More albums, more catching up, more staying ahead of things, more cherry picking through the mountain of albums, more picking of the cherries, picking off the cherries. the never ending pile of demanding cherries that find their way here on a daily basis. You surely know the policy by now? We do, on the whole only feature the albums and things we feel positive about. We really don’t have time to clutter up these already overloaded pages with negative reviews of things that do nothing for us, there isn’t the time or space, there isn’t any need, although some times there probably is. Here’s another three or four albums

Fältsånger – One Day I’ll Own A Spaceship And I’ll Fly Far Away From Here (Fieldsongs) – Fältsånger (pronounced feltsonger), in their own words, are perhaps best described as “psychedelic electronica. Or maybe ambient space rock. Or even experimental muzak. Whatever the label, their music is uniquely their own. Reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, The Orb, Herbie Hancock, Gong, Spaceheads, Ryksöpp, and Manuel Göttsching, Fältsånger exist somewhere between reality and a shared hallucination” –  well that’s the way they see it, I’d certainly mention the mellow Harvey Bainbridge side of Hawkwind and just maybe a healthy hint of the crispness of Jean Michel Jarre or a touch of clean cut later era Pink Floyd. One Day I’ll Own A Spaceship And I’ll Fly Far Away From Here does kind of sound like it might take you past that lighthouse that’s far away in outer space, that lighthouse shining bright and there to guide you human race. One Day is a crisp flight, a refreshing journey, clean cut, sharp, fluid, flowing, forward moving instrumental electronic space rock that is rather relaxed and easy on the mind. Older readers (and Organ gig goers) might recall a rather fine band called Frog, a band from end of the last century who released some fine underground tapes while they took their first steps on the live scene and then promptly disappeared, Frog are where Fältsånger have come from.  

One Day I’ll Own A Spaceship And I’ll Fly Far Away From Here is indeed a spaceship, a space flight that glides, or space flights, this is a quiet set of refined flights or tunes, we’re almost in the chill out zone at times. Right now they’re very nearly sounding like a mellow lounge lizard take on laid back New Order and yes, there are little hints of funk now and again, just now and again, nice guitar. An album that’s always going somewhere, always moving in interesting ways, subtle ways, an album that takes all the time it needs, that never feels the need to get in the fast lane. Beautifully crafted, it maybe is a little too laid back and mellow at times, but that probably says more about me than Fältsånger. They’re from the North West of England by the way, that band name might have you thinking otherwise, this is their debut studio album, there has been a number of live recordings, they do know how to build their tunes, it is mostly for you space rock fans; The Orb, Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, I get what they mean by experimental muzak, can muzak be a positive thing? It is certainly their own take on things, their own sound, an identity, here it is, go enjoy the flights…     

Bandcamp

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Live God (Play It Again Sam) – Oh look, Nick Cave hardly needs us now, he never has really, we need him though, we need this version of Nick Cave we have right here right now. We surely don’t need to review this but here we go, here we go, here we go, bring that spirit down and yes I know there are the voices who want the Nick Cave of twenty or thirty years ago back but that would be ridiculous, and this older wiser Nick Cave in suit and tie, the soul he drips, the feeling he touches, especially live, is just something really special, something bordering on religious, something to say ridiculous things about. His music, his performance, his band, his brilliant backing vocalists, everything is transcendent, everything so vital right, so brilliantly flawed and this really is a live album that captures Nick Cave and his band at the height of everything, it also captures that feeling of being there in the audience taking part it it, that shared communion, all that just breath just breath just breath we talked of last time we caught him. And he is such an entertainer, an ice sculpture with an elephant gun, every performance is fiery but we know all that, the important thing here is that is all on this recording, this is a properly classic live and dangerous proper live album that has you right there. It, that thing, it is all very much here, that almost religious experience, that bringing the that spirit down,the nearest thing to going to church (in the Sunday rain) I ever need and you don’t need us to say these thing, every mainstream outlet will be telling you these things, you don’t need our voice, we do need to add ours though, I don’t think I’ve been to a better gig than a Bad Seed gig in the last few years or so and it is all here and the album is released today, all the joy of it, fotr we’ve all had too much sorry and now is te tiem for joy and today on December 5th and when it does eventually come to the time for those end of year lists, I expect this album will figure rather significantly in ours, what Nick Cave and his band are doing right now is invaluable…   links

