Fruits de Mer Records - Psychedelia, Krautrock, Progressive Rock, Acid-Folk, R&B, Spacerock and Vinyl Heaven

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APRIL/MAY RELEASES

various artists - Goldfish: 10 Years of Fruits de Mer Records (3LPs + 7-inch)
Permanent Clear Light Maurice N’est Pas la (7-inch)
Tir na Nog Columbine (7-inch lathe cut)
Moonweevil Verticle Tide (LP + CD)
The Honey Pot/Icarus Peel’s Acid Reign Silver Diamonds (5-inch lathe cut)

Ten years of Fruits de Mer, and it barely feels like fifty since George Martin’s ”Theme One” was first rearranged to herald the dawn of a radio onederful new age of psych-pop-acid-electro-shoegaze… whatever.
For a label that was born, and has since been borne, on a reputation for covering the past’s most uncoverable classics (“really? You’re going to take on “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake”? Good luck!”), Fruits de Mer has spent the last decade developing into one of the most adventurous, open minded and far sighted indies of even distant remembrance, and a host of goodies mark out the birthday in classic fishy fashion.
Misplaced modesty does not deter Spin Cycle from mentioning its own part in the celebrations – The Incomplete Angler, a full-length history of Fruits and all who have been seeded within, is available now to all who click this link. It even has its own label catalog number. And if you’re new to the story, then you’ll also want to catch yourself some Goldfish, as it sprawls across the entire back catalog to trawl thirty tracks from the depths. Most, if not all, of which, were sold out so long ago that half of them don’t even turn up on eBay any longer. And those that do often require the trading of limbs if they are to be thine.
Sensibly eschewing any kind of chronological listing, Goldfish does dig back to the first fish of all, Schizo Fun Addict’s glorious encapsulation of the Small Faces most idiosyncratic hour (see above). But it then twists the memory by looking to Tor Peders for “Theme One,” as opposed to Schizo’s original label-launching version.
We get Sendelica’s genre-wrecking “Venus in Furs” and Us and Them’s so lovely take-home from The Wicker Man. Claudio Cataldi revisits the Velvets, the Blue Zeta Giant Puppies go hitchhiking with the Eagles, Vibravoid deliver some eye-shaking kraut rock, Sidewalk Society shake some action on “Strange Roads.” And the temptation to continue on in this vein, until all thirty songs have been detailed, is strong.
Suffice to say that Permanent Clear Light’s “Wherewithall” may or may not prepare you for their brand new 45, “Maurice N’est Pas la,” which the band themselves describe as French language astrofunk, so who are we to disagree; and the Honey Pot’s “Dr Crippen’s Waiting Room” leads nicely into “Silver Diamonds,” which itself is available only on the five-inch lathe cut single that will be sold at the FdM birthday party in Glastonbury on May 12. It’s a sparkling piece of gorgeous pop that has the ghost of the Youngbloods’ “Get Together” hanging around its outskirts, so you may want to start saving now.
Tir na Nog, whose Goldfish-ed “I Pick Up Birds at Funerals” is as sensitive as its title suggests it should be, will also be marking the party with a laconic lathe-cut romp through a lyric written for Hope Mirrlees’ 1926 novel Lud-in-the-Mist“; and if you find Cranium Pie’s version of “Baby You’re A Rich Man” as irresistible as you ought to, mainman Rob Appeton’s Moonweevil sound nothing like it.
But Verticle Tide – available (you know where) in a limited edition of 160 – is marvelous, moon-gazing electronica-plus, two side-long slabs of twenty minutes apiece devouring the vinyl component; eight shorter pieces joining them on the CD. Some people call this library music, but none would ever dare shush it.
Happy birthday to you all.
Dave Thompson - Goldmine
http://www.goldminemag.com/features/reviews-year-country-residents-left-outsides-beau-us-permanent-clear-light-cary-grace-jim-mccarty-tir-na-nog-moonweevil-belbury-circle-honey-pot-john-foxx

GOLDFISH

Lavish triple gatefold album and bonus 7" released to celebrate 10 years of the vinyl-only Fruits de Mer label. Avoiding too much overlap with the FdM early years compilation Plankton (the two albums only have one track in common) or the longer tracks such as those on FdM's Strangefish sublabel, Goldfish emphasises the original aims of FdM - covers of 60s and early 70s tracks, whether acknowledged classics or hidden obscurities, and new material in a similar vein. My past reviews of Sendelica releases have highlighted their eclectic and often unexpected approach, and their track here, a cover of The Velvet Underground's Venus in Furs, shows yet another side to this band, being an excellent blend of psych-folk, laid-back retro rock, Indian percussion, and shimmering atmospheric effects. Us and Them's take on Willow's Song from the Wicker Man soundtrack is absolutely beautiful; amazing psych-folk with soaring orchestration and ethereal electronics. The Chemistry Set provide a superb slice of ultra-melodic psych-pop, Come Kiss Me, Vibrate and Smile. Hills Have Riffs' Down by the River is lo-fi psych-folk setting nature-inspired lyrics to an atmospheric, hypnotic arrangement. Soft Hearted Scientists' Caterpillar Song is an inventive, multifaceted psychedelic piece taking in aspects of folk, pop, rock and cosmic synth music. Claudio Cataldi covers The Velvet Underground's Here She Comes Now in a style that wraps DIY indiepop in an atmospheric psychedelic haze.
King Penguin do a version of The Byrds' She Don't Care About Time in which the jangly sound of the original is combined with luxurious orchestration. Beautify Junkyards' interpretation of Nick Drake's From the Morning is gentle psych-folk with softly humming electronics alongside minimal acoustic guitar. Mark McDowell's Girls of Belvoir is excellent psych-folk in the best early 1970s style, following in the footsteps of the sort of bands featured on compilations like Erewhon's History of UK Underground Folk Rock 1968-1978 or Gather in the Mushrooms. The Honey Pot's Dr Crippen's Waiting Room, originally by The Orange Machine, features Anton Barbeau on vocals, and combines bright, cheerful psych-pop with a darkly eccentric lyrical wit. Jack Ellister's The Man with the Biochopper is a multifaceted, eccentric and intense psych piece that crams a whole album's worth of diverse sounds into one track. Sidewalk Society cover The Action's Strange Roads, which ought to appeal to fans of powerpop and late 60s psych rock alike. Astralasia combine psych, ambient, spoken word, dulcimer and wailing blues harmonica in The Desert. Superfjord do an intense and hypnotic psychedelic version of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Schizo Fun Addict reinterpret the Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, shifting from spacey and ethereal to choppy and noisy and back again. An ideal introduction to Fruits de Mer
Kim Harten, bliss/aquamarine http://www.blissaquamarine.net/albumreviews30c.html

The Fruits de Mer record label started in 2008, with the premise of producing limited coloured vinyl 7” singles. Releasing versions of classic yet obscure songs, covered by modern day artists. These cover version singles came into being solely due to the hassles that soon became apparent to label owners Keith Jones and Andy Bracken of licensing the originals. The first single was a cover of “Theme One” by Schizo Fun Addict, a song that is represented here by Tor Peders. This special label is one of my favourites and should be classified as a National Treasure. It has since grown to include sub labels such as Regal Crabmophone and Strange Fish, along the way releasing some cracking and highly sought after recordings, which have escalated in price over the years, with one recent release fetching over £250 earlier this year. They have also recently been called the world’s most collectable record label. Here some of those long deleted 7” singles have been pressed up again in the form of a triple album and being Fruits de Mer it is also accompanied by a bonus 7”. Side one begins with the aforementioned Tor Peders and their excellent version of “Theme One”. “Venus In Furs” by Sendelica follows, a band who could almost be classified as the house band, it’s a lovely version that deserves to be heard, however it is fairly untypical of their usual stuff. The one that first hooked me by the label way back in 2008 was Us and Them’s beguiling cover of “Willows Song” the come hither classic taken from the soundtrack of The Wicker Man, Brett’s voice, along with the cloaking mellotron strings elevate it to essential. Barcelona’s Stay deliver a fairly straight up version of “2,000 Light years From Home”. Tír na nO̒g show their lack of morals with ‘I Pick Up Birds At Funerals’. The Chemistry Set rev up proceedings with a shimmering psych cover of “Kiss Me, Vibrate And Smile”. Hills Have Riffs take us down to the watery depths with “Down By The River”, White Sails steady the waters with an acoustic instrumental “Fluff”. “Caterpillar Song” by Soft Hearted Scientists is an epic 9 minutes long and uses them all wisely; ending with a lovely compressed guitar solo and synth fade out. Germany’s Vibravoid deliver an excellent “Eye Shaking King”. The hypnotic and trippy “Here She Comes Now”, by Claudio Cataldi follows. King Penguin’s cover of the classic Gene Clarke tune “She Don’t Care About Time”, is just wonderful all ringing guitars and electric harpsichords, a real gem. Portugal’s Beautiful Junkyards are on great form with the hushed beauty that is “From The Morning”. “Hilly Fields” was a true one off when it appeared in the eighties and here is given a very strange makeover by its writer nick nicely with “Hilly Fields (The Mourning)”. Blue Zeta Puppies come up with a fine version of Bernie Leadon’s “Journey Of The Sorcerer”, keeping fairly true to the original but ditching the banjo. One of the most out there bands on the label have been Cranium Pie who here deliver a straightforward version of the Beatles song “Baby You’re A Rich Man”. Crystal Jacqueline’s version of “Cousin Jane” is lovely as is Mark McDowell’s “Girls Of Belvoir” which is just delightful. One of label owner Keith’s favourite bands are The Pretty Things and they keep up the quality level of this essential release with a fine version of “Helter Skelter”. The Honey Pot come over all Mr Pugh with the excellent phased strings of “Dr Crippen’s Waiting Room”, all tootling mellotron and lovely lead guitar. Another band who have recorded a few times for the label are Finland’s Permanent Clear Light, they appear here with “Wherewithal”, a Beatleesque song that is a real grower, with a lovely guitar sound and parping ‘tron. Frobisher Neck come up with another keyboard dominated instrumental called “Isi”, imbued with light percussion and fine mellotron. A real earworm of a tune from the talented one man band that is Poland’s Kris Gietowski, who here gets to grips with the Egg classic “I Will Be Absorbed”, again another keyboard dominated instrumental which also shows off his skilful drumming. Jack Ellister ups the psych quotient with “Man With The Biochopper”, a song he throws the kitchen sink at, trippy and mad as a box of frogs. Sidewalk Society take us on “Strange Roads”, the Action’s song, all blistering lewd guitar and clattering drums, nice. Astralasia arrive with the spoken word epic “The Desert” plenty of raw harp, searing lead guitar, hammered dulcimer, swirling synths and a loping dub inflected rhythm. John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”, is the penultimate track, reinterpreted here by Superfjord, reinvented as a spoken word space rock track. The record ends with another of Keith’s favourite bands the Small Faces, their classic “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake”, is given the Fruits de Mer treatment by Schizo Fun Addict closing out the circle they started with FDM’s very first 7”. The bonus 7” has Saturn’s Ambush breathing new life into the old TV classic theme tune “White Horses”, replete with deliberately wonky guitar solo. Plus Johnny Vines proggy “Waterfall (Jane)”, taken from the long sold out, must have, double album Head Music. This triple album will also no doubt sell out fast and will, I feel, top those end of year lists.
Andy Young, Terrascope
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_March_18.htm#Goldfish

To celebrate ten years of the label (wow, where's that time gone?) there's a triple LP and 7” retrospective set called 'Goldfish', tracks selected by Keith himself. A perfect way to track down some of those elusive (and expensive) earlier releases by the label, in a set that'll probably be collectable itself! Good to hear 'Theme One' by Tor-Peders lead off the collection. The moment the track segues into part of 'See Me, Feel Me', or at least it sounds like it to these ears, is worth the price of 'Goldfish' alone. Happy Birthday Fruits De Mer!
Nick Leese, Heyday Mail Order http://www.heyday-mo.com/catalog/blog.html

