Shall we write a new editorial? Oh the endless demand and who needs a damn editorial? No time for editorials, let the actual music do the actual walking and the actual talking. Exact same thing again, another five (or so) slices of musical things that have passed our way recently and however you like to slice it and of course it was the price of lemons and here comes the editorial. Don’t be flippant she said, how could it ever be flippant? I can’t remember why she said that now, in one ear, out the other, we have a bad attitude here apparently, no respect for those who work in the music industry, well no poop Sherlock, have you only just worked that one out? We’ve been showing (and getting) zero respect since the last century, zero flips given.
Five? There’s something rather compelling about five. Cross-pollination? Five more? Is there another way? A better way? A cure for pulling flying rabbits out of the clouds? Is there a rhyme? Is there a reason? Was there ever a reason? What do reasons make? Five more? Snake oil? Everything must go and no, we never do and the proof of the pudding is in that proof reading. When we started this thing, oh never mind, it doesn’t matter why we started this damn thing and like we asked last time, does anyone bother reading the editorial? Does anyone ever actually look down the rabbit hole or is it all just method acting? We do really try to listen to everything that comes in, we do it so you don’t have to, we are very (very) very very picky about what we actually post on these fractured pages or about what gets played on the radio or indeed what we hang in a gallery. Cut to the chase, never mind the editorial, skip this bit, there’s loads of music further down the page, well five or so pieces of music that have come our way in the last few days and what’s Wordsworth? Just the basic facts and links and those sounds (and visuals), that’s surely all you need from us?
Here we go, five more slices of music that have recently come our way, this time we start somewhere in Brighton back at the end of Summer as we celebrate the Winter Solstice and the returning of the light today..
1: Smith and Drake Ensemble – A Winter Solstice treat, for this is the shortest day of the year and we can finally think about the returing of the light and this glorious piece of music does feel right today, this from the Smith and Drake Ensemble was one of the most beautiful things that happened this year. It was a Seaside Treat, it really should be released, released just like this, this perfect recording of a perfect moment – Seaside Treats indeed, Cardiacs Family, Brighton Concord, October 2024 – More celebrations, happiness and joy, it felt like this should go on and on, that there should be…
2: RG Rough – A rather positively two track single release today, or whatever day it was when this bit was written, yesterday, 17th December, New name to us, a posting on social media and curiousity took us to him, maybe that same curiousity will make you want to hit the play button just there. Yes, we did write that bit a four days ago…
“RG Rough is s a French/British musician born in 1971 who lives in Bordeaux. From the early nineties on he played in many pop/indie/garage bands as a singer/songwriter, guitarist and bass player. In the last decade he has moved on to more experimental/ electronic territory and has released several albums on the Bambalam label”. Bandcamp
3: Cori&her – Agatha gets the Job Done – Oh now!, Oh wow! This goes off and things, this is urgent, this is electronic insect hooves running everywhere. Cori&her are a band who say they are a band who are “about putting your fingers together and pretending they’re a gun”, they also said “…petri dish popstar yammers on and on… corporate sigil withheld… something is approaching, and its warning shots accidentally hit you in both legs” which does explain it far better than we could. The first two tracks are manic, dare we say the third is a little Sea Nymphy? It is rather beautiful
Florence Ambrose “wrote the songs and did lyrics and productions and mixings and made all computer noises and other noises that not guitar and sang her poor little heart out. She also played keyboard and did single cover art. Ever weakening. Erratic. Clover Lanahan sang as Agatha and played Electric Guitar. Fantastic job Clover Lanahan! She also did vocal production” and well, yes, glorious work. Here’s the Bandcamp
4: Mascot Moth – this went past on our social media just now, they don’t say much about it, they don’t seem to have it on their Bandcamp, the post on YouTube says 21st December, they didn’t say much there either, on Facebook they said “Merry Solstice one and all! We are delighted to share a new EP – Spesimen A – as an offering to the spirits of mid-winter!”. An EP recorded at Y Dolydd, Llanfyllin in October 2024 so it seems, I rather like it. A Foetal Orange release so it seems, a label from Oswestry, a label “established in 2008 with the sole intention of helping to nurture and promote a growing community of experimentally minded musicians, artists and thinkers who believe that music is the way forward…”
5: Nigel Planer and The Values featuring Johnny Turnbull – And we should just share this – “Sleepless in South London is sung by Nigel Planer, much loved for his characters Den Dennis in The Comic Strip Presents… Bad News, the actor Nicholas Craig, and as Neil the Hippie in The Young Ones. The song was written by Mikey Georgeson (of David Devant & His Spirit Wife, The Civilised Scene, and The Middle People) the lyrics are by the artist Harry Pye. The bass on this track is played by Clare Kenny (who has worked with Indigo Girls, Orange Juice & Edwyn Collins, Amazulu, Roddy Frame and many others). Photographer Julian Wakeling plays acoustic guitar on the track. Francis Macdonald (of Teenage Fanclub) and Hugh Macdonald provided the percussion. Johnny Turnbull (of The Blockheads, World Party, Talk Talk, Skip Bifferty, Bob Geldof’s Band, Paul Young, Dave Stewart’s Spiritual Cowboys and many others plays lead guitar. The track was mixed by Francis Macdonald. Colin Gibson and Chris Tosic provided essential help with the recording and production.
The video for ‘Sleepless in South London’ features artworks by a number of artists who might be familiar to those who read the art pages of this here Organ website, artist such as Humphrey Ocean, Janette Parris, Fabienne Jenny Jacquette, Cathy Lomax, Georgia Hayes, Harry Pye, Rowland Smith, Francis Macdonald, Kathleen Thompson, Geraldine Swayne, Bob London, John Heywood Waddington, Josie McCoy, Julia Maddison, Sandra Turnbull, Marcus Cope, Tinsel Edwards and Lee Maelzer. Humphrey Ocean RA was once the bass player in Ian Dury’s band Killburn & The High Roads. Dury’s next band (The Blockheads) features Johnny Turnbull.
Does that give us an excuse for some Blockheads poetry?
And here’s someone else’s footage from that same Smith and Drake performance back there in Brighton…
Previously
THE ORGAN 