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’
24th 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) 17th 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.
CHOICE TRACKS FORM THE LAST MONTH
CHOSEN BY DOMINIC VALVONA/MATT OLIVER/BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA
Representing the last 30 days’ worth of reviews and recommendations on the Monolith Cocktail, the Monthly Playlist is our chance to take stock and pause as we remind our readers and flowers of all the great music we’ve shared – with some choice tracks we didn’t get room or time to feature but added anyway.
Without delay, here’s that eclectic track list in full:::
Liraz ‘Haarf’
Lolo et L’Orchestre O.K. Jazz ‘Lolo Soulfire’
Benjamin Samuels ‘Crazy DNA’
Dirty Harry, Nat Lover & Shuteyes ‘Tons Of Drums’
Valentina Magaletti ‘Drum Jump’
The Alchemist, Oh No & Gangrene ‘Watch Out’
Junior Disprol, Roughneck Jihad & Stepchild ‘Doomsday Clock’ – this month’s cover art
Talib Kweli, Madlib, Wildchild, Q-Tip ‘One For Biz’
The Alchemist, Oh No, Gangrene ‘Oxnard Water Torture’
Sebastian Reynolds ‘Final Push (the darqwud remix)’
Distropical ‘Jagauarundi’
Cyril Cyril ‘Chat Gepetto’
HOUSE OF ALL ‘For This Be Glory’
The Bordellos ‘Poet Or Liar’
Picturebox ‘(The World Of) Autumn Feelings’
Nights Templer ‘Perversion’
Legless Trials ‘Huffin’
Leah Callahan ‘No One’
Sarah/Shaun ‘Dust Tears’
NAHreally & The Expert ‘Smarter Than I Am’
Vincent, The Owl, Nick Catchdubs ‘Bruv My Luv’
Midnight Sons, Midaz The Beast, Curly Castro ‘Marathon Man’
Sahra Halgan ‘Lamahuran’
Arab Strap ‘Strawberry Moon’
Nicolas Cueille ‘Grand Finale’
George Demure ‘One More Story’
Blu, Shafiq Husayn, Chuuwee, Born Allah ‘I’m G (OMG)’
DJ D Sharp, St Spittin ‘Profile Pics’
NxWorries, Anderson .Paak, Knowledge ‘86Sentra’
Marv Won, Fatt Father, Elzhi ‘Measuring Stick’
Room Of Wires, Station Zero ‘Sand Eater’
Herandu ‘The Ocher Red’
Violet Nox ‘Varda (J. Bagist Remix)’
Audio Obscura ‘Babyloniacid’
Morriarchi, AJ Sude ‘Rapid Eye Movement’
Apathy ‘Vaction’
Your Old Droog, Method Man, Denzel Curry, Madlib ‘DBZ’
Read Bad Man, Lukah ‘The Facilitator’
A Lily ‘Thallinx’
Micah Pick ‘Chiastic Crux’
Fran & Flora ‘Nudity’
Khora ‘Rigpa’
Rohingya Refugees ‘We Are Stuck Here In The Camps’
Kira McSpice ‘Get You Out’
Esbe ‘Little Echo’
Martha Skye Murphy, Roy Montgomery ‘Need’
Mike Gale ‘Unsteady’
Soop Dread, Morriarchi ‘Silver Surfer’
Sonnyjim, Statik Selektah ‘Chun King’
J-Live ‘Lose No Time’
Bless Picasso, Kool G Rap, Conway The Machine ‘Paper Spiders’
A ROUNDUP OF NEW MUSIC REVIEWS BY CULT INSTIGATOR OF THE NO-FI, AND SIBLING BAND MEMBER OF THE MIGHTY BORDELLOS, BRIAN SHEA.
Arab Strap ‘Strawberry Moon’
Arab Strap are back with a fairly funky poetic delight of dance beats and dour poetic yearnings of life. And watching the very enjoyable video of vampires and werewolves, this is indeed a song to get your teeth into.
Jesus And Mary Chain ‘Glasgow Eyes’
(Fuzz Club)
The New JAMC album, Glasgow Eyes, is upon us, and to be honest it is not a bad album: but it is not a good album either. Its quite beige in fact – maybe it shall go down in history as the Beige album. I am sure it will sell well and reach the top end of the album charts for a week, after all the Shed 7 album did ok, and that speaks volumes: that I am writing about the Mary Chain in the same sentence as “Shed 7”. Mary Chain fans will go out and buy the album the first day of release but how many will play it after the first week is open to debate.
On this album they have moved away from the guitar and have tried something new, concentrating more on keyboard and synths. And that works well in parts. I’m all for bands experimenting and trying something new, and at times this experiment reminds me of Suicide, which is indeed a good thing. But it is just lacking in good songs: the lyrics sound forced like they actually have nothing to write about or say, and the melodies are not strong enough to take the focus away from the quite bad lyrics – they reminded me at times of a sixty year old trying to dress like they did in their twenties and end up looking foolish. Maybe its not the JAMC’s fault that they cannot write the sublime pop songs they once did as we all have a sell by date, but I don’t think the JAMC have quite reached theirs yet: As a live act they are a band still worth seeing. But I feel on Glasgow Eyes they are struggling for inspiration; maybe they just haven’t got anything left to say and everyone has to make a living and this is what the album sounds like they are doing: a job putting on their work clothes that do not fit like they used to.
House Of All ‘Continuum’
The second album by the House Of All is quite a pleasing little thing. At times sounding like the Fall – which to be honest is no surprise as we all know that they were all one-time members of the legendary band -, and at other times not sounding like them at all. The first single ‘Murmuration’ is quite a moody alternative pop rock number with a melody not dissimilar to the Bongwater gem ‘I Need A New Tape’, and ‘Gaudy Pop Scramble’ an upbeat, I am sure, future radio BBC6 favourite, as will be the ‘Cuckoo In The Nest’ with its slight Mark E Smith vocal influence coming through.
There is a definably 80s indie rock feel to Continuum, which will no doubt be adored by all of us old 80s indie rock veterans looking for something not too taxing on our ears to soundtrack our middle aged lives.
Legless Trials ‘Get Yer Wah Wah’s Out’
(Metal Postcard Records)
The artful persuasion of the well executed guitar riff is alive and well, and is for all to see or hear even on this rather marvelous rock ‘n’ roll opus of magnificence; an album of Iggy and The Stooges meets the New York Dolls and Public Image, with a touch of the c86 guitar madness of ‘Someone Is Getting Paid’, which would no doubt be a alternative radio airplay hit if not for all the “motherfuckers” in the quite excellent lyrics, or the dark velvet like closer ‘If I Knew Your Name’. There is just something so life affirming brilliant about the Legless Trials that should be bottled and injected into the arses of the lesser guitar bands currently attempting to plough the same path of the one offs that are the Legless Trials.
The Bordellos ‘I Promise Not To Make Art Again’
(Metal Postcard Records)
What you have here is the reason The Bordellos – after being around and existing for over 20 years – still remain a cult underground band.
This compilation is made up of 15 tracks taken from our long and extensive catalogue; every song a diamond but an uncut rough diamond still hidden under layers of dirt and years of life in the underground. Songs that have such subject matters as dealing with the pain and anguish of being a Gary Glitter fan (“Gary Glitter”, the version included here was our radio mix – yes because we all know DJs are queuing up to play songs about Gary Glitter, a sure fire radio hit). Songs that deal with the ridiculous nature of the music business/industry and some of the people who live, work and thrive in that crazy mixed up industry – “Lloyd the Anti-Christ”, “The True Meaning Of Record Store Day”, and “For A Hit”. Songs of life in decaying run down northern towns – “Cuts” and “My Speeding Train” – alongside songs of love and depression.
We even have a song for nursery teachers to sing to their nursery children explaining the history and importance of the 1976 Punk Rock Revolution – “The Slits”. Yes indeed, fine songs all; not recorded in the luxury of Air conditioned studios and mastered in Abbey Road by someone who once farted in the same studio Paul McCartney whistled a merry tune but on old tape 4 tracks and hand held digital 8 tracks and ghetto blasters and mp3 players and clock radio cassette players, and Ant Bordello’s living room and bathroom. So hopefully you my dear friends will find something of interest to write about or play on your radio show or just enjoy, or annoy your significant other or children with.
Nights Templar ‘Half The Year’
(Paisley Shirt Records)
Anyone who has the penchant for early 80s sounding post-punk music should really enjoy Nights Templar‘s Half The Year album; a prime example of how bewitching DIY music can be. A steady simple drum machine beat, early Cure like bass and synths, single string guitar lines and Ian Curtis like echo drenched vocals. All very becoming, so much so that I might dig out my old long black coat and borrow somebody’s hair and style it in a Ian McCulloch type way: Or in fact, just borrow Ian McCulloch’s hair.
Rockin Horse’ ‘Yes It Is’
(Think Like A Key Music) 26th April 2024
I don’t usually write reviews of rereleased albums: there is Mojo, Uncut, Shindig and Record Collector about to do that. I usually like to draw attention to new releases, but there is always an acceptation to the rule. And this is mine, a rereleased ltd CD release of the underground classic power pop album from 1971, the wonderful Yes It Is album by Rockin Horse, a band formed by the legendary cult Liverpool Songwriter Jimmy Campbell and his friend Billy Kinsley (onetime member of the 60s hit makers the Merseybeats and The Merseys).
Yes It Is is the best mid 60s pop guitar album made in 1971: and I would say maybe the whole of the 70s. This album is up there, and in fact, could be superior to the much-lauded first two Big Star albums. It really needs to be heard by all lovers of the confusing genre that is called Power Pop or any lover of great guitar based pop. The magic of this album lies in the slight sadness and melancholy of the lyrics (which Jimmy Campbell was a master of) and the pure joy and downright catchiness of the melodies. There is something quite life affirming about this album it has the unique X factor – whatever that is. Sadly this is the only album Rockin Horse ever made; Billy Kinsley went on to have chart success later in the seventies with the excellent Liverpool Express whilst Jimmy Campbell released his third and final solo LP a year later, the beautifully sad Jimmy Campbell Album that sank without trace. Campbell vanished into the world of obscurity, and the 9 to 5 life. The man should have been a star.
I would advise anyone who has not got this album in their collection to treat themselves to this sadly ignored at the time classic and marvel at this example of songwriting artistry.
Filalete ‘For Family’
(Cruel Nature Records)
Fragility of the first touch, the silent escape of the flake of indifference that flows from the opening of the can of snow you keep for special occasions, the one that is a closely guarded secret closeted in the small pocket inside your heart, one that can only be awakened by the outpouring of both love and grief for you can only feel true grief if you have been fortunate to feel true love, for you cannot grief for something that you have not loved or still love. Which is why I am filled with grief when this beautiful album of short piano pieces reaches its conclusion. An album ideal for soundtracking both that love and grief; recommended listening for the quieter more reflective times in one’s life.
Picture Box ‘Mobile Disco’
(Gare Du Nord)
Picture Box‘s Mobile Disco is a very British sounding album, an album steeped in nostalgia lyrically – “a bag of 10p’s will get you nowhere” – and musically, drawing on the influences of Syd Barrett and The Television Personalities and early Blur, XTC and at times Luke Haines. There is a sad English melancholy and dark humour that runs throughout the album, the sort I always tend to find appealing. And I do find this album appealing. In fact, I think it’s a bit of a gem.
A ROUNDUP OF NEW MUSIC REVIEWS BY CULT INSTIGATOR OF THE NO-FI, AND SIBLING BAND MEMBER OF THE BORDELLOS, BRIAN SHEA.
___/SINGLES – EPS\___
The Blow Monkeys ‘Stranger To Me Now’
(Last Night From Glasgow)
Admittedly I do like The Blow Monkeys from way back, but have sort of lost track over the years and have not really paid much attention since their 80s heyday, which on listening to this their new single has been slightly remiss of me as this is a lovely soft blue eyed soul slow dance of a song: a lovely little thing indeed.
Amateur Cult ‘Eyes’
This is a humdinger of a single, all 80s synth and sax post punkery with a splash of Krautrock and a dash of the Silver Apples like genius. We have a fine radio friendly experimental radio friendly smash here.