The triple LP + 7 "single" Goldfish: 10 Years Of Fruits The Mer Records will appear on April 30, 2018, following the 10th anniversary of the Fruits De Mer Records label.
Keith Jones of Fruits De Mer Records presented this anniversary 3 albums together, which bands and artists are, who released numbers on its label, which are no longer available and / or obscure and thereby takes into account other special expenses, such as the "Plankton" LP.
2 songs, which, after LPs already pressed, on the LP's were planned, as bonus 7 "attached under the" The Little Goldfish ".
Including the single, there are 30 songs on this issue, which appear on colored vinyl and is put in a three-piece sleeve
The first band, which is represented on the album, is Tor Peders from Sweden, which can be heard with "Theme One" and in this I get to hear a great swinging instrumental song, which is followed by "Venus In Furs" from Sendelica from Wales, who gives me a great pop song at a not too fast pace, followed by "Willow Song" from Us And Them from Sweden and I get to hear a lovely quiet folk song.
Stay from Spain plays an excellent cover of the song "2000 Light Years From Home" (The Rolling Stones) and Tir Na Nog from Ireland performs "I Pick Up Birds At Funerals", a beautiful quiet folk pop song. The Chemistry Set (UK) then presents me "Kiss Me, Vibrate And Smile", in which I hear a swinging pop rock song, which has a very danceable rhythm and is followed by "Down By The River" by Hills Have Riffs ( UK) and in it I get a light psychedelic folk song, after which I hear "Fluff" from White Sails (USA / Finland) and hear a very nice quiet piece of music.
Then follows Soft Hearted Scientists (Wales), who plays "Caterpilla Song" and I hear a nice sounding psychedelic folk song, which has light spacerock and progressive rock influences (listen to this song via the youtube link under the review) and is followed by "Eye Shaking King" from the German band Vibravoid and this one puts me a great psychedelic rock song, after which Claudio Cataldi (Italy) plays "Here She Comes Now" and I get a fairly quiet light psychedelic pop song.
In "She Do not Care About Me" King Penguin (USA) shows me an excellent sixties-related song, which has influences from The Beatles and The Byrds and is accompanied orchestrally and in "From The Morning" by Beautify Junkjards (Portugal ) I get to hear a beautiful folk song, which is played in an average tempo and in "Hilly Fields - The Mourning" by Nick Nicely (UK) I hear a quiet psychedelic pop song.
Blue Zeta Giant Puppies (UK) plays a great swinging instrumental rock song with light surf influences, titled "Journey Of The Sorcerer" and Cranium Pie (UK) shows their version of "Baby Your A Rich Man" and that's where the band plays instrumental piece, in which the Hammond organ plays the most important role. The next issue comes from Crystal Jacqueline (UK), who plays a fine cover of "Cousin Jane" (Troggs), followed by Mark McDowell (USA) with "Girls Of Belvoir", a nice quiet folk pop song, that is light psychedelic influences and this track is followed by "Helter Skelter" from The Pretty Things (UK), which gives their own spin to this song from The Beatles, giving me a beautiful psychedelic pop song, which is not too fast being played.
The Honey Pot (UK) then plays the song "Dr. Crippen's Waiting Room" and in it I get a swinging uptempo progressive rock song, followed by "Wherewithal" by Permanent Clear Light (Finland), a fantastic psychedelic pop song , which is played in an average tempo and contains influences from the music of The Beatles. After this, Frobisher Neck (UK) introduces me "Isi" and I get an excellent uptempo electronic song, followed by "I Will Be Absorbed" by Kris Gietkowski (Poland), who performs well with this progressive rock song of Egg is playing on his organ, after which Jack Ellister (Poland) plays a great light psychedelic pop song, entitled "The Man With The Biochopper".
Then follows the Action cover "Strange Roads" by Sidewalk Society (UK), which shows a brilliant performance of this song, followed by "The Desert" by Astralasia (UK), in which the band treats me to a delectable, rather quiet, infectious progressive rock song, which has light blues influences and is accompanied by a threatening text.
In "A Love Supreme" Superfjord (Finland) plays a fantastic progressive psychedelic rock song and in the Small Faces cover "Ogdens Nut Gone Flake" by Schizo Fun Addict (USA) I get a great psychedelic rock song. Furthermore, I hear Saturn's Ambush (UK) playing a swinging pop rock song with "White Horses" and Johnny Vines (USA) brings an excellent Jane's cover "
"Goldfish: 10 Years Of Fruits The Mer Records" contains 30 beautiful songs, which I enjoyed from beginning to end and I can strongly recommend any music lover.
Carry's New Underground Music
http://carrysnewundergroundmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/review-various-artists-goldfish-10.html

PERMANENT CLEAR LIGHT 'MAURICE N'EST PAS LA'

a 7”EP by Permanent Clear Light, which has three songs that are not covers but are new and original. “Maurice”, a heavy dense track of keyboards, drum, bass and with a section of Morse code thrown in, it also includes a little of Theremin too. “One In Five”, is a track that is about mental illness, again keyboard rich with plenty of ‘tron. The final song “This Smiling Man”, is terrific, it’s about inventor Robert Oppenheimer who as we all know created a monster, an invention whose reverberations are still being felt around the world at the moment, with Little Rocket Man and the Idiot President.
Andy Young, Terrascope
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_March_18.htm#Goldfish

Permanent Clear Light, which was founded in 2009, comes from Finland and made its debut on the English Fruits De Mer label, on which in 2010 the song "In The City" was released via the LP "A Phase We're Going Through". in 2012 by the single "Higher Than The Sun" / "Afterwards".
The band was very successful and received praises from, among others, Steve Kilbey (The Church), who said: "I Love Permanent Clear Light, Finnish psychedelica is king!"
The band also got the attention of Record Collector magazine, who reviewed the single in the November issue and wrote: "Two colored vinyls, 3D cover and glasses ... Is not the music trippy enough?"
Classic Rock magazine called the band in their December issue of 2012 "Finland's top psychedelic band" and "Higher Than The Sun is destined to become a collectors' classic" and the American magazine Guitar Player devoted a whole page to the band in March 2013.
Permanent Clear Light consists of 3 experienced musicians, who already earned their spurs in Finnish rock, pop, folk, jazz, avant-garde, experimental and psychedelic bands.
The band consists of: Arto Kakko - vocals, slide, acoustic and bass guitar, keyboards, electric violin, saz, banjo, recorder and mellotron, Markku Helin - soprano, bass guitar, effects and synthesizer and Matti Laitinen - vocals, solo guitar and synthesizer.
Their debut album "Beyond These Things" from 2013 received a lot of praise from the reviewers and the EP "Maurice N'Est Pas La", released on April 30, 2018 via the Regal Crabomophone Records, is the forerunner of their next album.
The single, which contains 3 songs, starts with "Maurice" and in it I hear the band play a very danceable swinging mix of funk and spacerock, where the lyrics are sung in French and sitting still is not an option. Then follows "One In Five", a beautiful psychedelic song, which is played in an average tempo and has influences from the music of The Beatles and The Move.
The third song of the EP is called "This Quiet Smiling Man" and in it I get a fantastic psychedelic pop song, which is played in a not too fast tempo, in which the music becomes melodic towards the end and again a light vocal influences from The Beatles (listen to this song via the youtube link under the review)
"Maurice N'Est Pas La" by Permanent Clear Light is a wonderful EP, which contains 3 excellent songs and I can fully recommend this disc to everyone who loves psychedelic music.
Carry Munter, Carry's New Underground Music
http://carrysnewundergroundmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/review-permanent-clear-light-maurice.html

...a 7” EP by Heyday faves Permanent Clear Light too. I'm always up for hearing something new by these guys. At just a 'tadge' over 8 mins, lead track 'Maurice' steals the show. The rhythm section is relentless on this. The band call it 'astro funk', and who am I to argue? The vocals finally arrive about half way through, and in French too! Before that you might have thought you were listening to 'Station To Station' at double speed...
Really hard to put a finger on exactly where the band are now, they're certainly progressing musically, but there's still a bit of psych in there. I'm more than happy to listen to this gem everyday for a while longer yet. My pleasure!
Nick Leese, Heyday Mail Order http://www.heyday-mo.com/catalog/blog.html

MOONWEEVIL 'VERTICLE TIDE'

Of course, all you ‘suspicious’ minds out there are aware of Brits Cranium Pie! Right? Well, what many of you probably don’t know is that the last 2 years the half of The Pie, Mr. Rob Appleton, is relocated somewhere in Austria, and since then he has been working a series of “Library Music Projects”. You may call “Verticle Tide” a natural extension of those projects. Fruits de Mer Records mastermind and main man, Keith explains: “I got in touch with Rob regarding the inclusion of a Pie track on ‘Goldfish’ and in the space of three hours we went from, “might you be interested in having a listen?” to agreeing the release, quickly followed by the cover design and… admittedly a few days later… a bonus CD including all of this album (Verticle Tide) plus another bunch of new recordings. In FdM terms, it’s pretty ‘out there’, hence the ‘strangefish’ catalog number, but if you’ve heard the Cranium Pie Mechanism tapes, I think you’re going to love it.”
The album contains one track, entitled “Verticle Tide”, divided into 2 isomeric parts, occupying 20 minutes on each side! Having listened to both parts, I can surely say that these recordings could definitely be some “lost” parts from the legendary “Mechanisms Tapes”. The music (???) on side one is dangerously experimental, starting in a trippy slow torturous spacey but in a weird ambient way, becoming futuristic, gradually becoming an electronic improvised studio experiment, that is bringing (at least to my mind) the most experimental moments of Future Sound Of London. The scenery becomes ambient emerging an early 80s Brian Eno feeling mixed with a Laurie Anderson “O Superman” background landscape while the weird sounds and effects are adding an isolated industrialized accent… This ‘deserted industrial area’ feeling continues on side B, the extravagant use of sequencer only adds a strong but shimmering spacey feeling to the whole recording! The CD version contains 33 more minutes of experimental improvisational music divided into 8 tracks. Not digestible, no easy to handle and very very very limited. A credible LP for all faithful out there
Timelord Michalis, Timemachine Productions
https://timemachine-productions.gr/2018/04/09/moonweevil-verticle-tide-2018-lpcd-fruits-de-mer-records/

THE HONEY POT/ICARUS PEEL'S ACID REIGN

On May 12, 2018, the Fruits De Mer Records label celebrates its tenth anniversary at the King Arthur Pub in Glastonbury, where The Honey Pot, Tir Na Ng, Icarus Peel's Acid Reign, Anton Barbeau, Mark McDowell and Magic Bus perform and Icarus wrote especially for that Peel the song "Shining Diamonds" for The Honey Pot. Together with the song "Half Space" by Icarus Peel's Acid Reign in a very limited edition of 80 pieces in a metal jug on 5 "single released and is sold during the performance.
On the A-side of the single, "Shining Diamonds", I hear The Honey Pot play a nice pop-in danceable pop rock song, in which the tempo is average and the music is slightly progressive and in Icarus Peel's Acid Rain I get an amazing swinging rock song, in which the music is dominated by guitar playing and percussion.
The single The Honey Pot / Icarus Peel's Acid Rain - "Shining Diamonds" / "Half Space" contains 2 wonderful songs, which I can fully recommend to any lover of both pop and rock.
Carry Munter, New Underground Music
http://carrysnewundergroundmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/review-honey-poticarus-peels-acid-rain.html

THE PRETTY THINGS 'THE SAME SUN'