Previously – ORGAN THING: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, All Points East, Victoria Park, London, Just breathe, just breathe, just breathe, just breathe, just wow! Oh and those Sleaford Mods and The Smile and…

And…

Vennart – Live At Arctangent 2015 – Vennart have or has, depending on if you see Vennart as a band or as Mr Vennart and his people, released an audio version of the previously DVD-only Arctangent set from ten years ago. Ten Years Later then, or Ten Years After maybe..

“A mighty and triumphant set to a packed tent. Not to be missed and for the benefit of someone who is very ill” said someone just now, and for that help to someone who needs it, just for that alone, this album deserves a moment. Released today, today being a Bandcamp Friday and a day when all proceeds go to the music makers without Bandcamp taking their regular cut and in this case everything going to the good cause that is Micah, this link will tell you more about Micah’s situation.

This is a powerful set of hard edged cleverly coloured almost hard rock pieces from the man best know, amongst other things, as a big part of Oceansize (Mr Vennart is also currently doing things with Cardiacs). This is Mike Vennart and his band that played a rather impressive set at ArcTanGent festival ten years ago (and yes, using these recordings to raise funds like this is very very much in the spirt of the rather fine and friendly thing that is ArcTanGent festival). Recordings that are sounding rather fine today in the cold light of a wet Friday in December; sometimes anthemic, sometimes reflective, melodically powerful and when everything else is put to one side, this is just a really rather enjoyable sometimes complex rather colourful live album. Yes it does sound triumphant, busy pieces of music, never too busy though. Good luck Micah, we don’t know Micah, but that doesn’t matter, sounds like he and his people are having a tough time, good luck to him and good on Vennart for doing this. Here’s the Bandcamp link for the album and the Go fund me link

And…

Aya – Hexed! (Hyperdub) – Something about a stopped clock and no half measure, dotting the teas and eating the eyes again, that catch up before the year ends, same train, same track, I’ll never let myself forget, the witch hunt of albums before we get to the end of it all then maybe start it all over again. The next stop is Queens Road, she sounds like her London hometown, she sounds like her album cover, where did we put that game card? You wouldn’t want her to be on your train, you wouldn’t wish her on anyone’s last train, this is frantic, wire, frenetic, track-crossing, have you got a ticket? Yeah, I know this came out back in March, yeah I know we haven’t covered her since that excellent Houndstooth compilation. It is about the colour of the textures and much as it is about the rush and the real life in the words, about the time and space, the stops for breath before she takes off with us hanging on to coattails again, it is about the hear and hear it now, the right here, right now, it is about the here and now of 2025 and everything that needs to carefully mended if anyone cares enough to want to. It is boundary pushing, it is challenging album on so many levels, it is a glorious piece of work but we’re not in March any more and you’ve all been there and done that so we’ll just leave these words here as our acknowledgement, our respect, our caps doffed and another voice added to the critical acclaim and move along. A vital slice of now, a vital album, an excellent ride, gutters overflowing and word commotions that quench your thirst with far more than poison, the sound of art, brilliant album…

“Hexed!, Aya’s second album, confronts the desperation and dysfunction of addiction. Internalised phobias and suppressed traumas, haunt the corridors and golden hours once romanticised on 2021’s I’m Hole; daymares concealed by nocturnal afters-hopping and key bag circles. Opener ‘I am the pipe I hit myself with’ exposes the gray portrait secreted somewhere between the 8th and 9th floors of her previous record. ‘I used to say some shit for sure’, ‘I used to say it when I was me-less’. hexed! is about what happens when Aya turns the lights on”.

Bandcamp