Bright Islands ‘Five Songs’
There is nothing surprising about this EP. It is simply well written guitar indie pop that has a lovely laid back feel, and could have been made anytime over the last 40 years or so. And there is nothing wrong with that, at times reminding me of Gene, at other times, the Wedding Present in their quieter moments. And any lovers of indie guitar and jangle pop should enjoy this EP.
____/ALBUMS\____
John Howard ‘Single Return’
(Kool Kat Records)
With it being 10 years since John Howard and The Night Mail got together to record their eponymous album, Kool Kat records have decided, it being a good idea, to release the original solo John Howard versions. And as an idea, it is indeed a good one.
Just John alone with his piano singing songs of love and loss and sketches of life and characters; songs that dip and swoon into memories, just a man alone putting his heart into his art, painting lyrical pictures of the poetic injustices and the apple stork romantic eccentricities that invade and dive bomb our thought’s on a daily basis. John Howard is a national treasure: a lost pleasure. If he was given the record label backing back in the 70s his debut album deserved John would now be seen as the English Randy Newman or the modern day Noel Coward writing pithy vignettes on the UK’s ever increasing lack of culture and panache; writing songs with a style and eloquence and wit one can only stand back and admire. Single Return is a great place to start if you have had the misfortune of never hearing John’s music before; a fine album from a fine artist.
Poundland ‘Mugged’
(Cruel Nature Records)
Sludge rock, the sound of old-fashioned punk rock, metal and the slow grind of decay erupting in an explosion of bile and chaos and shambolic tension. That is the ideal description of “mugged”, this fine album by Poundland.
Recorded in a studio in a day, ala The Beatles with their debut LP Please Please Me, but whereas The Beatles captured the excitement and joy and the freedom of being young in 1963, Mugged by Poundland captures the terror and horrors of life in the UK in 2024: the poverty, violence and dying high-street where closing banks are replaced by food banks and people working full time cannot afford to heat their houses or feed their kids.
Lets be frank about this music. It should and could be the catalyst for cultural change like Rock N roll did in the 50s and The Beatles/Dylan did in the 60s and Punk rock of the 70s. We need a revolution now in 2024 and we are slowly and quietly having one; it is slowly building momentum and will soon explode in a beautiful array of sound and when it does Poundland will be there at the forefront with their caustic tales of life backed by the sound of chaotic noise pollution.
Avi C. Engel ‘Too Many Souls’
(Cruel Nature Records)
“Too many Souls” is a hauntingly bewitching album; an album that carries the acoustically sonic ambience of the Gene Clark “No Other” LP – it carries the same atmosphere, the sound of mother earth placing her arms around you gently caressing, running her fingers through your hair whispering that all will be all right.
This is the sound of sitting on a mountain by a gentle running stream lost in your thoughts and memories and hopes; listening to the breeze echo around the majestic Ness of the fading light. “Too Many Souls” is once again a truly artful release by Cruel Nature Records.
Curling ‘No Guitar (Deluxe Edition)’
Do not let the title of this album fool you, “No Guitar” is in fact full of the little bleeders twanging and rocking away in an explosion of Big Star/Velvet Crush/Teenage Fanclub and Creation era Nick Heyward. Frenzied weaving melodies pull you into the days when radio and music magazines was a must in discovering what musical delights you should be looking out for. Yes indeed, this is an album of well written guitar songs that could have been written anytime over the last 50 or so years; songs that could have been entertaining you, soundtracking your preparations for a night out in the local bar to watch some wonderful up and coming guitar band: which could in fact sound like Curling.
Yes this is the sound of the days before smart phones and the Internet got in the way of seeking adventure, of not knowing what the band sounded like before going to watch them, of taking a punt on an album that you actually had to buy to hear. Curling brings all those days back, and if it was those days and you did take a punt on “No Guitar” then you wouldn’t have been disappointed.
Jordan Jones ‘And I, You’
(Kool Kat Music)
I do have a thing for tastefully produced melodious 70s style piano driven pop, so “And I, You” is right up my Tin Pan Alley. It is an album that brings the joy of mainstream 70s radio to your speakers; music to brighten up this horrible depressing decade with a touch of old fashioned flared sunshine; songs that could be introduced by Dave Lee Travis or Terry Wogan; songs that have you scrambling back through your memories to “just what was that Gerard Kenny hit again that I used to like” and “did the sun always seem to shine in the school holidays those where the days when the transistor radio was your best friend and you always had chips for your tea.” Yes Jordan Jones is a wonderful throwback to better times “And I, You” is a true beaut of a pop album.
Mark E Moon ‘Resist’
(Cold Transmission Music)
Resist by Mark E Moon is an over the top gothic flamboyance of album; the sort one should listen to wearing ill-fitting velvet pantaloons whilst sipping red wine from an engraved silver goblet. Imagine if Robbie Williams had taken a turn for the Goth instead of making his Rudebox monstrosity, if he had been injected with the blood of Dave Vanian circa “Eloise” and decided to thrill his adoring public with the outpourings of the slightly dark and sinister, it could have well sounded like this entertaining album.
Resist has a pop sheen and a camp glamour that is brought into line with the Depeche Mode and very early New Order synth like greyness that makes Resist an album that is in fact hard to resist.
NCD Instigators ‘Swimming With Sharks’
The NCD Instigators were Tony, Brendan, and Desi Bannon, three brothers from Newcastle County Down in Northern Ireland who decided to form a band in the 80s together after many years of playing in various other bands. They took their love of metal, prog, folk and rock and home recorded several albums for their own pleasure, burning them onto CDRs to give to friends and family and playing the occasional gig.
This Album, Swimming With Sharks, was the 5th album and their first concept album; one about a young lad entering into the world of big business and boardrooms, and one that became a bit of a considered lost underground prog classic, with burned off CDR’s passed around like nobody’s business – this was pre internet days remember. It has never been officially released until now, after a cdr came into the hands of myself which I raved about and passed onto the head of Metal Postcard Records.
This might well be an album that draws on the trio’s love of Pink Floyd (post Syd, a band, as many know, I hate) but for some reason I love this and prog folk in equal measures. There is a home recorded warmth and a love of prog that shines through, and it helps matters that at times Brendan’s guitar playing is simply stunning, and that the songs are just so fucking weird: “Hammerhead” is an early 80s New Romantic, Post Punk and mid-seventies Pink Floyd on a collision course, that has one at times thinking of what the Orb would have sounded like if they had six pints of Guinness each before going into the studio and decided they wanted to sound like Public Image Ltd.
“Shark Attack” is an instrumental gem; a duel of guitar and Keyboard that shows off Des’s love of The Doors.
There is just something quite magical about this album, and it is sad that now it is only being released years after the fact and that Tony (bass and vocals) is no longer with us, having passed away in 2020. Hopefully this release will ignite some long overdue interest in this underground lost great band from Northern Ireland.
The Monthly Playlist Revue: February 2024
February 29, 2024
ALL THE CHOICE MUSIC FROM THE LAST MONTH
Let’s keep this short and get straight to the action, with the musical journey we’ve created for you. From the Monolith Cocktail TEAM (that’s me, Dominic Valvona, plus Matt Oliver and Brian Bordello Shea) all the choice music from February on one exceptional, eclectic playlist.
:::TRACKLIST:::
Bab L’ Bluz ‘Imazighen’
Liraz ‘Bia Bia – Reeperbahn Festival Collide Session’
Trio Rosario ‘Cuande Me Muera’
Masta Ace & Marco Polo ‘Certified’
Your Old Droog w/ Roman Streetz ‘Northface With The ACGs’
clipping. ‘Tipsy’
Bostjan Simon ‘Bebey’
Vatannar & G.A.M.S. ‘Aminat Pt. 4’
Will C. ‘Colossal Pound Cake Break’
Yamin Semali ‘Boo Boo The Fool’
Juga-Naut ‘Shampain’
Revival Season ‘Chop’
Willie Evans Jr. ‘Bargaining’
Nowaah The Flood & Giallo Point ‘No Speculation’
Black Milk ‘In The Sky’
mui zyu ‘The Mould’
Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer ‘Stay Centered’
OdNu + Umlaut ‘Kaizen’
Louis Carnell & Wu-Lu ‘Eight’
Madeleine Cocolas ‘Bodies II’
Otis Sandsjo ‘OOMY’
David Liebe Hart & Jason The Cat ‘I Believe In The Unknown’
Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble ‘Open Me’
Confucius MC, Pitch 92 & Jehst ‘Days Hours Minutes’
Dr. Syntax & Gotcha ‘The Urge’
Sly Moon ‘Aces Baby’
Reef The Lost Cauze ‘Umar’s Revenge’
Renelle 893 & Bay29 ‘Art Thief’
Kingmakers Of Oakland ‘Too Long’
Kemastry, Jazz T & Ramson Badbonez ‘Apocalyptic Flows’
Dyr Faser ‘Bronze’
Ryann Gonsalves ‘Lost & Found’
Oliver Birch ‘On Our Hill’
BMX Bandits ‘Time To Get Away’
DAAY ‘Follower’
Maria Arnqvist ‘Rubies And Gold’
The Children’s Hour ‘Dance With Me’
The Pheromoans ‘Faith In The Future’
Boeckner ‘Euphoria’
epic45 ‘Be Nowwhere’
James jonathan Clancy ‘Black & White’
Flowertown ‘The Ring’
twin coast ‘Forget To Know’
The Legless Crabs ‘Stuckist Manifestos In The Western World’
The Deli, Moka Only & Baptiste Hayden ‘Fivefourthreetwoone’
Ol’ Burger Beats ‘For The Family FT. Awon’
Da Flyy Hooligan, D-Styles ‘Gallery Oasis’
Spectacular Diagnostics ‘1000 Heartbeats’
Our Daily Bread 610: BMX Bandits, Flowertown, The Children’s Hour…
February 6, 2024
A ROUNDUP OF NEW MUSIC REVIEWS BY CULT INSTIGATOR OF THE NO-FI, AND SIBLING BAND MEMBER OF THE BORDELLOS, BRIAN SHEA.
___/SINGLES\___
BMX Bandits ‘Time To Get Away’
(Tapete Records)
The sweet and swaying beauty of ‘Time To Get Away’ is a lovely little thing; a pop song that swirls and floats and promises to leave sweet flowering whispers of love in your ear whilst reminding you that the pop song is indeed a magical thing that prods you into believing that Spring is just around the corner.
Daay ‘Follower’
Oh my lord have I been transported back to the 80s and watching a garish edition of Top Of The Pops with rah rah skirts and shiny blouses, with members of the audience dancing whilst trying to get the attention of the cameraman as he attempts to zoom up some poor young ladies skirt. “Follower” by Daay brings this all back with a rather fetching, very 80s sounding pop song – can you imagine if Tubeway Army and Kajagoogoo had joined forces and let loose on the pop public? It may well sound something like this, all whooshing synth and funky pop bass and stabbing guitars: A fine pop single.
bigflower ‘Lighthouse’
The latest free to download from bigflower is upon us; another dark and dense monster beauty of a track, a haunting drone that sucks one in and completely engulfs you, and has you feeling that you’ve just gone 15 rounds with a Xiu Xiu boxset: leaving you battered tired but triumphant. This is a real haunting beauty of a song.
Sleap-e ‘Leave My Bum Alone’
(Bronson Records)
“Leave My Bum Alone” is a fine pop song; beautiful jazzy chords played with a throwaway indie pop punk abandon. It’s catchy. It’s fun. It’s slightly Lo-fi. It’s what pop music is all about.
The Pheromoans ‘Downtown’
(Upset The Rhythm)
I really like this single. It reminds me of both early Go Betweens and Sebadoh, which is fine by me, as I love both those bands. This is one of those short and sweet tracks that leaves you wanting more; so once again I shall make a mental note to keep a listen out for their forthcoming album which I think is forthcoming early March.
The Children’s Hour ‘Dance With Me’
(Drag City)
Charming indie folk jangle that is what this single by The Children’s Hour is: nothing more and nothing less. And that is fine and dandy, for there is always a place for charming indie folk jangle in my life and in lots of other music lovers I suspect. In fact it reminded me of a slightly rawer Sundays – not that it takes much to be rawer than the Sundays as they where hardly the Cramps. So the single by the Children’s Hour is rawer then the Sundays but not the Cramps.