Spinning off the Pretties’ last album… and you already know how great that was… “The Same Sun” is a circular Dick Taylor guitar riff, a rousing refrain, and a supercharged super-psych barrage that is as timeless as any of the band’s classic albums, but as fresh as tomorrow, too. So, Pretties business as usual and as excellent as always, too.
A studio cut of the Byrds’ “Renaissance Fair” (familiar, in its live incarnation, from a past Pretties single, of course) is next, all chimes and echoes and over far too soon. And then we’re into a couple of slabs of genuine sixties prettiness, versions of “She Says Good Morning” and “Alexander’ culled from the band’s 1969 Hyde Park gig (probably) and previously available only within the voluminous Pretties box set from earlier this year. Which itself ranks among the most significant boxes of the past however-long.
It only stands to reason, then, that this is either the last great single of 2017, or the first of 2018. (Release date is January 2. But you’ll need to pre-order it long before then.) Either way… it’s the Pretty Things. You don’t need to know more than that.
Dave Thompson, Goldmine

Two of the songs on this single come from their 2015 album The Sweet Pretty Things Are In Bed Now, Of Course. The other two are live tracks from their psychedelic 60s period.
The current lineup of the band includes two guys who have been there since the beginning, Phil May (the singer) and Dick Taylor (the guitarist). And, according to their Facebook page, they are on tour right now.
The new tracks fit right in with the old ones. The spirit of the 60s never left. It just got a little older and wiser.
The vocals on the newer songs are strong with nice harmonies. The guitar chimes in that psychedelic style. The live tracks have a good energy to them, which shines through the production quality.
There are a few younger bands out there trying to capture that classic psychedelic sound. That’s nice. These guys are the real thing.
If you are a vinyl lover like me, this single would a nice addition to your collection. It’s a good introduction to a classic band.
I’m off to check out The Sweet Pretty Things Are In Bed Now, Of Course directly.
Progressive Music Planet

SENDELICA 'CROMLECH CHRONICLES II'

I’ve become a big fan of Sendelica in recent years as a connoisseur brand of Space Rock both live in the sweaty confines of the Cellar Bar in Cardigan amongst other places and also on a fine array of records ranging in style from Hawkwind-esque sonic adventures to expansive electronic, kosmische influenced soundscapes.
The first record to bear the name ‘Cromlech Chronicles’ came out last year and was recorded at a studio near to an ancient burial site in West Wales which gave the record its name ( a ‘cromlech’ being an ancient megalithic monument) . The record was a recognisably Sendelican take on Space Rock with extended instrumental workouts touching on Pink Floyd and Hawkwind but also the MC5 and jazzy grooves finding their way into the heady mix. This record ‘II’ was recorded at the same studio in the summer of 2016 and is very definitely an alternative dish on offer at the Sendelicatessen with two lengthy, meditative pieces of music, played primarily on an array of acoustic instruments.
The first piece ‘Ripples of The Megaliths’ is quiet, minimal yet complex and totally lovely. There is a definite Celtic tinged melody threading its way through the piece largely played on cello but there are also hints of far eastern sounds and a raga like drone coming through at times. It creates an air of mystery and imagination no doubt influenced by the setting for the recording, which could be a superior soundtrack to a Highland based drama. There are lovely waves of minimal sound with an ambience that is meditative and soothing but also at times brooding and haunting. Occasional bursts of saxophone, minimal percussion, vocal chants and chiming guitar weave into this soundscape and both punctuate and elevate the underlying minimal soundscape to subtly alter mood and sound and keep the listener locked into and lost in this dream world. This is perhaps the sound of a Celtic Popol Vuh playing folk inspired kosmische but there are also lovely nods to the instrumental side of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ in the way that the electronic undertones and saxophone work together.
The second and final piece ‘Even Though My Mouth Is Silent’ once again begins with a strong Celtic feel through the cello creating a haunting melody over the electronic soundscape and minimal percussion at its core. Here however there is a much more distinct ‘cosmic choral’ feel to the electronic waves rather like the aforementioned Popol Vuh and also perhaps ‘Phaedra’ era Tangerine Dream. The sense of an ancient Celtic landscape is perhaps much stronger here with greater drama and brooding in the music. The saxophone once again weaves its way through the piece and is evocative, dreamy and occasionally jazzy in a good ECM kind of way. In the latter part of the track the cello takes on a slightly jazzier sound and the percussion, whilst remaining gentle and understated, becomes more prominent. There is a growing far eastern feel to the melody as the piece progresses but also to my ears a sense of King Crimson in their ‘Discipline’ era albeit subtle (‘Sheltering Sky’ came to mind). After a brief chanted vocal the piece fades away to its conclusion.
This is a beautiful record full of space, elegance and a fine new direction for Sendelica to follow when the mood takes them. It’s a relatively short record but could be the perfect soundtrack to lost and ancient landscapes and films about them which haven’t yet been made. Somebody should rectify that pretty soon.
Fran Comyn, Terrascope

Two evocative pieces of improvised inner space exploration
After last year’s Cromlech Chronicles comes this, its companion album. It was recorded near the same ancient burial sites in Wales, but this is very much yang to its predecessor’s yin. Whereas that album approached a sort of Hawkwind-like sonic attack, this meditative acoustic offering is space rock without the rock. The group’s guitarist, Pete Bingham, has said that Sendelica’s approach here is close in spirit to the loose improvisations of Japanese collective Taj Mahal Travellers, and one could add to that the ritualistic feeling of their compatriots Ghost. And with the guest musicians on violin and cello, those pioneers of quasi-medieval acid raga the Third Ear Band also spring to mind. Cheryl Beer features on all manner of percussion and vocal incantations, but rhythms are sporadic. The 18-minute Ripples Of The Megaliths meanders on its course as if the journey is an end in itself, with spartan guitar chords and a saxophone just breaking free towards the close. Even Though My Mouth Is Silent is of similar length and made of similar stuff, with the addition of what sounds like the Mellotron choir from Popul Vuh’s Aguirre floating around like massed backing vocals.
PROG magazine

This release is comprised of two epic tracks, Ripples of the Megaliths and Even Though My Mouth is Silent. Those are two tomb – worthy titles.
The music is dark, quiet and moody. At times the spirits of Steven Wilson and King Crimson are invoked. The tracks are mostly instrumental with an occasional female vocal that adds to the mysterious atmosphere brought forth.
And though both songs are lengthy, they did not seem overly so. I found the music nice to chill to, with enough sonic textures to keep me listening. Sendelica have an extensive collection of albums on Bandcamp, and this album makes me want to investigate some more of their work.
Progressive Music Planet

Welsh psych heads Sendelica returned in summer 2016 to Mwnci studio beside the ancient burial cromlech in West Wales. One year before they came up with the magical Cromlech Chronicles album (check out my review) and this is a natural successor to that great album. Like usual, they invited some friends with them and the instrumentation is now even more varied than usual with lots of cello, saxophone, Tibetan singing bowls, shaman drums, sansula, ting sha, mbira etc. Although the album is almost instrumental, there is also female chanting in Sanskrit, for example! As you might have guessed, the overal atmosphere on the album is very ambient, laid-back and atmospheric, and there is actually NO hard space rocking at all. I can live with that, since the album has a sacred, ancient and mystical vibe that I really enjoy. If you liked the guitar player Pete's recent The Fellowship of Hallucinatory Voyagers project, you will also dig this for sure.
There are only two, side-long tracks on the album: "Ripples of the Megaliths" and "Even Though My Mouth Is Silent". Both are based on improvisation and flow somewhere in ether like some mystical tides from the past. The electronics enhance the spacey mood. It's all very soft, melancholic, sort of jazzy and ethereal and there is not much guitar to be heard. All in all, if you want to chill out and float in magical atmospheres, this album is for you.
DJ Astro, Astral Zone

Successor, of course, to Cromlech Chronicles I, II returns Sendelica to Mwnci Studios, and its neighboring standing stone, to “see if we could weave the magic again.”
They do, and maybe it’s even more magical than last time, a deeply meditative album whose opening, side-long “Ripples of the Megaliths” blends around cello and electronics to conjure what reminds one, in parts, of King Crimson (them again?) circa Lark’s Tongue (that again?).
Elsewhere, there’s a taste of the Third Ear Band, and elsewhere again, the occasional element of the usual suspects that fans are bound by law to mention whenever discussing Sendelica. The Taj Mahal Travellers, for example.
Constantly shifting, but never-changing too, “Ripples of the Megaliths” is eighteen-plus minutes of eerie uplift, which bleeds imperceptibly (once you’ve turned the album over) into “Even Though My Mouth is Silent” – almost as long again, but raising the temperature with sudden sonic peaks, the tolling of a bell, sobbing saxophone and Cheryl Beer’s lonely repetition of the title… an over-equipped Nurse With Wound, perhaps, and dark and lovely as it ought to be. Far, then, from the common perception of the Sendelica sound, but most of their music is.
Don’t let it get away.
Dave Thompson, Goldmine

SCHIZO FUN ADDICT 'THE SUN YARD'

With pleasing circularity, Fruits de Mer celebrates its 10th anniversary (“surviving the vinyl revival despite our best, stumbling efforts”) by reconnecting with the first band to release anything on the label, Schizo Fun Addict. The patron saints of uncommonly generous, mystique-enhancing limited editions – one of which even had actual diamonds embedded in the artwork – SFA feature herein on a tight little 620-LP run pressed on red or turquoise vinyl.
Furthermore, the album is free, with certain provisos: you need to either be a competition winner (keep watching the FdM website), a member of FdM’s members’ club, or an attendee at the label’s 10th birthday party in Glastonbury in May 2018.
It almost seems like an unreasonable bonus, then, that the album’s a keeper. If the louche, distorted vocals of Awesome Lovin’ sucker you into anticipating half an hour of revitalised 90s indie with a whooshing overlay of Hawkwind-grade solar flares, the coolly measured dynamics of St Andrews site SFA closer to Sonic Youth, had they been a 1966 garage band with an opium den residency. The revelatory fuzz guitar sound of Forest Park Bandshell Renegades feels like having your leg straddled by a matted grizzly, and Strange Storm’s electronic scribble will have you checking your stylus for life-size dust bunnies.
4 stars
Oregano Rathbone, Record Collector

One of Spin Cycle’s 2013 albums of the year, reissued in such limited quantities that you’ll need to run really fast to get one – and you still might miss out. Blue vinyl is the default, for members of the FdM club; red, with a terrific glow in the dark cover, for the first folk through the doors at the label’s upcoming birthday party. And the rest of you must read and weep.
First impressions. There’s really not enough SFA records out there. One listen to this, as it nears its fifth anniversary, will imbibe you with such a sense of prepossessing awe that it seems incredible that it is so old. Bands this scintillating should be chained to the treadmill and forced to grind out new singles every three months and at least two albums a year. Well, it worked for the Beatles and the Stones.
Second impressions. Back when Sun Yard was first released, frontman Jet Wintzer told Goldmine it was inspired by “the one true mystery of quantum physics, the unsolved dilemma of wave particle duality and non local photon communication.” Which makes as much (or as little) sense now as it did at the time. Rather imagine a Happy Mondays rhythm party lurching into Doktor Frankenstein’s most secret lab, the one where he keeps the sonic reducer, and the opening “Awesome Loving” ends way, way too soon.
Third impressions. Even if you have the original CD release, you need this for the bonus track, a self-styled “analog electro moody intermission” called “Strange Storm,” which is both strange and stormy, the kind of a foreboding noise poem that Fylkingen might have conjured if they wanted to brighten the typical Swedish winter a little.
There’s reprises for a couple of early singles, the lilting, kind of Kirsty MacColl-ish “Dream of the Portugal Keeper” and the brooding “Jericho Son Down,” all western accents over squirming bass lines. There’s a gorgeous cover of Nada Surf’s “Blizzard of 77,” that sound sunnier than it ever should. And there’s a “Pterodactyl” that is as chunky as the wildest freakbeat 45 you ever wished you could spend a fortune on. To counter the effects of “Who Will Be Gold,” which feels like something fat and furry has just driven over your foot.
All of which adds up to an album that was one of Spin Cycle’s best of 2013, and remains one of the best of 2017. Now can we have a new album, please?
Dave Thompson, Goldmine

