Friday was a big day for new music releases. There was the debut album from one of my new favourites – indie-psych weirdos, The Dream Machine. The latest from one of my all-time favourites in The National, although the singles haven’t got me expecting much. The new Jessie Ware, which has already been getting some rave reviews. And Reverend And The Makers’, Heatwave In The Cold North, which he’s been talking up as some of his best work (although I suppose he would say that).
Plus loads of singles and EPs from big names like Chemical Brothers, to upcoming local acts (keep an eye out for a couple of features next week with some North-East musicians).
But I’ll hopefully have thoughts on them next weekend, for now I’ve got my album of the week review, which is a mini psych-pop voyage from James Redmond. Plus thoughts on some slightly older tunes I’ve caught up on. And more recommendations in this week’s playlist for you to listen along to.
Album of the week
James Redmond – Video City 2
James Redmond is another character in what I like to think of as the extended Scouse Psych Universe, which spans members from the likes of The La’s and The Coral, to newcomers like The Dream Machine. Redmond is a bit of a veteran of that scene, having played with both of the former bands, amongst others throughout his career.
Video City 2 takes inspiration from a pre-internet age where the likes of video shops, VHS tapes, and arcade games provided a window into other worlds. And the album probably works best if you view it through the lens of flicking through a rack of film posters. I almost changed the wording above to ‘listen’ rather than ‘view’, but view actually works better as there’s a very visual element to the album, beginning with the excellent artwork from Seasick Sailor.
Each track plays like a vignette, dropping you into a new scene complete with it’s own mood and accompanying landscape. Like a mystical desert trek on opener, Castle Of Illusion, to a classic Clint Eastwood Western on Running With The Devil, to an underwater dream sequence on Child of the Ocean. You could also view it like the soundtrack to a fictional film, with spoken word interludes and snippets of speech spliced between tracks.
Now, this all probably sounds a bit pretentious, and I get it. A psychedelic semi-concept album; it’s very easy to get lost up your own arse with this sort of thing. But, importantly, it all manages to feel very loose and fun. And, at just 27 minutes, it breezes by.
However, the album does feel like it starts slightly slowly. The first few tracks themselves are solid, but it’s as if you’ve came straight into the middle of the album (which makes sense with that vignette theory). Weirdly, it’s a Super Mario-themed rap, which really gets thing going; it really shouldn’t work, but actually it’s a low-key banger.
Alongside that whole visual inspiration, there’s the sense that this is a record collector’s record. From the importance placed on the artwork to help tell the record’s story, to the myriad of influences that shape the music, which is highlighted on the three standout tracks. The Fang is a re-working of an old 50’s rock ‘n roll novelty from Nervous Norvus, transformed into a banging sci-fi theme here. Will She Meet Me could easily be mistaken for a late 60s/early 70s classic; McCartney’s Beatles crossed with Crosby, Stills & Nash. And CSN are channelled again on Emerald Isles, throwing a bit of Gram Parsons-era Byrds into the mix for another which feels like a lost classic.
One of my favourites of the year so far; fun, easy, inventive, and a few exceptional moments to top it off.
Best tunes: Will She Meet Me, The Fang, Emerald Hills
Tunes of the week
Nothing – Young Generation / Lance – Marilyn
This week I’m including some tunes from about 50 years ago in the new music roundup because, you know, time is just like a relative construct maaan… Nah, it’s actually from a new compilation so it qualifies. These two are from the latest in the Brown Acid series by Riding Easy Records, which specialises in heavy garage/psych rock.
If that sounds like your kind of thing then I’d recommend checking out the full compilation, at just over 30 minutes it’s wall-to-wall hard rock bangers. And they’re all 70s obscurities so you can bolster up your hipster cred at the same time. I could have went with pretty much any tune from it, but I picked out these two for this week’s playlist as a bit of a taster.
Firstly, the appropriately named Nothing, who appear to be a complete unknown quantity. This is just under three minutes of funky hard blues. I like to think that they just called it quits after recording it as they thought they’d perfected their sound; honestly, more bands should probably take that approach. And then there’s Lance with a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. This one’s for anyone who ever wondered what Candle In The Wind might sound like if it was written as a psychedelic rocker.
Mother Said – Tallulah
I’m also slightly late to the party on this one, but we’re talking a few months rather than a few decades here. Released back in February, this is the debut single from Leeds-based five-piece, Mother Said, who come with a duo of Geordie front-women.
I wrote in a review last week about how the best rock can capture a pure feeling without ever needing to actually say much. And sometimes that feeling is that you just can’t be arsed. This is a three minute art-rock banger, with big guitars building up to even bigger guitars and a raucous protest about not wanting to do various chores. It’s stupid and it’s also completely relatable.
Now I suppose, it’s actually a metaphor about rebelling against domestic boredom. But, let’s not analyse this too much, because it’s basically about not wanting “to walk the fucking dog”, and it’s great.
You can check out previous weeks’ best new music roundups at the Best New Music Weekly archive. And you can keep up with the latest updates by following No Frills Reviews on your chosen social media platform.
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