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Salem Trials ‘View From Another Window’
(Metal Postcard Records)
The Salem Trials are clinically rambunctious. They are never further than being an arms length away from genius. They have their own sound: their own model of post-punk if you like. They take all the usual subjects (The Fall, Wire, Gang Of Four, the Blue Orchids and Subway Army) and mix them with a no wave sound coming from the streets of New York in the late 70s early 80s. They release albums constantly – this is actually the first of 2024 though, and fits in nicely with the army of there previously released albums.
Andy still being the inspired guitarist that he is, riffing like a cross between Keith Richards, Tom Verlaine and Brix Smith with a army of admirers gathering in her Dis guarded nightwear, and Russ still being the nutter on the bus wearing the splatter ballistic cop t-shirt and spitting feathers at the naked chickens queuing up outside to be the first in line for the latest modern contraption while he is creating art at its best out of the fuzzy felt of yesteryears clowns hats. You really have to love the Salem Trials.
Flowertown ‘Tourist Language’
(Paisley Shirt Records)
I love Flowertown, they have a lovely lo-fi romantic rain soaked essence, a perfumed decadence that offers images of tattered dog eared well loved and read books cluttering the shelves of bedsit land: a soundtrack to alternative bars and local music scene adventure. If The JAMC where not two squabbling brothers but two lovelorn lovers they might well sound like Flowertown. There is a soft dynamic between the two members of Flowertown that I find quite beguiling: the whispered vocals, the simple drum machine and hand held percussion, and the softly strummed jangle that occasionally dissolves into the safety and comfort of a thin blanket of feedback. Flowertown are pretty much perfect.
Legless Crabs ‘Golden Chowders’
(Metal Postcard Records)
The Legless Crabs are a rock ‘n’ roll band the same way that the Fall were a rock ‘n’ roll band, and the same way that Pussy Galore were a rock ‘n’ roll band. If the Legless Crabs had released music in the 60s they would have been rediscovered in the 80s and fawned over, and be a constant inclusion on the wonderful garage rock compilations such as Nuggets or Pebbles. Not that The Legless Crabs sound like a 60s garage band, they just carry the same spirit the same anger and tensions. They are unhappy with living in the USA today and they vent their spleen in these marvellously short punk rock vignettes: not punk rock in a 70s kind of cabaret way with store bought ripped jeans and shirts with the ironic God Save The Queen slogan but in a “I’m pissed off and going to spit all the bile and art inherited from the ghost of Roky Erickson” way. The Legless Crabs should be on the cover of Rolling Stone. They are a band that could and should inspire a musical revolution. They are a band that speaks out for all the souls who think themselves a non-entity. In a short: a blast of thrown-away punk rock bliss the Legless Crabs prove there is still anger beauty and revolution in Rock ‘n’ roll.
Our Daily Bread 607: John Howard, James P M Phillips, Corduroy Institute, Charlie Butler…
January 18, 2024
A ROUNDUP OF REVIEWS FROM BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA
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Heskey ‘Crack In The Mirror’
Do you like Teenage Fanclub and bands of tuneful guitar strum? If so you are going to enjoy this blissful pop song of tunesmithery; it has all the ingredients one would want for such a release; if it was fish and chips it would just have the right amount of salt and vinegar.
John Howard ‘Safety In Numbers/In The Light Of Fires Burning’
(Kool Kat Music)
The brand new single from John Howard is upon us and it is a double A-sided thing of nostalgic beauty, two brief glimpses of how songs where written and performed, with a pop eloquence that sadly seems mostly a thing of the past. To kick things off we have “Safety In Numbers”, a sublime pop ballad that brings to mind The Beach Boys in their Pet Sounds days; wonderful harmonies drift upon a sea of piano tranquility. The second little pop gem is “In The Light Of Fires Burning”, which again is another nostalgic gem a song that captures the magic and sadness of growing old whilst celebrating your youth and memories through the joys of pop song: A song worthy of Sedaka at his finest.
Liam Gallagher & John Squire ‘Just Another Rainbow’
I was expecting nonsense I will be honest, but was taken aback by just what an explosion of nonsense it was. We have John “I have all the Led Zep albums on vinyl, cd and cassette” Squire showing he knows all the chords, and he has six strings, and he is going to play everyone of them with as little subtlety as possible. He has seen rock school. He knows how it goes. Is it original? No, we have heard it all before. Is it good? No. Did I want the monstrosity to stop? Yes! Not to be outdone by John “I have all the Led Zep albums on vinyl cassette, cd and 8 track” Squire, we have Liam ‘I have done poo poo’s in my pants” Gallagher once again demonstrating his vocal prowess; the singing like he has just been told off by his mum vocal emoting. And to show that he is not going to be outdone by John “I have every Led Zep album on vinyl, cassette, cd, 8 track and download” Squire he decides to demonstrate how he knows the names of all the colours in the laugh out loud badness of the lyrics. I once wrote that the Oasis song “Little James” could be the worst song ever written by a grown up. Well, maybe not any longer. It is a close run thing. So for that, Squire and Gallagher should be proud.
___[ALBUMS]___
James P M Philips ‘Spite, Bile & Beauty’
(Turquoise Coal)
Punk, folk, rock and a medieval becoming strangeness all collide to bring us another album of psychedelic whimsy from the head and heart of James P M Phillips: an album of joy, sadness, humour and pain. Whether it be the quite wonderfully disturbingly jagged “My Head Is Full Of Rats” or the quite beautiful folk strum of “My New Friend”, James has his own unique way of making music and writing songs; dipping his own original thought patterns into a hybrid of musical genre hopping eccentricity. And it is pleasure to listen to an album of short snippets of musical madness and joy.
The Incurables ‘Inside Out & Backwards’
(Big Stir Records)
It does make me smile when middle-aged men sing about growing up, as The Incurables do on the first track ‘When I Grow Up’. As I well know, middle-aged men who play in bands never grow up; that is the power and magic of music and long may it continue.
The Incurables are a punk pop band that performs punk pop well, and at times they remind me of Green Day but without the annoying singer and with a more bubblegum sometimes New York Dolls feel, and some quite wonderful Batman bass riffs: in fact, some just wonderful bass riffs. This music is no longer going to change the world but sadly I cannot see any music anymore doing that, but The Incurables have their place and that place is in any pop punkers record collection.
Corduroy Institute ‘Take A Train To Manchester’
I have taken a train journey to Manchester many times in my life and none have been as enjoyable or as interesting as this, or indeed, as experimental – is it possible to take an experimental train journey I wonder? Anyway, the title track is a wonder: imagine Funkadelic being sucked into a video game whilst Delia Derbyshire juggled fruit. And from there we are taken on a long and dreamlike journey, calling at stops that are both rewarding and disturbing in a good way.
“[A] Girl Named Philosophy” is a bass heavy vacuum of Scott Walker like lust and mystery – just how much I miss that man and his artistry. And I could be wrong, but Scott could be a big influence on the excellently named Corduroy Institute: at least they are reading from the same book or singing from the same hymn sheet.
I love how the Corduroy Institute take jazz, pop, classical and funk and mold it into a warm expression of artistic splendicity; from at times sounding like Japan tuning up – not the band I might add, but the whole country -, and you opening your eyes and seeing life for the first time for what it is: full of love, hate, sadness and joy. An album of supreme aural wonder, and next time you take a train to Manchester soundtrack it with this.
Orchard Til You Fall Down
(Cruel Nature Records)
Punk rock is alive and well and living in Cruel Nature Records. Another ltd edition cassette delight of lo-fishness from the label that offers you all kinds of alternative delights; this time supplying us with ram jam bag of indie punk experimental joy. With mostly just guitar and drums, and occasional bass, and some fine vocals it reminds me at times of early Siouxsie and The Banshees. And, with all its beautiful post punk starkness, takes you back to an old dive of a small venue that was full of cheap booze, cig smoke and battered leather jackets and dreams of your youth when the world offered the chance to make a difference and the future was coloured in the shade of weekly music papers and John Peel on the radio and local bands blowing your minds on a weekly basis. Til You Fall Down is an album of old hopes remembered: a beauty of a release.
Charlie Butler ‘Wild Fictions’
(Cruel Nature Records) 1st February 2024
Are you all fuzzed up and ready to take that trip to the local magic carpet store and fly your purchase home, but not first deciding to stop by the local fields to pick a few magic mushrooms to pop into your grannies soup and watch her explode into a explosion of rainbow colours, which Liam Gallagher will then tell you the names of as he is good like that – he knows all the names, he is a clever boy, it won’t be long before he’s been toilet trained. You then decide to soundtrack this event by popping the brand new cassette into your hi-fi that the postman has delivered riding on his old 70s vintage chopper bike; the cassette has been posted by some kind wizard who works at Cruel Nature Records, and you are more than delighted by the magic the tape emits; the sound of all your yesterday’s rolled into four slices of psychedelic keyboard frenzy that slow dances with some augmented guitar. Oh how the soup is warm and refreshing; like how your granny is warm and refreshing, her skin surfing with delight at every organ chime; a lovely of ladybirds sit outside your window marvelling at the aural majesty not heard since the golden days of the Spacemen 3 and those long summer days daisy hopping. The music is all that you hoped it would be, for music without hope is hopeless and this is anything but that; it is the cream cake among lesser mortals.
Fran Ashcroft ‘Songs That Never Were’
(Think Like A Key)
There is magic afoot, a warm kind of musical magic; a treasure trove of forgotten emotions that are plucked and streamed from the past 50 years and gathered together in the form of the greatest of artforms; songs that explode with a cheeky nod and a wink to our musical past, our musical heritage. Yes indeed, Fran Ashcroft has given us a strange and warm sounding album.
All the music that I’ve heard Fran has had a hand in producing is always steeped in a loving glow: From the excellent “Waiting For A Britpop Revival” – a song Luke Haines would sell his left arm to have written – to the McCartney like “I Believe In You” – a song worthy of the Pete Ham album “7 Park Avenue”.
There is a uniqueness about this album; a trueness and soul you do not come across often much in these days of music to be played on phones. These are songs that could have been written anytime over the last 50 or so years, with some quite beautiful melodies and great lyrics; songs made for and by a music lover…already one on my end of the year best list.
Cumsleg Borenail ‘…Plays The Beatles’
I am a huge Beatles fan and this album captures all the magic and experimental forward thinking music the Beatles recorded. These are some of the finest and well thought out and performed covers of well known classics; songs you can hear everyday by turning on the radio can eventually sound stale, but these have been reworked and reimagined to such a degree that they would have the avant-garde young 60s Macca waving his thumbs in delight. This is an album to be heard and cherished by all Beatles fanatics.
PART THREE OF THE MONOLITH COCKTAIL’S ALBUMS OF THE YEAR LISTS
Welcome to the concluding part of the Monolith Cocktail’s choice and favourite albums of the year lists (Part One and Part Two). Compiled by Dominic Valvona, Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea and Graham Domain, each entry is in alphabetical order, with this final run down starting at P and finishing at Z.
P________________
Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra ‘60’ (The Village)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Serving the South Central L.A. Black community from within for six decades (and counting), the late Horace Tapscott and his preservation Arkestra ensemble captured and reflected the social and racial injustices of that oppressed community with a righteous politically conscious and radical jazz style blueprint; a documentation, but also self-reliant stand against the state’s brutality and economic suppression.
The 60 album proves an important preservation of a self-reliant social activist institution, integral to the community in which it serves, teaches and rises up. A great encapsulation of that story, musical journey and the changes it has gone through, this will both excite the Ark’s fans and newcomers to the cause.’ DV
Nico Paulo ‘Nico Paulo’ (Forward Music Group)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is a wonderful summery album of Bacharach-like melodies by the Portuguese-Canadian singer. A truly remarkable debut of ten self-composed wonderful songs that sound like standards.
Her voice is a bewitching combination of Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell and Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood). Musically it covers a wide spectrum of Tropicalia, Folk, Americana, Jazz and Pop. Her voice conveys real emotion and depth that is bounced off the beautiful melodies and lyrics.