MOLOKO+ 'BITE THE HAND'

Those of you who keep abreast of such things, will be all too aware that the traditional season’s end Fruits de Mer celebrations are this year marked by not only a members only limited Schizo Fun Addict vinyl occurrence but also a split label co-outing with Eggs in Aspic. Following last year’s head to head with Static Caravan, its now the turn of Newcastle’s finest to step up to the plate with the release of a ridiculously limited two track cassette that features two lost gems from the vaults of the forgotten Moloko+. Now FdM regulars will be all to aware that head honcho Keith has something of a soft spot for these folks having issued ultra limited outings by them in recent memory, this one in fact will also be available in a strictly limited lathe pressing available to subscribers of the labels members club. Just one cut on the preview playing, sent ahead doing the wowing duties, ‘bite the hand’ with its smokily crystalline chime charmed breeziness very much tuned into the sonic frequencies of the days jangle pop fraternity – see the Orchids, Trashcan Sinatras et al, yet cut away at the surface and something disarming, gritted and flavoured in a 60’s mistiness rises up through the grooves that initially hints of the Go Betweens before settling into a Long Ryders vibe possessed of hints of Buffalo Springfield. https://eggsinaspic.bandcamp.com/album/bite-the-hand
Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience

THE CHEMISTRY SET 'LOVELY CUPPA TEA'

What can I say about a record that when it starts to sound, the Pandora's box opens, causing the sarcastic peppers to flood the atmosphere of sound creativity in abundance? This happens when "Lovely Cuppa Tea" begins, the face of the new ep of the British Chemistry Set, which has a discrete quantity discography (considering that the band has been running since 1988) but of an overwhelming quality. Paul Lake signs "Lovely Cuppa Tea" where The Beatles' creativity runs headlong with the arrogance of Tomorrow and Love's class creating a theme with sound passages full of nuances that are being discovered with each new listening where they do not go unnoticed trumpet and trombone arrangements that give life to an idyllic landscape created by pop. David Mc Lean signs " the theme that opens the face b where Chemistry pull of fuzz without compassion and a sound much more acid than we have accustomed and alone of guitars that literally strike neurons. They close this ep "Legend of a mind" a subject in which its original authors, Moody Blues, paid tribute to Timothy Leary. Chesmistry Set take this theme to their field as they have done with all the versions they have recreated throughout their career, giving it an irrefutable personality of its own but without losing sight of its authorship. Mr McLean adorns the theme with the sound of the mellotron 12-string guitars sound clear and splendid, which makes a version as bright as extensive. the theme that opens the face b where Chemistry pull of fuzz without compassion and a sound much more acid than we have accustomed and alone of guitars that literally strike neurons. They close this ep "Legend of a mind" a subject in which its original authors, Moody Blues, paid tribute to Timothy Leary. Chesmistry Set take this theme to their field as they have done with all the versions they have recreated throughout their career, giving it an irrefutable personality of its own but without losing sight of its authorship. Mr McLean adorns the theme with the sound of the mellotron 12-string guitars sound clear and splendid, which makes a version as bright as extensive. a subject in which its original authors, Moody Blues, paid tribute to Timothy Leary. Chesmistry Set take this theme to their field as they have done with all the versions they have recreated throughout their career, giving it an irrefutable personality of its own but without losing sight of its authorship. Mr McLean adorns the theme with the sound of the mellotron 12-string guitars sound clear and splendid, which makes a version as bright as extensive. a subject in which its original authors, Moody Blues, paid tribute to Timothy Leary. Chesmistry Set take this theme to their field as they have done with all the versions they have recreated throughout their career, giving it an irrefutable personality of its own but without losing sight of its authorship. Mr McLean adorns the theme with the sound of the mellotron 12-string guitars sound clear and splendid, which makes a version as bright as extensive.
Kick Out The Jams (Spain)
https://oscarkotj.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/the-chemistry-set-lovely-cuppa-tea.html

The Chemistry Set , the Psychedelic Scientists, fine distillers of the best British psychedelic of decades past without giving an interesting contemporary touch to their sound return to the musical scene contributing a new sonic artifact to his long discography, an EP with three songs that is published this September in 7 "vinyl by the label Fruits de Mer Records .
Three songs are part of this new EP, two own pieces and a version of the Moody Blues of his psychedelic stage, Legend Of A Mind , originally included in the LP IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD (1968). The set versionean this ode to Timothy Leary staying faithful to the layers of Mellotron that adorn the composition and the voices endowed with deep and hypnotic echo, and enrich it with fluid guitars, organ, winds and pedal Fuzz. A magnificent choice as a version and an execution of it unbeatable!
The face A occupies Lovely Cuppa Tea , main piece of the EP and example of impeccable popsike; phasing effects , exuberant chorus with winds and strong influence of the Beatles, Kinks and a few more recent but also fine stylists of the best British psychedelic pop, XTC. Lovely Cuppa Tea has such a spirit that might have been perfectly recorded and edited in 1967 multicolor pop!
The third but not the least exciting song of the EP is The Rubicon , in which The Chemistry Set demonstrate to dominate also more forceful and aggressive rhythms in three minutes of freakbeat with the sights put in Pretty Things or Fleur de Lys. Poignant guitar, powerful rhythm section and psychedelized organ are synonyms of class and classicism here hoisted by the Set in the thundering The Rubicon !
Triumphal new album of some classics of the scene; songs, sound, spirit and attitude go hand in hand in a pristine example of how to invoice a psychedelic device ... highly recommended!
Making Time (Spain)
https://fanzinemakingtime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/el-retorno-de-unos-magos-del-popsike-el.html

STAY 'ALWAYS HERE'

The Spanish band Stay was founded in Barcelona in 2001 and consists of Jordi Bel - vocals and sologist, Israel Palacio organ and background vocals and Jordi Casals drums and percussion.
After the band made the demos "Stay" (2001) and "As Another Girl" (2003), their third EP "So Slow" appeared in 2004 via the English Matchbox Recordings label.
Then, by their Britpop sound, they appeared in the same year at the Wild Thing Records label from Madrid, which released their debut album "Starting To Lose Control" in 2005, of which 2 singles were drawn.
Through good reviews, the band performed at national festivals like Primavera Sound 06 and Bilborrok, but they were also invited to the TV program Conciertos de RNE3.
The second album of Stay, "Things You Can not See", appeared in Wild Thing Records in 2007, and in addition to Britpop, influences from the American late sixties were heard, which had vocal influences in the style of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills , Nash & Young and also began to experiment with the band on this album with psychedelic music and British soul in the style of Spancer Davis.
With this album, Stay had so much success, that music was heard almost every day at Chema Rey's radio show Bulevar (RNE3), and the band was nominated for the Pop-Eye award for 2008's best psychedelic band.
In 2008, their EP "Kashmir Reflection" appeared via Bip-Bip Records, which continued the musical pathway, incorporating instruments such as sitar, theremin, Hammond organ, farfisa keyboards and Moog synthesizer. Then in December 2008, a 7 "single with 3 cover versions:" 2,000 Light Years From Home "(The Rolling Stones) /" Chicago "(Graham Nash) /" Rainy Day, Mushroom Pullow "(Strawberry Alarm Clock) on colored vinyl through the Fruits de Mer Records from England.
Between June and October 2009, the band recorded the album "Passport To Freedom", with the band vocally assisted by Daniel Wylie (ex-Cosmic Rough Riders) and Jero Romero (The Sunday Drivers) and was released by Subterfuge in 2010.
In 2011, the band became a premiere for Liam Galagher's Beady Eye in Madrid and their fourth album "The Fourth Dimension", which was recorded in Liverpool, appeared in 2012, followed by performances including Beady Eye, Ocean Color Scene, The Pretty Things and Daniel Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders.
In addition, the EP released "Mersey Dream" (Fruits de Mer / Subterfuge Records, November 2013) and the LP "The Mean Solar Times" (Picture in My Ear Records, 2016).
The last mentioned was produced and recorded by Britpop guru Owen Morris (Oasis, The Verve, Ash, The View, Towns, etc.) and collaborates with Andy Bell (Ride, Hurricane # 1, Oasis, Beady Eye) play with.
On September 25, 2017, the 5-digit 7-inch vinyl EP "Always Here" will appear on the Regal Crabomophone label, a sub label of Fruits de Mer Records, which contains 3 covers, with the exception of 2 own songs, and it is worth noting that each single contains a bonus DVD of the documentary movie "Making Of", which shows how the recordings went for the album "The Mean Solar Times".
The EP starts with the title song "Always Here", and in that time Stay keeps me listening to a well-known 60-year-old Britpop song, played at an average pace (listen to this song via the soundcloud link below the review), after which I get a cover of a Bee Gees song titled "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" and in this I get an excellent catchy pop song that contains light psychedelic influences.
After that, I follow the cover "Where Have The Good Tmes Gone" (The Kinks), and I hear Stay playing an impressive version of this song, followed by a remix of "You Know It's Right", in which the influence of the music of The Byrds comes forward and plays this song Andy Bell (Ride)
The last issue of the EP is a cover of The Buffalo Springfield, "Rock And Roll Woman" and in that band, the band makes me a great version of this song.
"Always Here" of Stay contains 3 delicious covers plus 2 beautiful own songs, which I can recommend to listen to any lovers of light psychedelia.
Carry Munter. New Underground Music
http://carrysnewundergroundmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/review-stay-always-here-regal.html

FUCHSIA 'SONG'

Fans of the psychedelic and prog era will be interested in this archive release by Fuchsia. It begins with a track from Tony Durant's pre Fuchsia band Louise which is a wild and rampant slab of 60's garage psych. I'm liking 'The Band' an early demo from Fuchsia which shows a more progressive folk sound with an interlude so ridiculous it could have come from the warped nibs of Stackridge. The side long 'The Nothing Song' showcases an ambitious style of psych prog that encapsulates bits of Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Caravan. It's great this - so obviously of it's era but it's amazingly ambitious with some bits that have some really odd discordant chord changes somewhere between Love and Sonic Youth.
The innovation continues through selected tracks from their albums 'Fuchsia II' and 'Fuchsia III'. It's really cleverly orchestrated folk rock and prog that has elements of Barrett's Pink Floyd in the songwriting but a much more lush and progressive approach to instrumentation. Strangely contemporary in places too. Really enjoyed discovering this and with 7 songs this is an almost album length 7" release.
Clinton, Norman Records https://www.normanrecords.com/records2/165744-fuchsia-song

This is a double 7” including songs from 1967 to the present by Tony Durant, the main man from the band, Fuchsia. I am not at all familiar with the original band or cult album that came out in 1971. There are 7 tracks, two per side except side 2, which features the 8min track, The Nothing Song. Look at the Sun start things off with a low fi sound and vibe, a chorus that builds up like the song Stepping Stone. Apparently this is a track from a 1967 acetate! Cool. The Band, is a new song, the voice, 50 years later is aged for sure! Lots of strange instrumentation with a small section of classical music thrown in, like the Beatles would do. This is a very happy song. The Nothing Song is 8mins in length and again features a string and horn section like the old Moody Blues but then it shifts back and forth from a cool groovy track to this Moodies like sound. Very cool song with a lot of parts, including some violin focused parts (you can hear it below). Piper at the Gates of Time, nothing like pink Floyd, but another really catchy and cool tune, again with some violin and orchestration. Fuchsia song is a happy track with a really nice guitar line with a folky countryside vibe. Box of Destiny is a more laid back again the violin plays a key role. A slide or pedal steel solo was an interesting surprise.
The final track, Just Another Song, again features some more country folk influence. The release coincides with Tony putting the band together for a couple of gigs set up by the label in August. A few of these will be available at the gigs.. The 7” will also come with a cool reproduction of an original paper programme for a gig by the Ottawa Music Company in the 60s.. Great release.
Scott Heller, Writing About Music http://writingaboutmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/fuchsia-song-7-fruits-de-mer-records.html

