feat Vernon Reid & Dennis Thompson) (3:39)
Blessed Release (3:03)
Hit It Hard (feat Joe Berry) (2:41)
Review: The impact and influence of MC5 has been much discussed, with the Detroit outfit cited as major instigators of what would become heavy metal and punk-rock. Their recording career effectively ended in 1972, though they have previously reunited on occasions for shows and tours - despite the passing of three of the original members. Even so, the appearance of 'Heavy Lifting' - their first album in over half a century - is a massive surprise. With founder member Wayne Kramer at the helm, the music they've offered up is as raw, heavy, angry and uncompromising as the music they recorded at the tail end of the 1960s, with lyrical nods to recent events. Given their vintage and the advancements in studio recording, that's no mean feat. A comeback we can all get behind!
The Edge Of The Switchblade (feat Wiliam Duvall & Slash) (4:16)
Black Boots (feat Tim McIlrath) (2:47)
I Am The Fun (The Phoney) (3:38)
Twenty-Five Miles (3:56)
Because Of Your Car (3:01)
Boys Who Play With Matches (3:00)
Blind Eye (feat Dennis Thompson) (3:17)
Can't Be Found (feat Vernon Reid & Dennis Thompson) (3:40)
Blessed Release (3:03)
Hit It Hard (feat Joe Berry) (2:41)
Review: Detroit's MC5 were a truly world changing band, inspiring metal, garage and punk rock bands alike - as well as the support of John Lennon, for example. The idea of the band - three of whose original members have now passed - following up 1971's swansong High Times with a new album in 2024 is a weird one, but once you put the music on, it makes a lot more sense. With guitarist Wayne Kramer at the helm, they've put together an album which reflects their roots and doesn't show much mellowing with time, although it would be hard not to make something a little less raw their than their formative recordings, by dint of technoloigcal advances alone. 'Boys Who Play With Matches' is a suitable raucous highlight - it's always nice to hear men in their 70s boasting about being late for school - and 'Barbarians At The Gate', penned about the post Trump-defeat invasion of Congress, shows they're still in touch with the real world.
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