A future classic that will undoubtedly have a far-reaching influence on stars not yet born!’ GD
Hawk Percival ‘Night Moods Vol. 1’ (Think Like A Key)
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘Oh my god! How I love Hawk Percival. She is like a lo-fi indie Noosha Fox (I am once again showing my age). But come on, ‘S-S-S-Single Bed’ was one of the singles of the 70s and I think that Hawk Percival shows the potential to make something equally as wonderfully magical, as this 6 track mini album shows so much pop suss and quirky originality.
It takes from the past – you can hear the timeless melodies from the 60s/70s – and twists it into something new. She plucks the spinning melodies from the air and weaves them into her own unique creation making an album of future desert island discs. I think Hawk Percival could well be one to watch.
This album is part of the DIY music series released by the excellent Think Like A Key records, and good on them for releasing this little lo-fi treasure.’ BBS
Polobi & The Gwo Ka Master ‘Abri Cyclonique’ (Real World)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Suffused, elevated and morphed with Parisian-based Doctor L’s jazz, electronica Francophone new waves and trip-hop, the ancestral Guadeloupe rural folk traditions of Léwòz and one of its renowned modern practitioners-deliverers Moïse Polobi is transformed into an environmental traverse. As the good doctor has proscribed so well for Les Amazon D’Afrique and the Mbongwana Stars, the roots of another form are, with subtle wondering and sophistication, given a unique sound experience.
A very personal album, this is the first to be released under Polobi’s own name. Previously the Guadalupe star has performed with his Indestawa Ka band, releasing eight albums and performing internationally. But this cyclonic whirlwind is something different, a galvanised, electrified and bolstered earthy and magical vision of his country’s past, present and future. It’s one of the most interesting albums yet in 2023, with a sound that reboots folkloric traditions in the face of an ever-encroaching modernity.’ DV
Psyche ‘Self-Titled Debut Album’ (Four Flies Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is a brilliant album of funky Mediterranean psychedelic instrumentals that sits somewhere between Khruangbin and the Barry Gray Orchestra! Every track is a Gem! Wonderful!’ GD
R__________________
Raf And O ‘We Are Stars’ (Telephone Records)
Chosen by Dominic Valvona/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Few artists have purposely entwined themselves so deeply with their idols than the Raf And O duo of Raf Mantelli and Richard Smith (the “O” in that creative sparked partnership). David Bowie and Kate Bush loom large, permeating near every note and vocal infliction of their idiosyncratic, theatrical, cinematic and up-close-and-personal intimate style of avant-garde pop and art school rock experimentation. Raf even has a Kate Bush tribute side project; coming the nearest I’ve yet heard of anyone to that maverick progenitor’s range-fluctuating, coquettish and empowered delivery, and her musicianship and erudite playful and adventurous songwriting.
An alternative time travelling theatre of interwoven fantasy, dream realism and the reimagined, We Are Stars is as playful with its unique style as it is only too aware of the deep held stresses, strains, pain and detachment that plagues society in the aftermath of a global pandemic, economic meltdown and war. Looking to the stars, but knowing that even escapist dreams of the cosmos have failed us, Raf And O (who I haven’t mentioned in name at all, but is an adroit craftsman of his form, accentuating, punctuating or loosely weaving a meandered musicality around Raf) take their concerns, observations and curiosities into ever more arty and intriguing directions. They remain one of the most individual acts in the UK; true inheritors of Bowie and Bush’s legacy and spirit.’ DV
Refree ‘El Espacio Entre’ (Glitterbeat Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Coming on like an Iberian vision of the Neel Murgai Ensemble and Hackedepicciotto trapped with Nacho Mendez (I’m thinking of the Ángeles y Querubines album) in an undefined, veiled timeline and atmosphere, the follow up sketchbook album of Raul Refree’s imagination is yet again a unique, “seamless”, amalgamation of reflective enquiry, soundtracks, semi-classical etudes and the visceral.
Not so much an album of performances as a quality production of fleeting descriptions, of moments captured in poignant scenery, Refree’s second such album of scores and sound pieces is an incredible, immersive mood board of magical and often plaintive thoughts, feelings, processes and films yet to be made. I’ve been sitting on this album for months and it never loses its initial pull, gut feeling, and yet I can also hear new things on every listen. Raul Refree is a great talent indeed.’ DV
Sebastian Reynolds ‘Canary’ (PinDrop)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘After what seems like an age, and with a prolific string of projects, collaborations and EP releases behind him, Sebastian Reynolds finally unveils his debut solo album.
A near lifetime’s experience and musicology is called upon for a mostly sophisticated and subtle amalgamation of the electroacoustic, trance, EDM, electronic-chamber music, techno ambience and soundtracks on an album that draws on all of Reynolds passions and emotional threads. Self-help guidance with the neurons fired-up, the mind open, Canary counterpoints mistrust with wonderment, alarm with the rational and the optimistic. It has taken a while to arrive, but Reynolds debut expanded album of thoughts and ideas is a mature statement of quality. ‘ DV
Room Of Wires ‘Welcome To The End Game’ (Ant-Zen)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A buzz, whine, flex and resonating ring of zinc and alloy, of recondite machines, permeates another heavy set from the Room Of Wires duo. The latest in a strong catalogue of such dark materials and alien mystery, Welcome To The End Game ties together a complex of dystopian woes, rage and dramas into an interlayered twisting and expanding metal muscled album of electronic.
Room Of Wires navigate and balance the uncertainty with glimmers of escape, and moments of hope and release; the machinations and unseen forces that bear down upon us all at least dissipated enough to offer some light.’ DV
Seljuk Rustum ‘Cardboard Castles’ (Hive Mind)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Imbued by a rich history of place and time, and the trading winds that brought so many atavistic and less ancient civilizations to its natural harbor hub, Seljuk Rustum’s Kochi-base of creative activity is a city steeped in polygenesis sounds and ideas.
For the most part the musical mind of Rustum and his partners on this magical, entrancing and dreamy journey, reveals a great sonic knowledge, both a part of, yet also in some ways, escaping history.’ DV
S___________________
Salem Trials ‘What Myths Are We Living’ (Metal Postcard Records)
Chosen by DV & GD/Reviewed by Graham Domain/Link
‘Crawling along dark streets, shadows loom in every doorway, footsteps echo in the night silence. Cold sweat trickling down spine, dark rumblings from a dirty basement, shadows dancing on the barred windows. Fish bones in a mouth. Coughing up blood and the smell of urine. Decay and aftershave. Cracked voice and beer-stained floor. Each step shoes stick. Black trail like slime from a snail. A coffin landfill club of noise and danger! The night ignites with saw-like melodies and cavernous hypnotic rhythms kicking against the pricks! Smoke and dark truths bounce off the walls shaking flesh and brick, glass and bone. Inspiration as sonic affray, until the last notes flare into a howl of darkness. A murder of youth collapse through doors and out along streets. City centre lights, a loneliness of drinkers cast adrift, flowing like a cut artery in a thrombosis of social isolation. Music smashed against walls! Exciting! Unbreakable!’ GD
Ryuichi Sakamoto ‘Ongaku Zukan’ (WeWantSounds)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A timely, special release in the wake of the Japanese icon’s death in March of this year, the impeccable vinyl specialists WEWANTSOUNDS have reissued Sakamoto’s cult 1984 solo album Ongaku Zukan (or “Musical Encyclopedia”).
Sakamoto assails the mid 80s with his own manual, a merger of signatures and fresh horizons, but above all, rewriting the Japanese cannon whilst reaching into a future yet unwritten. There will be a lot of people very happy that this classic has been rejuvenated, whilst a new generation can hear what all the fuss is about. Not his best by any stretch of the imagination, but everything Sakamoto touched is worthy of investigation, and this feels like a bridge between periods. WWS has done us all a great favour in resurfacing this lost class piece of experimentation and groove.’ DV
Schizo Fun Addict ‘Love Your Enemies’ (Fruits Der Mer)
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘This album is one of the best and wormiest sounding albums I have heard in many years. It has the same magic and otherworldly but inwardly peaceful calmness about it as Pet Sounds, and there is something about Schizo Fun Addict that reminds me of the Beach Boys but without ever actually sounding like them – I will put it down to musical genius and heavenly inspiration.’ BBS
Seaming To ‘Dust Gathers’ (O Sing At Me)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by Gillian Stone/Link
‘The structure and tracking of Dust Gatherers are utterly brilliant. Instrumental “AnOverture” introduces the juxtaposition of the electronic and symphonic elements the make up the album’s ethos. The next three tracks, “Blessing”, “Tousles”, and “Brave” are imbued with choral synths and swirling vocals. It is not until the fifth track, “Traveller”, that acoustic instruments come back into the fold, with the introduction of Seaming To’s clarinet. Clarinets then mesh beautifully with synths on “Water Flows”, followed by the instrumental synth piece “xenanmax”. The album then takes a left turn into the string-quartet-driven “Hitchhiker”, and pivots again into the Björk-style melodies and microbeats of “Look Away”. The final two songs on Dust Gatherers, which appear to be companion pieces, harken back to the golden era of jazz, finishing the record with a sense of timelessness. Piano ballad “Pleasures are Meaningless” alludes to the final track, jazz standard “Tenderly”, which is tethered down by pulsing clarinets and synth glitches. Ever present are Seaming To’s profoundly strong character vocals, which evoke goosebumps at every turn.’ GS
Silver Moth ‘Black Bay’
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘Cinematic tracks full of atmosphere and grandeur! 45 minutes of Bliss! It may become the holy grail of lost albums in future years – if it slips under the radar!’ GD
Slow Readers Club ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ (Velveteen Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘The fifth (official) album by Manchester band The Slow Readers Club comes across like a live album such is the energy captured in the recording. First track ‘Modernise’ is perhaps the most powerful, if least representative, song on the album. With its Chemical Brothers rave intro and pounding rhythm it also has the most individual sounding vocal on the album, a bit PIL like! It’s a song created to be exciting live and it serves that purpose well!
A great album of powerful anthemic songs and possibly their most consistent effort to date.’ GD
Lonnie Liston Smith ‘Cosmic Change’ (Jazz Is Dead)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Smooth soulful vibes, bulb-like notes and cosmic fanning rays from the great jazz-funk doyen Lonnie Liston Smith, who released his first album in 25 years in 2023. Thanks to the overseeing facilitators of the enriching Jazz Is Dead label project, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have coaxed the legendary artist, ensemble bandleader and sideman for such impressive luminaries as Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri and Leon Thomas, back into the studio; just one of many great names from the spiritual, conscious and funky-jazz rolls of inspiring talents.
Co-composing and collaborating with their chagrin Younge and Muhammad both work in the old magic with a sense of the new and forward; paying homage yet creating something new, performing the very kinds of influential music that had an impact on those who came later, namely the hip-hop fraternity (Jazzmatazz era Guru and the Digable Planets being just two such notable collaborators and acolytes). and of course, Liston is in supreme form as sagacious keyboard foil.’ DV
Snowcrushed ‘Snowcrush’
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘Snowcrushed’s A Frightened Man debut album was one of my fave albums of 2021; an album of beguiling atmospheric found sounds ambient gems. But on Snowcrush he’s gone on an alternative music journey of post-punk, Goth and Darkwave, and on occasion lo-fi folk – the excellent ‘Cowardice’ sounding like someone has taken Kurt Cobain’s tortured soul and spread it on Johnny Cash’s toast, which he ate before recording the American Recordings series of albums: A truly dark wonderful song. Although nothing else on the album quite matches up to the brilliance of ‘Cowardice’, which is no slight as not many other tracks I have heard this year matches up to it, the rest of the album is still full of unsettling dark gems.’ BBS
Samuele Strufaldi ‘Davorio’ (Música Mascondo)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Every expression has meaning, a story, which is then transformed by Strufaldi’s production into something almost dream like and cosmic yet still connected to the villagers’ roots. A transistor radio collage here, some Songhoy Blues on a bustling street with a small amp there; a display of rattled and scrapping percussion and hymnal stirrings merge with zaps, warbles and various embellishments. This cultural exchange with the Ivory Coast blurs the lines between worlds; an act of preservation, but much more, as the foundations of this culture prove intoxicating, dynamic and mesmerising.’ DV
Susanna ‘Baudelaire and Orchestra’ (Susanna Sonata Label)
Chosen by GD
T____________________
Tachycardie ‘Autonomie Menerale’ (Un-je-ne-sais-quoi)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is the third album in a trilogy of ambient sound-art works by French composer Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy. Consisting of seven pieces of strange, dark, tribal, alien ambient dissonance and warm unnatural half-light!