ANTON BARBEAU 'HEAVEN IS IN YOUR MIND'

Anton Barbeau is a very 21st century troubadour. Dividing his time between his native Sacramento, Berlin and the UK, he’s produced a huge body of work as a solo artist, producer and very briefly as a member of Scott Miller’s masterful pop-rock band The Loud Family. This EP sees him working with Fruits de Mer Records – a great fit as FdM specialise in psychedelia, space rock, acid folk and krautrock. Barbeau ticks all those boxes.
Three of the four songs on the “Heaven is in Your Mind” EP are covers. If you’re looking for slavishly note for note recreations, then look away now. Barbeau has taken the bits of the songs he likes, grafted them on to bits that really have no business being there and has punted them out to a bemused but appreciative audience. The title track sounded pretty far out when it was first released by Traffic in 1967. Fifty year later, Barbeau cranks out his drum machine and some analog synths and makes it weirder still. What’s the point in making a pale facsimile of something when you can have a little fun with it, right? His own “Secretion of the Wafer” is typical Barbeau – all elliptical melodies and playful lyrics. It’s psychedelic, but its “See Emily Play” psychedelic rather than the “fifty-minute guitar freakout” psychedelic -although Barbeau would probably make a good job of that, too.
Bowie’s “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) gets off pretty lightly – maybe because the original is pretty close to Barbeau’s own brand of nicely deranged pop. The most contentious tune is the version of “September Gurls” which opens up side two of this vinyl only release. Most versions of this – the powerpop “Johnny B. Goode” – are almost evangelical in their reverence to the original. Barbeau however, replaces Alex Chilton’s chiming Stratocaster guitar intro with a synth sound that sounds a lot like a musical doorbell. For the middle eight, he switches from the not-quite-falsetto that he’s being using in the verses, to an off-kilter croon and the guitar solo is forced through a variety of peculiar and unsuitable signal processors. It’s great. He may receive death threats from Cuban-heeled Big Star diehards, but it’s nice to hear a different spin put on it.
This isn’t the best way into the brightly coloured and twisty world of Anton Barbeau – his “Magic Act” record, or the two albums he made with Three Minute Tease will ease you into his repertoire in a gentler fashion. This is Barbeau at his most playful and it’s a joy to behold.
Gigsoup www.gigsoupmusic.com/reviews/ep/anton-barbeau-heaven-mind/

The scarily prolific Anton Barbeau brings his unique brand of “pre-apocalyptic psychedelic pop” back to the wonderful Fruits de Mer label once more on a four-track EP featuring one original and a trio of well-chosen covers. On his own wonderfully-titled ‘Secretion Of The Wafer’ he seems to evoke the spirits of early Bowie and Daevid Allen, positively glowing with that same aura of appealing eccentricity and boundless creativity. He has a fantastic knack for reinterpreting other people’s songs; thinking hard about them, digging deep, and then bringing out hidden aspects of them that he polishes until they’re gleaming. His version of Big Star’s ‘September Gurls’ is still a fantastic pop song, even re-imagined under a shimmering haze of synths and ghostly, barely-there electric piano. Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters’ gets a marvellously off-kilter electronic treatment that makes it sound icily strange and eerily spooky, while Traffic’s ‘Heaven Is In Your Mind’ is simply, erm, heavenly.
Neil Hussey, Shindig!

Hidden amongst the four tracks here is an original composition by Anton Barbeau. Surely a first for these Fruits De Mer singles. Not sure how he snuck that in. The best thing here though is opener 'Heaven Is In Your Mind' which is a creaking old track from the first Traffic album. A nicely psychedelic offering with those wandering up and down melodies that were so particular to the era. Barbeau creates in a nicely lo-fi style with programmed drum machines and eerie Meek style effects. Barbeau's original the ridiculously titled 'Secretion of the Wafer' fits in nicely - an oddball space psych offering with more than a hint of early David Bowie (more of him later).
His cover of Big Star's ubiquitous 'September Gurls' suffers from the familiarity of the original coupled with a weak lo-fi production but he makes a reasonably good fist of Bowie's 'Scary Monsters'. Barbeau has the sort of voice that reminds me of two of my favourite musicians Mitch Easter (Let's Active) and Scott Miller (Game Theory). Perhaps I should seek out more of his original compositions but this is a nice four tracker that will please fans of the Fruits De Mer ethic.
Clinton, Norman Records www.normanrecords.com/records2/165743-anton-barbeau-heaven-is-in-your-mind

SOUNDS LIKE? Despite covering Traffic, Bowie and Big Star, Anton Barbeau always sounds like Anton Barbeau. We love him, we believe him to be the clever, but completely bastard son of Plastique Bertrand, but we believe lots of odd things, so let's just spin this shit, okay? The title track is the Traffic cover and much improved by the hesitant drum stack and reverb-to-death live feel. To paraphrase Goebbels, mixing a little old with the new makes the new much stronger and that's what he does with a flute and some feedback. Bowie also gets some treatment with a winter sharp, guitar in a dustbin riot of a take of "Scary Monsters" and the Big Star cover, "September Gurls" is returned, unsafely, to the late sixties with a muddy mix and a cut n pasted solo from instruments so fucked over that you couldn't tell guitar from toy clarinet, well I can't and I'm pissed. Never mind, the Barbeau original, "Secretion Of The Water" is something that Dr Phibes would write for a German scat movie soundtrack, all synth-jazzed drawls, cymbal splashes and lost dialogue from some rogue robot flick, outstanding.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Anton Barbeau is a special artist. Massively underrated, but still hellishly good at peverting, subverting and creating pop-rock. Dip in and wig out, tune up, turn in and freak on, you know the drill...
Unpeeled http://www.unpeeled.net/reviewsjune2017.html

this is his second 7" EP on Regal Crabomophone and offers three great cover songs and one previously unreleased original. Traffic's 1967 psych classic "Heaven Is in Your Mind" starts the EP and I'm in heaven not really knowing where my mind is. This has enough elements from the original but also a certain modern touch to make it sound really interesting and valid somehow. Great! I would be very scared to put my own song to an EP along with three more or less famous songs but Anton's "Secretion of Water" stands out on its own among the other jewels. A rather laid-back, melodic and emotional song with just enough mind-blowing elements. I'm not sure if I have even ever heard Big Star's "September Curls" but I guess I should. At least this little power pop tune works out well performed by Mr. Barbeau. Then things get a bit more rocking with an interesting version of David Bowie's "Scary Monsters". Very effective, even the programmed drums. Another nice and cool release by Anton, still available from Fruits de Mer and some retailers!
DJ Astro, Astral Zone http://astralzoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/anton-barbeau-heaven-is-in-your-mind-ep.html?m=1

SIDEWALK SOCIETY 'STRANGE ROADS'

"The 2nd incarnation of the Action, brilliantly re birthed by the Sidewalk Society" Roger Powell (The Action)

"I didn't know what to expect but I think the album will get a lot of interest. There's nothing quite like it out there." Ian Whiteman (The Action)

“A brilliant, bonkers and brave idea that exceeds all expectations.” Andy Morten, Shindig!

Someone please alert Phil Collins - American psych rockers Sidewalk Society have covered his favourite group the Action’s ‘Rolled Gold’ in it’s entirety. ‘Rolled Gold’ was demo material recorded by the group in 1967 but only properly released in 1985. Now Sidewalk Society have recorded the album properly showcasing exactly what Collins has been on about all this time.
The songs are strident and confident examples of 60s psych pop that sits somewhere between the whimsy of David Bowie and the raw rock power of the Who whilst tracks like ’Something To Say’ aren’t far away from the glam tinged stomp of early Big Star. The band expertly re-create these songs with a series of blistering performance highlighted by some seriously Keith Moon styled drumming. Although this is quite a rocky sound there are moments where you can see why George Martin was so enamoured with the band. ’Things You Cannot See’ almost pre-empts the ambitious post Beatles bluster of Wings and Badfinger with stacked harmonies galore and ‘Brain’ sounds like some kind of Paul McCartney rocker with some great jangling guitars to the fore.
Sidewalk Society expertly recreate these stellar songs and inject new life into some of the less known moments of the late 60s psychedelic era
Clinton, Norman Records https://www.normanrecords.com/records2/165745-sidewalk-society-strange-roads

JULY RELEASES

Way back in '67-'68, The Action recorded a set of demos based on their newly found love of West-Coast psych and all things groovy, they then split up and then reformed as Mighty Baby, although that is another story. Anyway the demos sat in the vaults until the early nineties when they were released as “Rolled Gold” by Reaction Recordings. Forward fast to the present and Californian group Sidewalk Society decide to turn their love of those demos into re-creating those songs, a task undertaken because they feel the tunes merit the effort, a tribute not a slavish copy. All I can say is I am glad they made the decision as this is a wonderful collection that will take you back to the swinging sixties and put a huge cheshire smile on your face.
As soon as the first chord of “Come Around” sounds it is like walking through a doorway to a rose tinted past filled with sunshine, a wall of harmonies giving the tune a sweetness hard to deny, the production giving the song life and vitality. Perfectly encapsulating the era, “Love Is All” is a perfect moment, a lost Psych pop classic brought to dazzling life, a swirl of enjoyment in which every sound is exactly as you would imagine it.
Over 14 tracks there is no dip in quality, each song a nugget of happiness with “Strange Roads” sounding like The Small Faces in full flight, “Brain” having some great guitar and a lysergic shimmer, whilst “Look At The View”, the longest tune on the set, adding tinkling piano to the harmonies and chiming guitar, another lost classic finally brought to life. That piano also features on “Little Boy” a moody song with a fine organ sound rolling throughout, the album brought to a close by “Follow Me” and “In My Dream” , the former an energetic groover that gets you stomping and is filled with tension, the latter a summery jangle that lies on the grass smoking a big fat joint, the music washing over you beautifully. Fans of Apple, The Small Faces, The End, Kaleidoscope and The Beatles should all rush out and buy this superb album.
Compiled by Tony Durant, the man behind Fuschia, “Song” is a seven track stroll through the history of this fine band beginning with “Look At The Sun” a 1967 track recorded with Louise his first recorded band that also included Chris Cutler. Obviously of its time, the track is a gloriously raucous slice of garage psychelia with plenty of fuzz and effects and swirling vocals. Fans of UK punk may also find themselves humming “Barbie Is Dead” when they hear the opening riff, or maybe that is just me. Moving on “The Band” remind me of The Idle Race in its atmosphere and construction, a lovely little tune that creeps under the skin injecting you with a great big smile the song originally recorded in 1971 just after the first album was released. Talking of which, “The Nothing Song” is an eight minute gem taken from that album and treading the line between Psych and Prog including some odd changes, some great string arrangements and reminding me of East Of Eden at their best.
Like a fine wine Fuschia then went for a long lie down, returning in 2013 to release “Fuschia II, from Psychedelia to a Distant Place” two tracks from the album included here with “Piper At The Gates Of Time” easily maintaining the feel and quality of the original album, droning strings adding plenty of emotion to the song, the vocals and guitar woven around the string to stunning effect, whilst “Fuschia Song” is a jauntier affair with excellent guitar work and bright production. As it should be the last two offerings are from the yet to be released latest album with the signature sound of violin and driving guitar firmly in place on “Box Of Destiny”, a lyrical nod to the Beatles also to be found, the whole collection rounded off by “Just Another Song” a softly floating slide guitar leading us in to a gentle and melancholy tune that is the perfect finale to another excellent release.
Finally Anton Barbeau offers three covers and one original on a sixteen minute single, opening with “Heaven Is In Your Mind” (Traffic) introduced by a distorted electronic beat and strings before Anton's distinctive voice takes over, the mood softened by a warm organ tone and acoustic guitars, a delightful end section adding extra loveliness to the song. On his own composition “Secretion of the Wafer” thing get stranger, synths creating an other-worldy atmosphere that is vaguely unsettling and definitely dream-like, especially in the middle section, what the fuck the song about however is anyone's guess, which is a good thing given the music. Originally by Big Star, “September Gurls” is an established classic which , on this version sounds like it was recorded in 1967, the original jangle almost lost in a haze of confusion, a brave mood, make up your own mind but for me there is something missing. Finally we are treated to a distorted and noisy version of “Scary Monsters” (Bowie) that will definitely divide the room but has plenty of ambition and drive, I kinda like it myself.
Fruit De Mer continue down their idiosyncratic path and do so with style, passion and an ear for the good stuff, hats off again.
Simon Lewis, Terrascope http://terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_July_17.htm#SidewalkSoc