In the first piece, ‘Parties sud puis nord’, tribal drums and hyper percussion are intermittently infiltrated by reverberating clangs and deep disturbed atmospheric noise. It is a strangely compelling listen! Although if listened to by those of a disturbed mind it may likely trigger psychosis, one-legged.
You will not find another album like this. It will penetrate your dreams bringing raptures of nightmare terror, joyous pain and nerve scraping pleasure. As the stones with eyes move closer, watching, surrounding your house, you may never ‘escape into night’ or feel at ease again!’ GD
Tele Novella ‘Poet’s Tooth’ (Kill Rock Stars)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A wistful, almost disarming, Tele Novella weave their magic on an album that takes its cues from Harold & Maude and a removed version of the heartbreak yearning vulnerability of Nashville and Texas country music; albeit a version in which Cate Le Bon and Aldous Harding sip despondently from a bottle of life’s despair. Better still, Mike Nesmith writing for Patsy Cline.
As whimsical and beautifully executed as it all is, Poet’s tooth is a moving album of timeless tropes, somehow delivered musically and visually through a slightly off, sometimes surreal, vision of the familiar. Natalie Ribbons and foil Jason Chronis dream up an idiosyncratic staged world, their moniker taken from the serial drama/soap opera phenomenon of the “television novel”, a format most prominently produced for the Latin American markets.
Adolescence escapism wrapped in a softened, but no less stirring, epiphany, Tele Novella has a surreal, dreamy quality about them. From the Tex-Mex border of yore to the contemporary Austin scene of City Limits, they weave a really impressive songbook that’s as Hal Ashby and Sidney Lumet as it is pining Country and Western. Poet’s Tooth is both lyrically and musically perfect; one of my favourite albums of 2023 – no idle boast. Prepare to be equally charmed and moved with a counterculture resurgence of quality, subtle comedy and tragedy, eccentric disillusion.’ DV
Tomo-Nakaguchi ‘The Long Night in Winter Light’ (Audio Bulb Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is a beautiful album where each piece conjures-up a different vision of winter – the wonder of nature surviving and flourishing as the seasons change! As the composer himself says, the music reflects the beauty of nature – frost glistening on grass – a field of snow lit by moonlight – the night sky filled with stars! Like a ray of light, a ray of hope, this is beauty that shines through the darkest of times!’ GD
Ali Farka Touré ‘Voyageur’ (World Circuit)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘This latest project, produced by the label’s Nick Gold who spent time with the late Ali (his brilliant accompanying notes are full of vivid anecdotes and adventures spent with the Mali icon) and his scion, the equally gifted virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré is the first album of ‘unheard’ material from the legend since his 2010 posthumously released partnership with Diabate.
Voyageur is a welcoming addition to the catalogue, an incredible nomadic traverse of songs that capture Mali’s diversity and rich musical heritage; especially with his celebrated guests opening the sound up, travelling even further afield to those bordering regions that meet Mali.
Ali Farka Touré aficionados will find this a welcome addition to the chronology, with recordings that many will have either never known about or been anticipating. But I’m sure there’s going to be surprises for even the most committed of fans. And for newcomers to Ali’s legacy, this album will prove a great entry point with its diversity and range, showing Ali with various collaborators and paying homage to several cultural styles, traditions. These songs are anything but unfinished scraps, demos, or downtime experiments. Instead, Voyageur is a collection of real quality.’ DV
Trupa Trupa ‘ttt’ (Glitterbeat Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘The Polish outfit Trupa Trupa fashion their very own Faust Tapes out of an accumulation of sonic explorations, unfinished jams and rehearsal sessions, field recordings and play.
In the interval between recording new martial ttt is an almost seamless cassette offering of two experimental sound collages – coming in at just under the forty-minute mark. A development played out under the spell of psychedelic hallucination, mirage and more caustic machined distortions and abrasions, the triple “ts” experiment could be read as a really untethered avant-garde outlet for the band. Not that they’ve ever been conventional on that front with previous works melding and contorting, as they do, psych with no wave, post-punk, the industrial and indie to produce a multi-limbed psycho drama or revelation, the hypnotic and propulsive.
Trupa Trupa are in their ascendency all right, their creative collective consciousness constantly dreaming up fresh ways of hearing and articulating the wastelands of what was once called civilisation; the discourse all but filtered out for the most part on this immersive experience. They can do no wrong it seems at the moment, and must be considered one of the most important bands to emerge from Europe in the last decade. On the strength of this latest release it will be very interesting to know where they will go next.’ DV
V______________________
Various ‘New No York’ (Metal Postcard Records)
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘A compilation of music from Metal Postcard bands, but what all these bands have in common is Andy Goz. Yes, the guitar genius who’s in all these bands, and all the bands are of course pretty darn special.
New No York is a quite wonderful comp of post-punk invention and fury and no doubt will be soundtracking my next few weeks.’ BBS
Various ‘Parchman Prison Prayer – Some Mississippi Sunday Morning’ (Glitterbeat Records) Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Back in the state penitentiary system, the producer, author and violence prevention expert Ian Brennan finds the common ground once more with another cast of under-represented voices. Eight years on from his applauded, Grammy nominated Zomba Prison Project, Brennan, thousands of miles away from that Malawi maximum-security facility in the deep, deep South of America, surprises us with an incredible raw and “uncloyed” (one of Brennan’s best coined interpretations of his production and craft) set of performances of redemption and spiritual conversion.
There’s music, song and litany that would be recognizable to inmates from the turn of the last century, whilst others, tap right into the modern age. The Gospel’s message runs deep in the Southern realms, and encouragingly seems to motivate even those with little hope of being released. Hard times are softened by belief and redemption on a revelatory production. Returning to America after a myriad of recordings throughout the world’s past and present war zones, scenes of genocide and remote fabled communities, Brennan finds just as much trauma and the need for representation back home.’ DV
Various ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ & ‘Intended Consequences’ (Apranik Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link /Link two
‘As the West’s attention is quite rightly invested in the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, it’s fallen on artists, musicians to draw that intense scrutiny on the Iranian regime and its heinous treatment of women. Prompted by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in the custody of the authorities last year, an ensuing battle of ideals and freedoms has ensued that threatens to topple the tyranny. However, the regime has pushed back harder and with an almost unprecedented violence started executing (mainly men so far) supporters and activists on trumped up, tortured confessional charges of treason. But even in the face of this bloody repression history is on the side of Iran’s younger more liberal generations.
In bringing that plight to Western attention and ears, Iranian artists AIDA and Nesa Azadikhah announced two volumes of not-for-profit compilations.
Both platform a multi-diverse cosmology of electronic female artists working both under endurable pains and censorship inside Iran, or self-exiled and making waves in the diaspora. Each compilation is a discovery of riches in the field of the avant-garde, techno, sound experimentation and protest. There’s been few worthier causes, and few that have been so ignored: the outrage, protests and marches here in the West sadly lacking and silent.’ DV
Violet Nox ‘Vortex And Voices’ (Somewherecold Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A sci-fi chemistry of vapours the Boston, Massachusetts electronic outfit Violet Nox once more entrance with a futuristic new age album of psy-trance, cerebral techno and acid ethereal-voiced self-realization/self-discovery. Wired into the “now” however, messages of self-love and inclusiveness waft and drift to a rhythmic, wavy vision of EDM, crossover rave music and soulful electronica.
For this newest venture – their first for the highly prolific and quality North American label Somewherecold Records – features, more than ever, the experimental, often effected, vocals of group member Noell Dorsey: a mix of hippie cooed yearn, Tracey Thorn, Claudia Brücken and Esbe if you will.
Whether it’s journeying into the subconscious or leaving for celestial rendezvous’, Violet Nox turn the vaporous into an electronic art form that’s simultaneously yearning and mysterious. Fizzing with techy sophistication and escapism, the American electronic group continue to map out a fresh sonic universe.’ DV
W_______________________
The Waeve ‘The Waeve’ (Transgressive)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘The WAEVE are a new band formed by Blur’s Graham Coxon (vocals/sax/guitar/medieval lute) and The Pipettes’ Rose Elinor Dougall (singer/songwriter/piano/ARP 2000 Synth).
The interaction and balance between the two voices is perfect with each singer excelling in their introversion and reserve! The band do have their own sound – a strange mix of folk-rock, punk, no wave, psych and easy listening! A truly great album that deserves a wide audience! Give it a listen – you may be surprised!’ GD
The Wedding Present ’24 Songs’ (HHBTM Records)
Chosen by BBS
‘An album that collects the A and B-sides to the series of singles released last year by the mighty Wedding Present, so obviously one of the best of the year.’ BBS
Y__________________________
Dhafer Youssef ‘Street of Minarets’ (Back Beat Edition)
Chosen by GD
Z___________________________
Zohastre ‘Abracadabra’ (ZamZam)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Spinning and dancing around the phosphor glowing fire whilst invoking a polygenesis array of pagan, hermetic and galactic deities, the French-Italian combo cast magical spells of progressive, psychedelic, noise, primitivism, electronica and cosmic krautrock on their conjuring sonic Wurlitzer.
Reworking references from each of the duos respective countries into a dizzy and often accelerated kaleidoscope of acid-trip occult ritual and more moody, near eerie, mystical uncertainty, Héloise Thibault and Olmo Guadagnoli combine an electronic soundboard with drums as they hurtle, collide and work a frenzy around the maypole.
For those seeking to discover some lost tribe of extraterrestrial worshipping acolytes with a penchant for Zacht Automaat, Sunburned Hand Of Man and the Soft Machine then ZamZam Records have you covered with an occult and tripping invitation too good to be missed.‘ DV
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last ten years I’ve featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
Choice/Favourite Albums Of The Year: Part Two: H to N
December 14, 2023
SELECTED BY GRAHAM DOMAIN, BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA & DOMINIC VALVONA
Welcome to PART TWO of this year’s favourite/choice albums features. If you missed PART ONE, follow this link.
2023’s list, as ever in alphabetical order, is broken down into three more digestible parts.
And as we have since our inception back in 2008, the Monolith Cocktail continues to avoid those silly, factious and plain dumb numerical charts that our peers and rivals insist on continuing to print – how can you really suggest one album deserves their place above or below another; why does one entry get the 23rd spot and another the 22nd; unless it is a vote count. We’ve always chosen a much more diplomatic, democratic alphabetical order – something we more or less started in the first place.
Whilst we are proud to throw every genre, nationality together in a serious of eclectic lists, this year due to various collaborators commitments, there will be a separate Hip-Hop roundup by Matt Oliver in the New Year.
The lists, broken up this year into three parts (A to F, H to N, P to Z), includes those albums we’ve reviewed or featured on the site in some capacity, plus a smattering of those we just didn’t get the time to include. All entries are displayed thus: Artist in alphabetical order, then the album title, label, who chose it, a review link where applicable, and finally a link to the album itself and a quote.
So without further ado, cast your eyes over the H to N entries for 2023.
H________
Hackedepicciotto ‘Keepsakes’ (Mute)
Chosen by Dominic Valvona/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘The sound of Berlin with stopovers across Europe and New York City, Keepsakes conjures up evocative visions, dramas and characters out if the arty, the gothic, the cerebral and surreal; creating an alternative photo album and collection of memories, events. As earthy as it is dreamily floating in a constructed world of fairytale, myth and magic, the creatively sagacious couple draws upon a lifetime of experiences, friendships to produce another captivating album for the Mute label.’ DV
H. Hawkline ‘Milk For Flowers’ (Heavenly)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by Gillian Stone/Link
‘Starting out a certain way, where you think you know what you’re getting into, then taking you by surprise, is the thematic journey of H. Hawkline’s Milk For Flowers (Heavenly). So is lyrical vulnerability.
Milk For Flowers begins steeped in traditional songwriting, takes you on a breathless journey, then brings you back into a place of safety, where feelings can be acknowledged and processed.’ GS
Healing Force Project ‘Drifted Entities Vol. 2’ (Beat Machine)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘The re-rebirth of cool in an ever-forward momentum of flux, Antonio Marini’s Healing Force Project once more tumbles across a broken-beat, jungle, free-jazz and cosmic spectrum of reverberating exploration and spliced assemblage.
A splashy mirage of effected, realigned beats and reframed jazz inspirations sent out into space, Volume 2 in this series continues the ‘spiritual music mission’ but offers something once more eclectic and boundless.’ DV
Andrew Heath ‘Scapa Flow’ (Disco Gecko)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A geopoetry; a psychogeography of that famous body of shallow waters, Heath’s gauzy drifts, serene washes, glassy piano notes, Myles Cochran and Joe Woodham-like post-rock refracted guitar bends and harpic zither spindles coalesce to score an effective mysterious soundtrack to the former naval base and battleship graveyard.
Andrew Heath plays a combination of instruments, merged with ambient and real sounds that falls somewhere between such notable artists as his old foil Roedelius, Eno, John Lane (i.e. A Journey Of Giraffes), Jon Tye, Ulrich Schnauss and Flexagon. Stirrings from beneath are conveyed with a subtle drama and sonic history on yet another exemplary album of minimalist music.’ DV
The Holy Family ‘Go Zero’ (Rocket Recordings)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A phantasmagoria of occult manifestations, conjured or drawn from out the old soil, from out of the ether, The Holy Family’s Go Zero album offers darkness with glimmers of light. The Holy of their name, taken from the controversial Angela Carter narrated documentary on Christ’s depiction in the Western art cannon, not so forgiving and Christian, but an open vassal for confronting and exploring the divine and ungodly. Guidance there is none, as the band unnerve, rush, grind or prowl across a mystical dreaded mind fuck of a world that mirrors our own mortal chaotic, ungovernable hell hole. In short, it’s a great dense trip with dramatic voodoo and accelerated velocity.’ DV
James Howard ‘Peek-A-Boo’ (Faith & Industry)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘To a languid soundtrack of bendy, dreamy blue Hawaii (relocated to Margate), and Tales Of The Unexpected and Third Man waltzes performed in a spoiled ballroom that Strictly Come Dancing couldn’t even revive, James Howard once again wanders wistfully across a worn, battered, disconsolate post-Brexit landscape.
Augurs of a reckoning; the sullied state of a septic Isle; an English seaside Ennio Morricone; just some of the feels and atmospheres all listlessly and longingly channeled into a well-crafted songbook (complete with leveling-up asides/intervals). Howard shields the hurt to an extent with his soft stinging observations, aphorisms and melodramas on yet another fantastic album; one of my favourites of 2023 already.’ DV
J__________
Carmen Jaci ‘Happy Child’ (Noumenal Loom)
Chosen by Dominic Valvona/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A brilliance of candy-electronica and Casio symphonies, Happy Child is a clever work of unburdened, unpretentious, but indeed deliberate and well-crafted, kidulthood. Jacki Carmen’s magical, if occasionally straying into the mysterious, new album pings back and forth with humour and, above all else, playfulness. Not for the burgeoning artist (I say burgeoning, Carmen is quite the professional technician with some years of experience: you can even pay for one-on-one tuitions at her own studio) the sour-faced seriousness of many of her peers, this is electronic music with a taste of fantasy and fun recollections of childhood.’ DV
Kenneth Jimenez ‘Sonnet To Silence’ (We Jazz)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Taking a leap into the untethered realms of Kenneth Jimenez’s dreams, the jump off point for his newest album literally takes flight. The Brooklyn-based bassist, composer and quartet bandleader runs for the mountains and sprouts wings; flying over the valley and the versant contours of free jazz and hard-bop: ala New York style.
So much is happening on this incredible, engaging and sometimes challenging (in the best possible way) album, which draws you in and then ups or changes the tempo, mood and direction. This is free jazz at its most promising; certainly encouraging and with dreamy quality that lifts you up into an imaginative vision of soaring and more complicated expression. Kenneth Jimenez and his quartet have produced one of the leading jazz albums of 2023.’ DV
Darius Jones ‘fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred)’ (We Jazz/Northern Spy)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Absorbing all the history and ethos of Vancouver’s multidisciplinary Western Front hothouse, the acclaimed alto-saxophonist, composer and bandleader Darius Jones conceptually, artfully embodies the spirit of that creative hub’s avant-garde, Fluxus/Duchampian foundations on his new album of free-jazz movements.
Jones and ensemble have created something emotionally charged and highly expressive (challenging too, in a good way) from a site and history. The home of the avant-garde in Vancouver proves fertile, fiery kindle for an impressive, raw at times, catharsis and unload of free thought and art.’ DV
Junkboy ‘Littoral States’ (Wayside & Woodlands)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A loving tribute, romantic cartography and healing process, Littoral States provides an alternative pathway from another age; a world away from the vacuous self-absorption of popular culture and the distractions of the internet. It’s a wonderful, magical, and for the most part reassuring, gentle gradient landscape that the brothers dream up; tailoring nostalgia and influences into something picturesque, peaceable but above all, moving. Folklore from a recent past is woven into much older geological layers, with the emphasis on the element of water; acting as the source, the road that connects the stopover on this West and East Sussex travelogue photo album. It’s good to have them back in the fold, so to speak, waxing lyrical and dreamily envisioning such beautiful escapism.’ DV
L____________
Laraaji & Kramer ‘Baptismal’ (Shimmy Disc)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Divine styler of radiant ambiance zither spiritualism Laraaji can be found in communion with no less a pioneer than Shimmy Disc founder and downtown no wave doyen Mark Kramer, on this latest release from the New York label. Two pioneers of their form together over four movements of immersive, deeply affected mood music, draw on their extensive knowledge and intuition to create suites rich in the mysterious, the afflatus and more supernatural. What’s not to like.’ DV
Natalie Rose LeBrecht ‘Holy Prana Open Game’
Chosen by DV & Graham Domain/Reviewed by Graham Domain/Link
‘This is a beautiful album of cosmic folk strangeness singular in its vision and unique today, in its combination of sounds.
Sitting somewhere between Nico, Linda Perhacs and Alice Coltrane, the six haunting songs have superb intricate arrangements and a wonderful spiritual element! It could easily be mistaken for a long-lost album from the 1970’s, such is its charm.
Every home should own a copy of this album and play it each day as the sun rises bringing hope to the world.’ GD
Legless Crabs ‘American Russ’ (Metal Postcard Records)
Chosen by Brain Bordello Shea/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘What if Joan Jett was telling lies and she did not love Rock ‘n’ roll at all, and she was just playing at it to make her millions, and really she loved nothing better than to listen to the old sequence dance compilations – the Swing And Sway series say – or was really a closet Pat Boone fan and preferred his version of Long Tall Sally and not in a ironic way, and did not believe in the old adage that the devil had all the best tunes (which to be truthful is not true, as Cliff Richards Jesus single was one of the finest singles of the 1970s). If Joan Jett was indeed a fake I am sure The Legless Crabs could and would turn the leather panted one to the dark side. And I don’t mean the Dark Side Of The Moon as that is as rock ‘n’ roll as a defrosted box of Fish Fingers. I mean the dark side of rock ‘n’ roll, the side filled with feedback and Cramps like guitar riffs and both sexual frustration and sexual exploitation (in a seedy 70s porn like way). See, that is what I like about the Legless Crabs, they are rock ‘n’ roll in a seedy 70s porn like way.’ BBS
Yungchen Lhamo ‘One Drop of Kindness’ (Real World Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is a fantastic album of beautiful spiritual music by the wonderful world-renowned Tibetan female singer. Accompanied by a variety of acoustic instruments from around the world the seven songs are offerings to the Great Divine Spirit ‘devoted to spiritual awakening, unconditional love and compassion for all beings!’ A record to treasure – a beacon of hope in the darkest of times.’ GD
The Lilac Time ‘Dance Till All The Stars Come Down’ (Poetica)
Chosen by BBS
‘‘Why Stephen Duffy is not as big as Bob Dylan, I will never know. Maybe it is because Dylan did not form Duran Duran or make albums with Robbie Williams and Nigel Kennedy (one of the best LPs from the 90’s). Dance Till The Stars Come Down is yet another album from The Lilac Time‘s that is criminally ignored.’ BBS
Antti Lütjönen ‘Circus/Citadel’ (We Jazz)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘During the initial pandemic wave of April 2020 the double-bassist maestro Antti Lötjönen released his debut proper as bandleader to a quintet of exciting Finnish jazz talent.
That album, Quintet East, with its monograph vignettes and flexible free-play of be bop, Sonny Clark, the left bank and Bernstein-like musical NYC skylines, is improved upon by the ensemble’s follow-up, Circus/Citadel. With a title both inspired and imbued by the Romanian-born, German-language titan of 20th century poetry, Paul Celan, the issues of a tumultuous world on the precipice of disaster is channeled through a controlled chaos and a reach for the old and new forms of expressive jazz.
I’m always building the We Jazz label up; always aggrandising that Helsinki based hub of Scandinavian jazz. But really, this is an enriching, immersive and artful start to the label’s 2023 calendar with a classic jazz album in the making. I reckon it will be one of the year’s best.’ DV
Lukid ‘Tilt’ (Glum)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Those of you waiting on a new Lukid album will not be disappointed. If more ‘refined’, composed and ‘simplistic’ than before, there’s still a real rhythm to Luke’s form of subtle but effective electronica. A ‘tilt’ perhaps of process, method and outcomes, this is a minimalistic iteration styled vision of dance music, submerged in lo fi veils, fuzz and gauze.
Tilt is an album of real quality; a cerebral distillation of Ambience, Techno, House and Electronic forms into some reification of time and moments caught before they disappear in smoke. This is a great returning album from the Lukid alias, one of the best in its field in 2023.‘ DV
Lunar Bird ‘The Birthday Party’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Disarming malady and alienation with such vaporous gauzy diaphanous veils of dream wave, Lunar Bird with a myriad of fellow Italian artists and musicians weave vulnerability and fragility into the most purified of intoxicating pop songs.
Not so much dipping as submerged fully in that drowsy intoxicating dream vision, Lunar Bird entwine emotional pulls, anxieties with the most delicious, sumptuous of Southern European ethereal pop. The Birthday Party is a spellbinding songbook that subtly pushes the Italo-Welsh group into swimmingly new waters without losing the signature diaphanous bohemian sound we all love them for. There’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be much bigger, well known and successful with potential hits like this.’ DV
M_____________
June McDoom ‘With Strings’ (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Despite the diaphanous, wispy and hushed delivery, June McDoom’s voice is anything but evanescent or forgettable. Because just like one of her most cherished heroines, Judee Sill, every word and expression is believable as a lived experience of heartbreak, yearning and a close relationship with the elementals of an ethereal, but deeply felt, nature.
McDoom’s inspirations are worn on the sleeves, and yet I keep racking my brain to fathom who she reminds me of. An American Maria Monti? A softer Natalie Ribbons? Maybe a passing resemblance to Connie Converse perhaps? McDoom settles somewhere in-between them all as a refreshing, heavenly talent as she disarms the hurt and depth of emotional turmoil, inquiry and wonder with the most beautiful and impressive of deliveries.’ DV
Jean Mignon ‘An/al’ (Metal Postcard)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘
‘Raucous debut album by New York based Johnny Steines. A mixture of high energy garage punk and high-speed rock and roll – it sounds like a live album such is the energy contained in the grooves!
‘Tackled By Men’ recycles parts of ‘Jumping Jack Flash’, whilst ‘Canadian Exit’ has echoes of Warsaw’s ‘Failures’. If he can produce this excitement in a live-setting he will surely make his own impact! Primal Rock and Roll that screams from the speakers andexcites like a high-speed car chase!’ GD
Liela Moss ‘Internal Working Model’ (Bella Union)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘There are some great melodies and expressive vocal performances on the album. At times, she reminds me of Sarah Blasko at her most colourful and daring! ‘The Wall from the Floor’ sounds like a James Bond theme with its ethereal vocals and ‘Bad World’ refrain! ‘Ache in the Middle’ meanwhile has a melody that falls somewhere in-between Tears for Fears Mad World and Kate Bush the Sensual World! ‘New Day’ feels like a hymn to World Leaders for a better tomorrow – a call to feel empathy for others, concern and love for each other! If the overall feel of the electronic music is one of dystopia, alienation and oppression, the intent, the motivation is human – love and kindness as the antidote to isolation and inertia, feelings of helplessness transformed into positivity and action!’ GD
MultiTraction Orchestra ‘Reactor One’ (Aion Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘‘A moving, evocative odyssey [through] a myriad of imaginative, mysterious environments and landscapes. One of those albums that truly gets better and better with every listen.’ DV
N______________
N’dox Électrique ‘Tëdd ak Mame Coumba Lamba ak Mame Coumba Mbang’ (Bongo Joe) Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Continuing to circumnavigate the depths of Africa, on a quest to connect with the purest origins of that continent’s atavistic rituals, the Mediterranean punk and avant-rock motivators Gianna Greco and François R. Cambuzat seize on the adorcist practices of Senegal’s Lebu people.