First up Anton Barbeau, much admired around these here parts, his latest EP ‘heaven is in your mind’ has a rather spiffing cover of Mr Bowie’s ‘scary monsters and super creeps’ tucked amid its grooves, always a favourite in our gaff only bettered in the affection stakes by ‘up the hill backwards’ – still before we go off tangent – left in the hands of Mr Barbeau the fracturing psychosis of the original is displaced by a darkly seductive insular / walls closing in shadowy vibe, the angular hysteria smoothed and woozily redecorated into a mind expansive mosaic of soft psych flashings with the effect still eerily pitched at panic attacking level....
Also incoming on the Fruits de Mer imprint a superb full length set from the Sidewalk Society entitled ‘strange roads – the songs of rolled gold’ – the collection, a faithful revisiting and re-recording of the Action at the height of their powers is superbly finessed in such a classiscist vintage that might suggest the band themselves were loitering in the famous Abbey Road studios out of shot of the watchful eye of George Martin hiding beneath the mixing desk whilst these lost heroes were laying down their sonic threads. This wee video showcases excerpts from this sublime set into the bargain revealing an acutely tuned turn of retro phrasing that effervescently fizzes with a savvy, a swagger and a coolly cut vibrant strut from which out of its grooves permeate rekindled moments from a faded golden age...
Last up for this summer batch of Fruits nuggets, a double disc set from the legendary Fuchsia. A smattering of career spanning cuts feature on this essential limited pressing with rare cuts from the vaults – an early recording by Louise – a pre Fuchsia adventure whose line up featured future Henry Cow man Chris Cutler,also featured a rare Fuchsia demo predating the recordings for the first album plus a smattering of cuts from his recent ‘Fuchsia II’ set.
Mark Barton , Losing Today https://marklosingtoday.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/and-briefly-fruits-de-mer-anton-barbeau-sidewalk-society-fuchsia-and-pink-floyd/

KOPF MUSIK

This 3CD set is a great selection of tracks taken from many of the different compilations that the band has released. Some of these on vinyl, others are special releases for the subscribers of the label, festival promo cds, etc.. CD 1, all the tracks (covers of classic Kraut rock bands (many from the Brain Label) was released on the FdM double LP, Head Music. CD 2 contains the rest of the Head Music, plus the Shrunken Head EP, a few from Roqueting through Space (4) and Vespero’s Juniper by Faust, from the FdM annual 2013 CD. Finally CD 3 has a great version of Brainticket by Astralasia, Starship Memory by Ax Genrich and Sunhair and finishing off with the 22min version of China (Electric Sandwich) as covered by the Bevis Frond!!
Scott Heller, Writing About Music
http://writingaboutmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/kopf-musik-3cd-set-fruits-de-mer.html

Preliminaries first. Kopf Musik is the album we’ve been expecting Fruits to release all along, tracking back to the earliest days of the label’s dalliance with all things past and preservable and gathering up every entrant in an omnipresent obsession with Krautrock.
Five releases are plundered for the occasion, including the horribly out-of-print Head Music and its Shrunken Head Music counterpart, and three CDs shatter the label’s traditional disdain for non-vinyl format because… well, because three hours of music would devour a lot of vinyl.
Still it’s a limited edition, bargain priced, and if you have even a glancing familiarity with the Fruits family, then you’ll recognize most of the conspirators: Jay Tausig, Palace of Swords, Frobisher Neck, Heads South by Weaving, Earthling Society, Black Tempest, Vibravoid, Cranium Pie, Helicon, Vespero, Astralasia, Bevis Frond, Ax Genrich and Sunhair.
Or not. But how about Kraftwerk, Amon Duul II, Tangerine Dream, La Dusseldorf, Faust, Brainticket, Can, Neu!… ah, now your little eyes have lit up, and now you know what to expect.
This is the Krautrock’s Greatest Hits collection that the original makers never did make, so FdM did it for them Yes, Eroc’s introduction is hideously annoying, but it lasts for just forty-two seconds, and then we’re into Johnny Vines-plays-Jane, and making it sound like Van der Graaf Generator.
Language of Light do odd things to “Mushroom” (Can) and Saturn’s Ambush turn “I Want More” (Can again) into whatever might have happened to it had Love and Rockets slipped it onto their first LP.
Running times range from truncated to epic (Bevis Frond’s twenty-two minute rampage through Electric Sandwich’s “China” tops the latter category); performances drift from nail-on-the-head (Earthling Society’s drifting “Paramechanical World”) to head-on-a-pole (Anla Courtis’s faraway radio take on “Trans-Europe Express”).
But you need to hear Vespero channeling Faust through “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” and Astralasia take Brainticket’s most eponymous masterpiece through some truly spectacular highs. Much admiration, too, for Zenith: Unto the Stars’ invocation of Popol Vuh’s “Mantra II,” and Cranium Pie’s “Black Sand,” another Brainticket jewel restudded with a whole new bucketload of gems.
Krautrock is such a disreputable term these days… and always has been, despite its ubiquity. Kopf Musik, on the other hand, fits the entire sound and scene exquisitely. Three discs, three hours. Roll on volume two.
Dave Thompson, Goldmine magazine
http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/spin-cycle-blogs/reviews-humble-pie-michael-mcgear-zombies-peter-hook-flamin-groovies-jackie-lee-kopf-musik

To celebrate its lucid Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus event with Damo Suzuki headlining, the marvellously idiosyncratic Fruits de Mer label has assembled catalogue highlights of a krautrock hue over this three-CD set, initially for sale at its events. After an introduction by Grobschnitt's Eroc, the collection takes off through often audacious cover versions of Can, NEU!, Tangerine Dream, Popul Vuh, Faust and Brainticket classics, along with some epics they inspired. suitably insane and massive fun
Kris Needs, Electronic Sound magazine

KRIS GIETKOWSKI 'THREE OF A KIND'

Without a doubt, this month's most bonkers project has to be Polish multi-instrumentalist Kris Gietkowski remaking the debut albums by prog pioneers Egg, The Crazy world of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster as devoted instrumentals......this is the sort of thing that keeps making sound alive and fun
Kris Needs, Electronic Sound

ASTRALASIA - 'OCEANIA'

Spawned as an offshoot of the Magic Mushroom Band at around the time free festivals were giving way to raves and acid house (not to mention their more psychedelic derivatives), Marc ‘Swordfish’ Hunt and co have been there or thereabouts for the better part of thirty years, sailing ambient techno waters of varying hues and current. Sometimes they’ve appeared to be riding the eternal wave – usually at festivals - at other times years go by without you seeming to notice that they are there. Well take note of them for now. Astralasia are still very much around and Oceania has to be their best effort for some considerable time (well at the very least since the last one). ‘Alooland’ is a synapse tickler of superlative quality that has the aural effect of consuming exotic substances in a tropical location without, frankly, the need to experience either. ‘Ghosts In Between’ is hardly less heady, presenting as it does a Gymnopedies-like variation on the theme of Manzarek’s Riders On The Storm’ runs. ‘Tangerine Skies’ is the band’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ moment but in all together more profound and satisfying groove, while the ECM styled Euro-Jazz stylings of ‘North Star’ features Stevie B on mellifluous sax. Over on the second disc (that’s Side 3 to you, or CD 2 for us reviewing sorts) ‘Astral Voyager’ gets up on its toes to kick things off apace System 7 style, before settling back into a loping, lotus-eating pace with ‘Ishdan’.
The defining statement though has to be the side-long ‘Time and Tide Eternal’, literally oceanic in its vastness although should you by now be tempted to don white robes and strike reclining poses with crystals or some such daftness, then a word to the wise, this one’s a little more challenging and unsettling. Full marks to Phoebe Thompson for supplying the beguiling flute, which, accompanied by a tapping percussive backing and some babbling disorientation, sounds not dissimilar on occasions from that album Nik Turner recorded in the Great Pyramid some years ago (goodness that was some years ago). While we’re at it with the plaudits it would be a disservice, too, not to mention Peter Pracownik who peppers all four sides with some lush harmonics and fluid Steve Hillage-influenced runs. Literally music to these ears.
And there we have it. With Oceania their creators have plucked from the deep a transcendental, psychotropic pearl, near-perfect at 3a.m. or 3p.m. Timeless and strange indeed. Now immerse yourselves.
Ian Fraser, Terrascope

First of all we should apologise for being a little late to the party with this one. Another release ripe for headphonic delight, incoming on the esteemed Fruits de Mer imprint an absolute mind mushrooming head trip from Astralasia. Pressed on coloured double vinyl replete with additional 7 inch and blotter paper no doubt aping the LSD saturated sheets of the late 60’s, ‘Oceania’ might well be best described a trip aboard a kind of cerebral carpet drifting deep into the subconscious exploring your inner head space for this mammoth sonic statement cuts across the realms of ambience, kosmische and transcendentalism like a hot knife through butter.
‘Alooland’ starts the journey, a demurring dream drift of swirling dissipates and dissolving textures, a cosmic jungle if you would so wish replete with bird song and a teaming of dub draped woozy wildlife. The decidedly beardy ‘ghosts inbetween’ changes the mood ever so slightly, positioned on a more solid terra-firma, this funky murmur tone comes wiggily shrouded in a trippy kosmiche jazz shelling pressed upon a mellowing motorik grooving while the title track closes the curtain on side one with some nifty Floydian spiked Tangerine Dream mind expansion. ‘tangerine skies’ opens matters on side 2, is that Rickie Lee Jones at the beginning, sure sounds her which is just as well as this ‘un takes its cue initially from the Orb’s ‘little fluffy clouds’ and then just drifts off radar into Ozric Tentacle magic lands, one we suggest best accompanied by the rolling of a fat ‘un and just letting yourself go. Sprayed in beguiled Balearic afterglows ‘kaleidoscopic’ arrives hazily adorned in misty romance dinked in tropicalic delirium which we must admit had us for the best part arguing with ourselves what it reminded us of more – Vini Reilly or Discordia. It’s left to the sides best moment to run out matters towards the end groove, ‘north star’ very much setting its dials for bliss state and into the bargain colouring in the invisible dots that exist between Embryo and Sendelica.
With a title like ‘astral voyager’ there was never going to be any doubt or fear that this was going to fry your headspace with wiring salutations crusted in harsh gouging, a pulsing peace pipe very much recalling those lengthy workouts by Paris Angels albeit as though retooled by a youthful Echoboy and cut with the same kind of mind morphing mosaics that used to occasion themselves out of the much-missed Delirium sound house in the mid 90’s. something of the John Barry ghosts through the twinkle toned noir lounge smouldering of ‘Ishdan’ with its feint daubing of the mystique snaking through its hypno-grooved shimmer toning. All said though it’s the 22 minute colossus ‘time and tide eternal’ which occupies the entirety of side 4 that provides ‘Oceania’ with its formidable centre piece for what is a humungous meditative out of body astral ride sailing on cosmic ocean drifts populated by floaty ripples of dream dazed arabesque mirages, hallucinogenic hazes and lulling at peace with everything flotillas of bliss kissed out there-ness. Classy. For the seriously bonged out among you the label are at present cobbling together one of their legendary special edition sets of the album that features posters, white labels, special coloured wax variations, a live vinyl set and all manner of hush hush secret goodies all no doubt forced with some difficulty into a humungous box
Mark Barton - The Sunday Experience

No sea-change from ambient favourites
You can take Astralasia’s mellow vibes as a counterpoint to any number of things: as a contrast to the more muscular songs of their elder sibling, The Magic Mushroom Band, or – within the free festival scene they sprung from – as a kind of chill-out antidote to the flourescent effervescence of fellow instrumentalists Ozric Tentacles.
Not that Marc Swordfish and company can’t deliver a robust tune themselves, as we hear the deeper we dive into Oceania, but essentially what they purvey are elongated compositions to feel at ease with, without their suites ever merging into some homogenous whole. What’s immersing about this double – FdM promise a very limited special version with bonus 7” and live CD alongside the main release – is the way that it effortlessly glides through different instrumentation and moods. The airy wind chimes of Kaleidoscopic, the busy piano of Mushroom Heartbeat, the smoky saxophone that drifts in and out, the shoreline ambience and the spacious stretch-outs.
It’s lazy in a good way, not navel-gazing but still contemplative and inward-looking, a night-time companion to a nostalgic notion or a moment of elusively dreamy idealism. Time & Tide Eternal says the expansive final track, the extended coda to four sides of scrumptiously trippy electronica.
Ian Abrahams, Record Collector

Three years on from Astralasia’s last double album ‘Wind On Water’, the band have topped that long sold out release with ‘Oceania’. Split across double vinyl, the band present 80 minutes of largely chilled out electronica.
Its 11 tracks delve deep into the lost continent it is named after and, as the band describe it: “It’s about birth, life, love, death, afterlife and rebirth…the whole cycle. It’s either a meditative, shared with a loved one in embrace, or a remembrance of loved ones gone, or in that state in between.”
Describing the tracks won’t do it justice. A hugely ambitious release that will surely interest followers of Pink Floyd, The Orb and Angelo Badalamenti.
Jason Barnard, The Strange Brew "time to discorporate, leave your body, into the wonderful psychedelic sounds of Astralasia"
Keys and Chords

One of my favourite space rock groups Astralasia are back on Fruits De Mer following their sold out LP ‘Wind On Water’. They’ve been around for a long time and all that experience shows in their latest double CD ‘Oceania’. “It’s about birth, life, love, death, afterlife and rebirth” says the band, quite a concept! CD 1 (vinyl side 1) first and as the anticipation builds on opener ‘Alooland’, ‘Ghost Inbetween’ takes a surprising turn, vaguely like The Doors’ ‘Riders on the Storm’ in its electric piano lines. The title track is a heavier synthesised affair with Orb like narration a la ‘Pink Fluffy Clouds’ while ‘Tangerine Skies’, the opener on side two speaks for itself in musical direction. The biggest surprise on album one though is the final track on side two ‘North Star’ which has some glorious sax and what I can I only describe as ethnic electronic percussion. Album two starts with another track heavily influenced by Tangerine Dream, ‘Astral Voyager’- it also took me back to the first time I heard Steve Hillage’s ‘Fish Rising’, marvellous. Awakened from the trance, ‘Ishdan’ has an oriental flavour and ‘Mushroom Heartbeat’ features a rare solo piano excursion, very inventive and risky a la Cecil Taylor perhaps amidst the pulses and beats. The album concludes with a side long experimental, ambient piece called ‘Time & Tide Eternal’, a slow builder with wistful flute sounds and tabla.
Phil Jackson, Acid Dragon magazine

I really liked the last Astralasia record a lot. I had no idea they had a new one. The group is very diverse so you are never quite sure what you will get but for sure a lot of spaced out electronic music and maybe some guitar as well. This is a double album with most tracks between 5 and 7mins with the exception of the long side 4 22 min Time, Tide and Eternal. The album starts off with Alooland, a sort of new age synth piece. This is not my favorite style of stuff from this band at all. It slowly builds up with synth bass and programmed drums. Ghosts in between is another synth piece with some nice piano. Oceania has a very fast synth arpeggio and some really cool psychedelic guitar playing. Great track. Tangerine Skies starts with a female spoken voice and then a dreamy synth line starts and there are some more ethereal voices mixed in as it builds up. Kaleidoscopic returns to this new age Kurzweil like synth with some piano stuff, a very floating happy elevator music track. A bit of lounge jazz like guitar which later evolves into some cool guitar. This ends and it changes into a very much piano focused song until the end. North Star features a pretty cool saxophone, played very slowly. This track slowly builds in some pretty cool layers over the 7mins. Side 3 starts with Astral Voyager with some Ozrics like guitar as the track builds up. Mushroom heartbeat starts with a piano work out before the synth and female voice kicks in. A long Shore is a 2.5 min track that ends side C with another floating new age like thing with some saxophone. Side D is the 22 min long track. It takes a long time to develop and features flute, electric tabla (?), and some other extra percussive sounds we have not heard yet on the album. A quite deep bass that shakes the floor is also present (mostly likey synth) as the track grows. It gets really spaced out and lost in space around 15mins until the end. If you like the last several albums you will dig this one as well.
Scott Heller, Writing About Music

Astralasia has been one of my favourite ambient/electronic acts since separating their celestial body from their old mothership The Magic Mushroom Band in the beginning of the 90s. During the White Bird era around '98 their music went a bit too commercial for my taste, but luckily Swordfish with his fellow astral travellers have released some totally amazing stuff lately on labels like Tonefloat and Fruits de Mer. I really enjoyed the 2014 FdM 2LP Wind on Water that sold out quicly. Oceania is another 80-minute masterpiece of psychedelic, hypnotic, usually soothing soundscapes from the primeval sea that is the ancient place of birth for all of us and the life itself.
In addition to huge array of synthesizers, sequencers and who knows what kind of weird electronic wizardy the album also includes for example very nice electric guitar, sax and electric violin, if I'm not mistaken. In the early to mid 90s Astralasia became famous for their use of spoken world samples, and there's a litte bit of that included here as well. This is still instrumental, atmospheric electronic music for the most part. You can just put this album on, close your eyes and float along with the cosmos. In a sense time does not exist, there is only now where the past and the future are intervined. I really like that place. This album is perfect for those late chilled-out moments but also works on a lazy Sunday morning, for example. I won't go through the tracks this time, but some of the titles include "Tangerine Skies", "Astral Voyager", "Mushroom Heartbeat" and "Time & Tide Eternal", just to give you some kind of an idea. Do yourself a favour and get this album if you can still find it, since it's already sold-out on pre-orders on the label. There will also be a very special version limited to 200 copies that will include an exclusice 7" among other things...
DJ Astro, Astral Zone
http://astralzoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/

This split single tackles two of Frank’s better-known and best-loved tracks, reimagining them as an acid rock barnstormer (Finland’s Superfjord) and a Sabbathian monster head pounder (prolific Welsh combo and longtime Fruits De Mer contributors, Sendelica). Superfjord add an electronic, progressive vibe to Zappa’s cinematic, jazzy instrumental (originally released on Hot Rats) that gives it a nice, Yes/ELP groove. Stellar guitar work combines with fancy keyboard runs that combine a little Canterbury Scene headiness with an elegant, neo-classical sheen that works on many different levels.
Karen Langley (Babel) raps through Zappa’s giddy ode to canine piss over Sendelica’s throbbing, escalating crunch, at once both ominously stealthy and full-on big boot boogie. Langley occasionally oversteps her remit and turns her performance into an audition for a West End musical – just a tad too emotionally overwrought for my taste. Her heart (and lungs) are in the right place, but a little more restraint might have gone a lot further.
Jeff Penczak, Soundblab
https://soundblab.com/reviews/singles/17884-superfjord-sendelica-zappa-peaches-en-regalia-c-w-don-t-eat-the-yellow-snow

SENDELICA/SUPERFJORD - 'ZAPPA'

Both bands have recorded a cover of one of the songs of Frank Zappa and the split single appears april 17 2017 via Fruits De Mer Records on 7 "colored vinyl, the A-side song" Peaches En Regalia "is called and is played by Superfjord.
Here I hear the band be performing a wonderfully melodic symphonic instrumental, which are several good tempo.
On the further side of the single I hear Sendelica play the song "Do not Eat The Yellow Snow" and in it the band I enjoy a nice swinging progressive rock song with a rather monotonous rhythm that the end is slightly heavier.
The split single "Zappa" Super Fjord and Sendelica contains two excellent Zappa covers, which I can recommend every lover of the music of Frank Zappa, but also those who love symphonic music and progressive rock will certainly enjoy here
Carry Munter, New Underground Music (auto-translated from Dutch)

Peaches en Regalia by Superfjord starts things off. They stick pretty close to the original with adding one new section and all the melodies, etc.. are intact. I enjoyed it. Sendelica, on the other hand, really make this cover of Don’t eat the Yellow Snow, a new track. A very cool 7”.
Scotter Heller, Writing About Music blog

Frank Zappa was a musician with a devoted following, one that shows no sign of weakening almost a quarter of a century after his death. With that in mind it's a brave move to cover an artist that many would think uncoverable. Purely from a technical point of view this is not for the faint hearted. And who would want to upset those fervent Zappaphiles?!
Welsh spacerockers Sendelica and Finland's Superfjord have stepped up to the proverbial plate, each taking a side each of this limited edition 7” to give their spin on a couple of Frank's most iconic compositions.
Superfjord's version of 'Peaches En Regalia' keeps the originals sense of fun, ups the acid-rock ante and adds an additional jammed out section. It's also has one hell of a funky bassline. Sendelica opt to tackle 'Don't Eat The Yellow Snow', beginning with a spaced out ethereal section that segues into a heavier riff-based part which has an almost glam-rock feel, making full use of two drummers.
As they say in football parlance this two-tracker is a game of two halves. Difficult to pick a winner as they're both enjoyable. And hey, music ain't no competition after all, it's a collaborative labour of love. Another winning combination from Fruits de Mer.
Harmonic Distortion

Afraid it’s another of those essential type Fruits de Mer happenings that this time extending its influential radar to the legendary freak king himself, Frank Zappa. Now when it comes to naming artists deserving of the tag genius, in the era of ‘pop music and beyond’ all must surely be measured against the Zappa, a restless musical soul who hopped, fused and blurred the musical disciples with impish creativity leaving a body of work that to this day still has the ability to confound not to mention provoke critical debate and discussion. With Fruits de Mer’s curious affiliation and affection for the eclectic and the outsider, its only strange that its took them so long to link their musical carriage to the Zappa sonic express. The incoming ‘Zappa’ set comes pressed on 7 inches of wax, coloured obviously and limited in quantity, upon its grooves sit Superfjord and Sendelica each trading a side each and rephrasing a selected cut from Zappa’s formidable and extensive back catalogue. First up Superfjord go head to head with ‘peaches en regalia’ – a cut that originally reared it’s wigged out head on ‘hot rats’ – which listening just now had me very much recalling L’Augmentation, but that’s for another day. Left however in the hands of these dudes, ‘peaches en regalia’ stirs pipes and purrs to the original’s pastoral majesty though here invested with a liberal dose of breezy progressive grooving which all said had us very much in mind of the legendary Supersister, which by our reckoning is only a good thing. Sendelica turn their sights upon ‘don’t eat the yellow snow’ – originally appearing on ‘apostrophe’ – a set which even when he was playing with a straight bat he’d still manage to sound fried. Bingham and Co rethread the whole mix initially splitting it in two parts and fuse both together so that what first appears as a rather dandy slice of hypnotically snaking stoner glam emerging from a woozily dream draped ghost folk recital soon splinters and morphs with the appearance of Babal’s Karen Langley into a horn hazed gospel smoker. Recommended of course.
Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience

Zappa cover versions can be tricky. A true iconoclast with a unique compositional style, interpretations of his tunes can come across as pallid and pointless imitations.
Finland's superfjord almost fall into this trap on 'Peaches'. They stick closely to the original - playful, ebullient, ridiculously catchy - but part of the problem is that the piece is so tightly constructed, it doesn't allow much space for personal expression, apart from a brief solo break that sounds like '80s Hawkwind playing jazz. Sendelica's version of 'Snow' starts out loose and spacey; fluttering, floaty synths and FX and a relaxed vocal over that melodic bass hook, before lurching into a downtuned, lurching metal riff - though a floating, disembodied sax and ethereal female vocals push things interestingly.
Most Zappa music nowadays seems to consist of the "respectable" stuff played in concert halls by virtuosic new music ensembles. It's nice to be reminded that he was, at heart, one of rock's most peerless provocateurs
Neil Hussey, Shindig!