The successor to that partnership’s Ifriqiyya Electrique collaboration with the descendants of Hausa slaves (a project that produced two albums of exciting Sufi trance, spirit possession performance and technology), the next chapter, Ndox Électrique, radically transforms the Lebu’s N’doep ceremonies of spirit appeasement.
Between worlds the Ndox Électrique transformation moulds spheres of history and sound, whilst creating a dramatic new form of communication and ritual. Summoning up answers to a sickening society, both groups of participants in this blurred boundary exchange rev-up the sedate scene with a blast of authentic regeneration and dynamism. One that is neither wholly African nor European. Dimensions are crossed; excitement and empowerment, guaranteed.’ DV
Neon Kittens ‘Nine Doesn’t Work For An Outside Line’ (Metal Postcard Records)
Chosen by BBS & GD/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘Post-punk beatnik shenanigans are afoot with this the new release from Neon Kittens. Their second album [I think] carries on where their last left off, with spoken female vocals purring erotically like an attractive nun filing her nails, smiling, knowing her crotchless knickers are only slightly hidden by her too short mini habit wondering just where to place her oversized cross next, over the scratch and sniff guitar yearnings that are part Fire Engines, part Scary Monster & Super Creeps, part rock ‘n’ roll, and part sexual abandonment. Yes, this is the true sound of total derailment. This is the sound of a 15 year old girl French kissing her jazz induced slightly older best friend with benefits; an album of pure off-center genius.’ BBS
Sam Newsome & Jean-Michel Pilc ‘Cosmic Unconsciousness Unplugged’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Joining the ranks of the great jazz (although they go beyond that, into the blues, classical and avant-garde) duos, the partnership of experimental soprano saxophonist and composer Sam Newsome and pianist, composer and educator Jean-Michel Pilc left a critically acclaimed marker with 2017’s Magic Circle album. Before that, and ever since, both foils in that collaborative duet built up enviable reputations, notably with Newsome as a soloist, and Pilc with his trio.
There’s some real class mixed with the unburdened pouring through every second of this album’s fifteen pieces; a real sense of freedom on the move, with the destination uncharted, unsettled and in some small part, mysterious. But as a showcase, the ‘unplugged’ consciousness platform reinforces the reputations of Sam Newsome and Jean-Michel Pilc’s explorative mastership and ingenious collaboration.’ DV
Greg Nieuwsma & Antonello Perfetto ‘Earth’ (Submarine Broadcasting Co.)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by Andrew C. Kidd/Link
‘The score offered by Nieuwsma and Perfetto is as complex and intricate as the source material. Their waveforms and filters arpeggiate poetically to illuminate its idealism. They bring me closer to the chimaera of collectivisation that Dovzhenko was perhaps intending to showcase.’ ACK
Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra ‘Family’ (We Jazz)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘The debut from Gard Nilssen and his Supersonic Orchestra Family album is ambitious in scale and musicality; a real impressive first effort that in which Prikoviv, Ayler, Coleman, Braxton, Dolphy and Phil Ranelin mix it with Ill Considered, Binker & Moses and The Hypnotic Brass Band over an octet of extended suites. I can hardly do it justice in the brief space I’ve got left, but suffice to say, this is an incredible cacophony of every era in the jazz and classical cannon you can think of; everything from Latin to bop, the soulful, theatrical, wild and even stage. Wow. A real feat.’ DV
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last ten years I’ve featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
Choice/Favourite Albums Of The Year: Part One: A to F: A Journey Of Giraffes to Nick Frater
December 11, 2023
SELECTED BY GRAHAM DOMAIN, BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA & DOMINIC VALVONA
Just when we thought it couldn’t get much worse: it did. 2023 has been yet another, if not even more depressing shit show on the world stage and closer to home. The stalemate defence of Ukraine, Hamas’ barbaric massacre and rape on the 7th October, and the Israeli retaliation; the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region; the cost of living crisis; threat of pandemics and all kinds of illness; bedbugs; A.I.; strikes; activism; fuel poverty; Iranian protests; and the continuing horror show of a zombie government dragging on, being just some examples. 2023 qualifies as one of the most incomprehensible years on record of any epoch; an ungovernable country in the grip of austerity point 2.0 (the architect of the last one now back to haunt us all again), and greater world untethered and at the mercy of the harridans on either side of the extreme political divide, the billionaire corporates and narcissist puritans.
Despite the myriad of problems that face artists and bands in the industry, from a lack of general interest to the increasingly punitive costs of touring and playing live, and the ever encroaching problems of streaming against physical sales and exposure, people just can’t quit making music. And for that we, as critics – though most of us have either been musicians or still are – really appreciate what you guys do. In fact, as we have always tried to convey, we celebrate you all. And so, instead of those silly, factious and plain dumb numerical charts that our peers and rivals insist on continuing to print – how can you really suggest one album deserves their place above or below another; why does one entry get the 23rd spot and another the 22nd; unless it is a vote count –, the Monolith Cocktail has always chosen a much more diplomatic, democratic alphabetical order – something we more or less started in the first place.
Whilst we are proud to throw every genre, nationality together in a serious of eclectic lists, this year due to various collaborators commitments, there will be a separate Hip-Hop roundup by Matt Oliver in the New Year. The lists, broken up this year into three parts (A to F, H to N, P to Z), includes those albums we’ve reviewed or featured on the site in some capacity, plus a smattering of those we just didn’t get the time to include. All entries are displayed thus: Artist in alphabetical order, then the album title, label, who chose it, a review link where applicable, and finally a link to the album itself.
A_
A Journey Of Giraffes ‘Empress Nouveau’ (Somewherecold Records)
Chosen & Reviewed By Dominic Valvona/ Link
‘Imbued by a suffusion of influences, most notably Harold Budd and Susumu Yokota (once more) but also Kazumichi Komatsu, Sakamoto & Sylvain, Andrew Heath and Eno, John Lane spins, weaves and spindles the essence of place and time; stirring up dulcimer-like tones of the Orient, a hand-ringing school (could also be a call to prayer, or assembly point prompt, perhaps the intermission signal at the opera or theatre) bell, or softly evoking a South American wilderness.
This is yet another essential album from one of the best artists working in this field of subtle, sometimes breathtaking and sublime, exploration – although this is experimenting without sounding like you’re experimenting, if that makes sense. It’s a joy to experience.’ DV
Dot Allison ‘Consciousology’ (Sonic Cathedral)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by Matteo Maioli/Link
‘Folks? backstory? Chamber-pop? I do not know. All this and also none of it. Simply: Dot Allison.’ MM
Anohni and the Johnsons ‘My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross’ (Rough Trade)
Chosen by Graham Domain
Anthéne & Simon McCorry ‘Florescence’ (Oscarson)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘A both hallowed and moving merger of seasonal changes, suffused with a certain gravitas and meaning, the pastoral is revalued and sent out on a voyage of reflection. Florescence is yet another minimalistic work of sublime quality from a collaboration perfectly in-synch with each other.’ DV
Assiko Golden Band de Grand Yoff ‘Magg Tekki’ (Sing A Song Fighter/Mississippi Records) Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘In action, they sound out a controlled raucous of rustling, shaking ancestral calls and conscious version of Afro-beat, Afro-jazz and Afro-soul; like Kuti sharing the stage with Laba Sosseh and Seckou Keita. As a counterbalance, a pause from the rolling and polyrhythmic drums, there are short interludes of time-outs in the community and under nature’s canopy of bird song: the sound of the breeze blowing through the trees overhead and all around, and of children playing in the background, as the kora speaks in communal contemplation.
At times they create a mysterious atmosphere of grasslands, and at other times, play a more serenaded song on the boulevards that lead down to the sea. On fire then, when in full swing, but able to weave a more intricate gentler sound too, the AGBDGY prove an exhilarating, dancing combo with much to share: the ancestral lineage leading back centuries, but lighting up the present.‘ DV
B__
Moonlight Benjamin ‘Wayo’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘No one quite channels the “iwa” spirits and musical, drum-beating ceremony of Haitian vodou like one of its most exhilarating priestesses, Moonlight Benjamin. Returning with her atmospheric and grinded-scuzz swamp-blues foil Matthis Pascaud for a third manifestation of hungered electrified vodou-blues, Moonlight roughs up and adds a wider tumult of energy to her vocally incredible and dirt music imbued sound of deep southern roots, West African and Hispaniola influences: an all-round Francophone sound you could say, from Louisiana to Mali and, of course, her homeland of Haiti.
As wild as it is composed, Moonlight Benjamin takes the vodou spirits back home to Africa, before returning, via the bayou, to Haiti on another fraught electrified album of divine communication.’ DV
Blur ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ (Parlophone/Warner)
Chosen by Brian Bordello
‘An album of nostalgia, melancholy and heartbreak, and one of Blur’s best.’ BBS
Brian Bordello ‘Songs For Cilla To Sing’ (Think Like A Key)
Chosen by DV & GD/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘As ridiculous as it may seem on the surface, the lower than lo fi (making Sparklehorse sound like a flash git bombastic ELO in comparison), nee no fi King of the well-worn Tascam four-track and St. Helens idiosyncratic Les Miserable, was only one person away on the Venn diagram of Cilla Black’s orbit. His potential songbook of flange-y distorted (more through low grade recording techniques) and curmudgeon demos did make its way to the, then retired from singing, Liverpool songbird – in the three or four decades before her death more the star of TV presenting and hosting than performer.
If imagining Brian Epstein inviting Ian McCulloch to front The Tremolos, or The Red Crayola, Spaceman 3 and a budget Inspiral Carpets time-travelled back to 1962 sounds like one incredible proposition, then this songbook is for you.’ DV
The Bordellos ‘Star Crossed Radio’ (Metal Postcard)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘The latest release by St Helens finest is a cabinet of curiosities containing some wonderful lo-fi gems and hitherto lost standards!
This album is one to treasure, an Aladdin’s cave of eclectic life affirming songs. The Bordellos are the fine web that holds the stars in place!’ GD
Jaimie Branch ‘Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die ((World War))’ (International Anthem) Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘As an unwittingly last will and testament, the late experimental trumpeter Jaimie Branch’s final led album with her Fly Or Die ensemble is a beautiful collision of ideas and worldly fusions that pushes and pulls but never comes unstuck. In fact, despite the “world war” suffix backdrop this album of both hollered and more disarming protestation colourfully embraces the melodic, the groove and even the playful.
Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die ((word war)) is an accomplished album that channels the legacies of Chicago, New Orleans and New York to create an eclectic modern adventure in protest jazz.‘ DV
Julie Byrne ‘The Greater Wings’ (Ghostly International)
Chosen by GD
Bex Burch ‘There Is Only Love And Fear’ (International Anthem)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘In the moment extemporized expressions in multiple locations, both in Europe and North America, the feels on Bex Burch’s new album are led or prompted by a hand made xylophone. Any yet, there’s no particular pattern nor pathway to these captured performances; Burch joined as she is by a myriad of notable artists/musicians, all of whom only met for the first time before each improvised performance.
Each day is a different sound and a new canvas for Burch, who transcends her bearings and musical boundaries. There’s rhythm to these improvisations, a real groove that at times counterbalances the passages of avant-garde expression to create a non-linear journey of emotions, thoughtfulness and sense of yearned fears.’ DV
C___
Luzmila Carpio ‘Inti Watana: El Retorno Del Sol’ (Bongo Joe)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Full of wonderment and magic, the Bolivian performer and composer Luzmila Carpio returns with her first all-encompassing album in a decade. Imbued with an ancestral heritage and language that predates the Conquistadors colonial apocalypse, Carpio weaves and plays with her Aymara and Quechua roots, its creation stories, shamanistic ceremonies and humble custodianship of nature.