What a great invention: to put Superfjord and Sendelica to cover a couple of the most famous Frank Zappa tunes on a 7" single! Superfjord has risen rather quicly to one of the leading Finnish psychedelic rock bands and they have a steady and ecstatic fan base by now. "Peaches En Regalia" happens to be my favourite Zappa tune from my favourite Zappa LP Hot Rats, so I was quite naturally very keen on hearing what one of my favourite Finnish psych rock bands would make out of it. Now I can say that they did an excellent job! Their version is a bit more spacey, jazzy and psychedelic without loosing any of the original vibe and progressive, melodic grooviness. Just because they are Superfjord they have even put in a little bonus jam in the middle. These guys are superb musicians with limitless sense for style and mood so I'd even say I prefer this to the original right now.
Our old Welsh friends Sendelica (who are playing a few gigs in Finland again this month!) have choosen a bit different Zappa track: "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow"! This of course presents Zappa's humorous side and isn't really that special musically, but Sendelica makes it sound a lot heavier with two drummers and dropped tuning. There are also some psychedelic elements to make things more interesting, of course. The bluesy/jazzy vocals are by Babal singer Karen Langley. I like it! Better get this beauty fast before it's gone.
DJ AStro, Astral Zone
http://astralzoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/sendelica-superfjord-zappa-7.html

OK, here comes the writings of a musical heretic. I know next to nothing about Zappa and have rarely listened to any of his work. I, then, come to these two tracks almost completely cold, not hearing them as covers but in and of their own right. Superfjord's Jussi Ristikaarto talks about wanting to preserve the 'bubbly and energetic' nature of 'Peaches En Regalia' and notes how the Zappa version has a soundtrack quality that they'd wanted to preserve in their interpretation, which sort of does my reviewer job for me, because their cut has the vibe of a funky and freaky 60s pop culture film, probably set in swinging Soho, all flowery shirts and flares, and people conversing in groovy metaphors... photographers and models, pop stars and groupies and not much plot but lots of running around London town, visiting little clubs that look like they've been set-up in someone's front room. Makes me smile!
Superfjord are, then, doing the light touch on their side; flip it over and immediately there is a different texture, with Sendelica - and guest vocalist Karen Langley - opening 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' with a sinister, forbidding entry into what becomes a heavy riffing, heavy saxophone, dense drumming, number, all grain and fuzz and wailing underneath a declaiming vocal, purposefully stomping one step at a time through the tune and out of the other end. Two sides, two very different takes.
Ian Abrahams, Spacerock Reviews
http://spacerockreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

KRIS GIETKOWSKI - 'THREE OF A KIND'

We’ve been here before, a few months ago, when a Polish multi-instrumentalist haunting the deepest recesses of YouTube sat down to record a large chunk of the debut album by a Canterbury combo best remembered for spawning Hatfield & the North. And we said all that then, so we’ll repeat some more – Songs from the First Album by Egg was, indeed, a faithful cover of a side-and-a-half of Egg, the debut album by the band that had just shed the young Steve Hillage when they got the chance to record it.
Only now it’s joined by two other discs, Tracks from the First Album by Atomic Rooster, and Tracks from the First Album by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown… which are both revealed, in turn, to be the albums in their entirety, plus a bonus b-side on the Brown disc, in the form of the non-LP “Rest Cure.” Egg, too, is rendered complete here, and maybe you wonder why anybody would want to reward Gietkowski’s endeavors by offering more than a cursory shrug to three organ-heavy instrumental reinventions of albums that most of us surely have owned for the best part of the last fifty years?
The question answers itself. Stripped of lyrics, stripped of all the redolence and nostalgia that still draws ears to “Friday the 13th,” “I Will Be Absorbed” and “Spontaneous Apple Creation,” the three discs here stands as tributes not to the music, but to the moods and momentum that made them possible in the first place.
Because they’re not simply straightforward renderings (if they were, Brown’s “Fire Poem” would really be in trouble); you recognize themes and riffs, but the focus shifts to other plains and even planets – less masterpieces of underworld psychedelia, Gietkowski resurrects all three albums as existentialist soundtracks for the bleakest gothic silent movies nobody ever made, operatic phantoms of prog masked and made flesh by the sheer audacity of the concept. Plus, where else are you going to hear “The Hall of the Mountain King” a la Vincent Crane?
The birth of prog is often viewed as something of a hit and miss affair, at least in the months before the seventies dawned to coalesce its disparate strands into something that the mainstream could get its teeth into. Three of a Kind is aptly named, then, in that it isolates a few of those original strands and demonstrates how exquisitely woven they already were.
Don’t let it pass you by.
Dave Thompson, goldmine Magazine
http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/spin-cycle-blogs/reviews-hawkwind-crystal-jacqueline-maxs-kansas-city-mortlake-book-club-year-country-kris-gietkowski-sad-lovers-giants-thinking-plague-sex-clark-five-ba-robertson

high on my list of people I need to buy a pint for is KRIS GIETKOWSKI. Three Of A Kind (***, STRANGE FISH 3-CD) sees this estimable dudemeister tackling the bulk of the debut albums by Egg, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster all on his lonesome, as befi ts a Polish multi-instrumentalist with a commendably abstruse hobby. It seems churlish to carp when Gietkowski only recorded this stuff for his own amusement, but it should perhaps be pointed out that his versions are essentially note-perfect replicas, and none of them feature vocals. Nevertheless, his playing is beyond reproach, and finding a surrogate Arthur Brown or Mont Campbell is admittedly a tall order these days without recourse to unchaining the weird relative you harbour in your crawlspace.
Marco Rossi, Shindig!

KRIS GIETKOWSKI - SONGS FROM 'EGG'

Kris Gietkowski was born in Poland and made his own amplifiers old radios to distort his guitar and keyboard. In 2007 he moved to Britain, where he bought his solo and bass guitar, keyboards and Hammond organ. Two years ago, posted Kris "While Growing My Hair" and other songs of Egg on youtube called Grietek, which drew the attention of music Keith Jones, who is also the owner of the Fruits De Mer Records label and that there resulted in the Fruits De Mer Records on april 17, 2017 releases the album "Songs from the First LP by Egg" (1970) in a very limited edition of 300 units as LP on colored vinyl.
The album, which contains seven songs, beginning with "While Growing My Hair" and in it I hear Kris be performing an excellent progressive electronic number that is very danceable (listen to this song from the youtube link under review) and followed by "I Will Be Absorbed", another fine swinging progressive number and here are various tempos.
Then put me Kris "The Song Of The McGillicudie pusillanimous (Or Do not Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas)" before and I get to hear a beautiful swinging rock song that played at a fairly high pace and is dominated by the Hammond organ, and "Movement 1" follows and in it he plays a great groovy psychedelic piece progressive rock, where classic rock is in interwoven, which contains some great tempo changes and shows similarities with the music of the Nice.
Then dishes out Kris me "Movement 2" for and in this song it makes me enjoy a delicious piece of progressive rock, played at an average tempo and several tempo changes and this is followed by "Movement 3", in which he goes making fantastic music and the final track "Movement 4" I get to put such delightful progressive rock song where the music is similar to that of the Soft Machine from their beginnings.
"Songs From the First LP By Egg" by Kris Gietkowski is a fantastic record, which I enjoyed from beginning to end, so that I can recommend any progressive rock fan.
Carry Munter, New Underground Music (auto-translated from Dutch)

At first, these appear to be straightforward reinterpretations of songs from the first LP by Egg, hence the name. But Polish musician Kris Gietkowski has charged them with a lo-fi bounce, where the originals glisten and pomp, these versions - constructed with homemade amplifiers and devoid of words - emit a kind of frantic glee. The smell of hot electronics and the thrill of the amateur intoxicates.
However, his production is far from amateurish; his musicianship is superb, especially on "Symphony No.2 Movement 4", and more so knowing that Kris plays each part himself. The results are, ultimately, mixed; whilst enjoyable, it's a bit like riding the tea-cups underneath a rollercoaster - each has its own distinct thrill, but the lure of the big dipper wins.
One must congratulate FdM though, for sticking to their mission of releasing the interesting and esoteric. This definitely ticks both of those boxes.
Spenser Tomson, Shindig!

I have to admit I'm not that familiar with the first LP by Egg, being still in nappies when it was released. My earliest musical memories coming a few years later and limited to the glam pop and tartan-clad boy bands prevalent on AM radio at the time. Anyway thanks to the powers of the Internet I've learnt that Egg were a three-piece prog band who signed to Decca in 1969 and released and eponymous debut LP a year later.
Fast forward 47 years and in a bizarre labour of love, Polish multi-instrumentalist Kris Gietkowski has decided to record a full length LP featuring most of the songs from Egg's first LP. Notice that that's most and not all, as the press release explains - “it's only 'most of' as one of the tracks would have taken him months to learn and he didn't fancy the ten second intro track on the original album.”
Reading that I knew I'd just love this LP, regardless of how it sounded. But anyway it sounds pretty good. A fully instumental album full of jazz-prog organ fugues, proto math-rock and quasi-classical passages in what I'm led to believe is a fairly faithful replica of the original LP. And it comes as a colour-in-colour vinyl LP, yellow in white to look like a poached egg. How can any self-respecting vinyl freak not dig that right!?!
Harmonic Distortion http://harmonicdistort.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/kris-gietkowski-songs-from-first-lp-by.html

This is a pretty interesting jazzy, instrumental organ driven remake of the first EGG record from 1970. I don’t actually own the original but I remember my friend Malcolm Humes (RIP), played EGG for me a few times. Egg was Dave Stewart's (Organ player in Egg, Hatfield and the North, Soft Machine and National Health (all great bands!) band. What is most interesting is that Kris (from Poland but living in England) plays all the instruments on this record! THe long Symphony No. 2 is my favorite part of the album
Scott Heller, Writing About Music http://writingaboutmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/kris-gietkowski-songs-from-first-album.html

JACK ELLISTER - ROOTS CONFERENCE

Returning back to the Fruits de Mer, the label have announced the first happenings for the coming 2017 season, strictly speaking both releases are heading out on the Friends of the Fish imprint, this is the sub label marketed beneath the umbrella of FdM yet to all intents and purposes is self financed by the bands themselves. First up ‘roots conference’ by Jack Ellister is a 300 only vinyl full length that superbly showcases his grasp of the lysergic pop rudiments to such an extent that we suspect in a parallel universe he’s a Barrett acolyte with means to time travelling and occasionally drawn on by a whim dares to step out of their 60’s into our now with eye swirling musical threads of out there mind warping magick, in essence a covers collection featuring his working of Bowie’s ‘drive in Saturday’ taken from last years FdM annual freebie ‘Fashion’ along with various re-readings of groove by Jackson C Brown, Open Mind, the Fool, Mark Fry and more. Expected sometime February / March.
Mark Barton - The Sunday Experience

waiting for a completely acoustic work in preparation, Jack offers us his second album that continues the line of the electric psychedelic pop, started with the debut album to pay tribute to the musicians who influenced him as a composer, guitarist and sung. A collection of songs among the most beautiful and less obvious the psychedelic '60s, but not limited to, filtered and reinterpreted through the diaphanous personality of a great artist like Jack. There are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Open Mind, etc ... but also Dizzy Gillespie, etc…
Poetically Psychedelic.
Rossana Morriello, Rockzilla

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