Carpio invites us into her dreams and meditations with a wonderful message of universal care and respect for that which nurtures and feeds us; an unbroken link to civilizations like the Incas, propelled into the 21st century.’ DV
Billy Childish & CTMF ‘Failure Not Success’ (Damaged Goods Records)
Chosen by BBS
‘Quite simply what Billy Childish does best: spit feathers at an unplucked rock ‘n roll chicken.’ BBS
Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers ‘Somanti’ (Bongo Joe)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Reuniting for a second explosive dynamic album of electrified Vodou and Mizik Rasin, the Haitian collective Chouk Bwa and the Belgian production duo The Angströmers once more propel ritual and ceremony into an otherworldly futuristic setting.
Music from another dimension, the Haitian roots music and performative religious invocations and words of wisdom from Chouk Bwa are sent through a vortex into the future on another successful union.’ DV
Julian Cope ‘Robin Hood’ (Head Heritage)
Chosen by BBS
‘An album of psych, folk and pop wizardry; one that matches up to the best of the man. Cope is on a run of brilliance that is equal to his run of greatness from the late 80s to early 90s. A national treasure, and one of the last living motherfuckers.’ BBS
Creep Show ‘Yawning Abyss’ (Bella Union)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘Make no mistake, John Grant is a genius! As half of Creep Show he provides the moments of sheer joy! ‘Bungalow’ comes over like a song that could have been on any of his brilliant solo albums, post ‘Queen of Denmark’. It’s a fantastic vocal, the music dark, funny, sexy, – electronic music at its best and a good song to boot! Elsewhere we find him singing strange rhymes on the title track ‘Yamning Abyss’ – a song that grows on you with each play.’ GD
D____
Vumbi Dekula ‘Congo Guitar’ (Hive Mind/Sing A Song Fighter)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Removed from a full-on band setting of loud blazed, wailed horns, thundering drums and chanted vocals Kahanga “Vumbi” Dekula’s legendary guitar shines on a new solo album of his melodious virtuoso playing.
Hive Mind’s inaugural partnership with Winqvist’s own Sing-A-Song-Fighter label is both a joy and discovery; the Congolese star, more or less, singlehandedly capturing the listener’s attention with a captivating septet of natural, expressive performances.’ DV
Diepkloof United Voice ‘Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul’
(Ostinato Records) Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Incredibly moving and enriching for the soul, the united Diepkloof chorus has achieved the seminal with nothing more than their voices; releasing perhaps one of the year’s most essential records.’ DV
Dexter Dine ‘Flood’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by Gillian Stone/Link
‘The self-defined Brooklyn, NY-based “apartment rocker” conjures a diverse and expansive sound that is a “mixture of melodic samples, multi-part drum grooves, and off-kilter saxophone solos”. From the Animal Collective vibes of “Flooded Meadows”, “Splatter In Two”, and “Lockeeper”, to the Juana Molina-esque “Peanutbutter”, to the Bossa Nova feel of “Valley Of Air”, the beats he creates are the driving force behind this electroacoustic pursuit.
Dine is a prolific artist, and his work is ethereal, striking, and drenched in both sunshine and melancholy.’ GS
Matt Donovan ‘Sleep Until The Storm Ends’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘In the face of political, social discourse and ruin, lawlessness, loss and anxiety Donovan captures the evocative moments and scenes we all often take for granted; turning nighttime walks, the memories of loved ones into something musically and sonically lasting.
Barefoot Contessa daydreams sit well with clavichord buzz splintered boogies on yet another enriching and rewarding album that slowly unfurls its understated balm of warmth and also protestation gradually over repeated plays. On the fringes certainly, a true independent diy artist, Matt Donovan is far too good to stay under the radar. Do yourselves a favour, grab a copy on bandcamp now.’ DV
Dur-Dur Band Intl. ‘The Berlin Session’ (Outhere Records)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Marking the first session of new-recorded music since the halcyon days of their heydays in 80s Somali, the revivalist legacy incarnation of the Dur-Dur Band is back with a truly “international” sounding groove.
Simultaneously familiar whilst offering a fresh songbook (of a sort), the Dur-Dur Band Int. Berlin Session is as lilting as it is dynamic. Above all it’s always grooving to a unique fusion of worldly rhythms and beats, catapulting that Somali funk to new heights and hopefully making new fans with lively and cool performances. Nothing should keep you buying a copy.’ DV
Dutch Uncles ‘True Entertainment’ (Memphis Industries)
Chosen by GD
Dyr Faser ‘Karma Revenge’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘It turns out that Dyr Faser are rather good at mixing the esoteric krautrock of the Amon Düül family (especially the Wagnerian acid-wash and otherworldly vocals of Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz) with grunge, alt/post/space rock and doom; bridging morbid curiosities, spirals of melancholy with black sun fun, fun, fun! A great duo to discover. ” DV
E_____
Eamon The Destroyer ‘We’ll Be Piranhas’ (Bearsuit Records)
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘Performed with a wit and wisdom only matched by the beauty and musical genre hopping extravagance not seen since John Peel dropped his record collection down three flights of stairs… A madness of electronica, psychedelia, dance and pop; at times sounding like an inspired Momus after sharing magic mushroom soup with Cornelius and Ivor Cutler. Yes, there is magic in these tracks that one can lie back and completely lose themselves in…’ BBS
The Early Mornings ‘Ultra-Modern Rain’ EP (Practise Music/Rough Trade)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD /Link
‘It is an exhilarating ride of moody bass lines, spikey guitar, distorted chords and garage drums with vocals by Annie Leader.’ GD
Ex-Norwegian ‘Sooo Extra’ (Think Like A Key)
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘Sooo Extra is the 14th album from Ex Norwegian and like all the other Ex Norwegian albums I have heard it is a rather excellent affair full of pop hooks and has a lovely undercurrent of darkness, a bittersweet taste of songwriting savvy you really do not come across everyday: sadly.’ BBS
F______
Fantastic Twins ‘Two Is Not A Number’ (House Of Slessor)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Competitive from the outset, birthed from a primordial cosmic womb, the Fantastic Twins in Julienne Dessagne’s otherworldly sci-fi fantasy go through hellish travails and separation before finding a final resolution. From the bawled birth of ‘I Was First’, the Berlin-based French producer, musician and vocalist explores the magic, duality and multiplicity of twins over an album of metallic, chrome and liquefied material sci-fi and otherworldliness: even the haunted and supernatural.
Albums from Carl Craig, Man Parrish, Fever Ray, Andy Stott and others, alongside the influence of Cosey Fanny Tutti, Chris Carter, Coil, Nina Simone and Pan Sonic can be added to the depth and range of this accumulative mood board and framework.
It proves a fertile concept and doorway to the investigations of the “psyche” and its relationship to all manner of inquisitive explorations. A most striking sophisticated debut from an artist with depth and curiosity.’ DV
Fat Francis ‘Oyster’
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Disillusioned despondency and a touch of the roguish are filtered through softened hues of idiosyncratic lo fi beauty, as Fat Frances’ hardened, worn-down posterior reveals a heart-wrenching drip-drip pouring of poetic insecurity, dealt and languorous resignation.
Yet despite the wretchedness of the world, the austerity and the lawlessness and directionless malaise of our times, there’s a melodious magic to be found in this rough diamond’s (excuse the cliché) Northern lament. It’s as if Frances has somehow brought an air of Bonnie & Clyde folklore, or an enervated and far less violent Badlands to a West Yorkshire pastoral landscape.
Oyster has quickly become one of my favourite albums of 2023 – the balmy washes and heartache wistfulness drift of ‘Billy’, a worthy earnest but sublime song, being just one highlight. It should if life was fair, bring attention and plaudits to this artist, but I won’t hold my breath.’ DV
Fhae ‘Sombre Thorax’ (4000 Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is a wonderful album of ethereal, ambient, dream-folk-pop that ebbs and flows like the tides and inhabits its own world of subtle beauty. Sometimes, mists of the sea seem to creep into the music and the edges of reality become blurred, the music shape shifting into another dimension!
A fantastic debut album, I can’t wait to hear more!’ GD
Fir Cone Children ‘The Urge to Overtake Time’ (Blackjack Illuminist Records)
Chosen by GD/Reviewed by GD/Link
‘This is fantastic album from Berlin based band Fir Cone Children. It sounds like it was recorded in 1979 when New Wave (Post Punk) creativity took hold for a couple of years and no two bands were the same!
Time Needs an Upgrade’ sounds like the Cure mixed with the Pop Group. ‘Snowblack’ sounds like Wire led by Jeff Lynne! ‘The Inability to Raise the Left Corner of my Mouth’ sounds like the Buzzcocks if they had been from San Francisco circa 1968. ‘It Feels Complete’ sounds like the Cramps if they had been Buddhist Monks! ‘Spider School’ sounds like the Scars mixed with the Undertones and Interpol. ‘One Hundred Years’ sounds like the Sound mixed with Wire and MBV! But moreover, although there are always comparisons to be made, Fir Cone Children have an individual spark; the music is much more than the sum of its influences! Perhaps, the best German band since Faust!’ GD
Flagboy Giz ‘Disgrace To The Culture’ (Injun Money Records)
Chosen by DV
‘Exciting bounce-hip-hop-modern-R&B cross-pollinations from the colorful, parading Mardi Gras tail-feather shaking chief, who once more leads with attitude and verve another street theatrics company of like-minded artists on a strut through New Orleans. The second album from motivator, performer, producer and MC, Flagboy Giz – he of the world famous Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians -, and his crew of contributors, is a rambunctious hyper merger of The Meters, Neville Brothers, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John. Master P, Lil Wayne and DJ Jubilee. What’s not to like.’ DV
Flat Worms ‘Witness Marks’ (Drag City)
Chosen by DV
‘I’d like to believe the reemergence of the L.A. garage-punk-rockers is down to my glowing review of the their Live In L.A. album from 2022 (which made our choice albums of that year). But whatever the reasons, their return (back once again in the Ty Segall fold) is very much welcome; especially as they’ve lost none of that vociferous wired attitude and spirit. Witness Marks is an assured, mature and heavy vortex of growling and fierce, but slacker too, Gang Of Four, Salem Trials, Modern Lovers, The Fall and The Southern Death Cult sounds. And if that doesn’t grab you, nothing else will.’ DV
Flexagon ‘The Towers I: Inaccessible’ (Disco Gecko)
Chosen by DV/Reviewed by DV/Link
‘Through a near domination of the high seas, a skill in winning wars, a Norman lineage and generally to annoy the French, the Channel Islands have been a British dependency for centuries. During that time a whole lot of history has passed under the bridge; the last 200 years of which are channeled by the Guernsey native, artist and environmental, site-specific composer Flexagon.
A work of site-specific atmospheric stirrings and timelessness, The Towers I: Inaccessible album translates the off-limits sites of Guernsey into a multi-layered sonic map for inquiring minds. An Island life, history and shared trauma is transduced across a mix of styles and delivery methods as both repurposed and more derelict out of bounds architecture is allowed to breath and to tell stories of the history that’s passed through its doors. Even with the all too awful reminders of Guernsey’s occupation (finally liberated in the May of 1945 after nearly five years of German authoritarian rule; at least a thousand of its people deported to camps in Southern Germany) these towers transmit plenty of arresting Meta and fertile research, which Flexagon and his foils have turned into a lush, dreamy and mysterious veiled journey.’ DV
Nick Frater ‘Bivouac’
Chosen by BBS/Reviewed by BBS/Link
‘The art of the concept album is alive and well and living in the confines of Nick Frater’s new album Bivouac; an album about escaping post industrial Britain and seeking solitude in a woodland sanctuary.
All the tracks run into each other giving you the blanket of warmth and melody, which really is not a bad thing and with the coming Winter months can indeed be an essential requirement as it may be the only warmth we get this year. It’s sunshine pop after all. It brings to mind the magic of Jellyfish and Squeeze at their best. The 70s am pop of Andrew Gold, Billy Joel, Todd Rundgren all collide and cause an explosion of one of the most heart warming and joyful albums of the year.’ BBS
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last ten years I’ve featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
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