VARIOUS A Dark Cabaret 2 CD (Projekt)
Second in a series of compilations showcasing the Dark Cabaret genre, a name aptly coined by Projekt founder Sam Rosenthal. Volume 1 included The Dresden Dolls' Coin Operated Boy; here Voltaire provides a hilarious parody of that song, entitled Coin Operated Goi (!!), which sets his inimitable twisted humour to a mixture of cabaret and traditional-style Jewish folk music. Humanwine set gruesome lyrics to a jaunty oompah-oompah rhythm and haphazard improvisational percussion. Black Tape for a Blue Girl's Sailor Boy combines dark folk and cabaret with an impassioned snarled vocal. The name of the band Birdeatsbaby says all you need to know about their sound - surreal, gory, and laced with a twisted dark sense of humour. Their violin and piano led music completely encapsulates the genre description 'dark cabaret'. Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys' Sea Song is an impassioned wail of a track; the melody and vocal style put me in mind of the kind of dark, visceral alt-country purveyed by Sixteen Horsepower, but the arrangement is something else entirely: a warped, accordion-led, oompah-pah, oompah-pah rhythmic take on cabaret.
Katzenjammer Kabarett have reinvented themselves as Katzkab, and appear here with an inventive mix of classical piano and strings, wild psychedelic rock guitar and angular alt-pop. Spiritual Front juxtapose dark folk, sombre synth and military drumming with a jaunty accordion and catchy chorus, with highly effective results. Unextraordinary Gentlemen are basically a classical-tinged and slightly off-centre reinvention of 80s gothic music. Jill Tracy's In Between Shades is blues combined with sophisticated pop balladry and wrapped up in a dark gothic atmosphere. Adrian H and the Wounds provide a sleazy mix of jazz and cabaret with horror film-esque lyrics delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. Attrition's track is a creepy gothic number, adding an eerie, lopsided accordion riff and intense, edgy violin. Thoushaltnot set dark yet tongue in cheek humour to a mixture of cabaret-style piano, jazzy horns and theremin.
Dark Cabaret is an inventive genre, bringing together the sombre, the sleazy and the sophisticated, in a manner that rarely takes itself too seriously. This compilation is an ideal place to begin exploring the style. More info at www.projekt.com

SORIAH WITH ASHKELON SAIN Eztica CD (Projekt)
Following the impressive Atlan album reviewed last issue, Soriah teams up again with Trance to the Sun's Ashkelon Sain for another inventive mixture of Aztec and Central Asian influences. Soriah is trained in Tuvan throat singing, and uses this vocal style to deliver lyrics in the Aztec language Nahuatl, accompanied by Aztec and Central Asian instruments as well as modern electric and electronic instruments courtesy of Ashkelon Sain.
Iix sets throaty vocals to a mix of ethnic percussion, chugging darkwave and floaty ambient music. Ticochitlehua features a whispered vocal over eerie atmospheric soundscaping. Eztica combines impassioned chanting and Tuvan throat singing with a powerful drum beat. Nica Anahuatl brings together shamanistic percussion and evocative experimental soundscaping. Ehecatl features the 'overtone' style of Tuvan throat singing, where the voice splits into two, with one of the vocal elements sounding more like a flute than what most would consider the human voice to be capable of. The voice combined with the soothing ambient backdrop makes for a truly magical mix.
Chocatiuh is an expressive blend of darkwave-meets-neoclassical guitar and the igil, a Tuvan bowed stringed instrument. Temicteopan combines zither, whispered vocals and ice-cold ambient sound effects. Omeyocan employs surreal, ethereal guitar and mystical-sounding wooden flute for a dreamlike effect. Its hypnotic atmosphere carries the mind off to another world where all is calm and peaceful. Amochantzinco combines chirping insect sounds, foreboding darkwave synth, rhythmic drumming and expressive guitar work as a backdrop for Soriah's impassioned throat singing.
An inventive combination of sounds that makes for a really engaging listening experience. Very much recommended.

EVERY SILVER LINING HAS A CLOUD s/t CD (Projekt)
ESLHAC make a sophisticated blend of post-rock, shoegazer, and neoclassical music. Against All Odds adds recited poetry courtesy of guest artist Ashley Rugge, whilst A Stolen Life combines cello and shoegazerish atmospheric noise with the music box-like tones of the glockenspiel. Such A Waste is intelligent indierock with hushed vocals and intermittent bursts of crunchy guitar noise. The Air is On Fire is a shoegazer instrumental with a massive wall of atmospheric noise, which subsides to reveal gentle glockenspiel and sophisticated neoclassical strings. The Leaden Sky combines forceful indierock with reflective cello. Where Earth Meets Sky features a gentle, almost folky, guitar melody, atmospheric soundscaping in various degrees of noisiness, and the creaking sound of a boat on the ocean, as backdrop for more of Ashley Rugge's poetry. Leaves Across the Roads begins as a plaintive guitar piece accompanied by the hum of traffic. Six minutes into the track, the band throw in a jolt of guitar noise and crashing cymbals, which gradually swells up to become a wall of shoegazerish noise of epic proportions. Backward is an atmospheric soundscape with a touch of neoclassical piano, ending with some hypnotic repetitive hums and clicks.
It is very good to hear a band doing something more creative with the post-rock genre, rather than rigidly sticking to the standard heard-it-all-before drone cliches. More info at www.projekt.com

ZA! Megaflow CD (Acuarela)
This is quite possibly the most bizarre album I've heard in a long while. Za! have been labelled "post-world music", but that definition doesn't even begin to describe the craziness on offer here. Calonge Terrassa, Kalon-Jah! Tewra-ssah! is a bizarre, experimental blend of traditional style African music and noisy angular underground rock. Nanavivideñaña is electronica meets punk, flying off at Dadaistic tangents. PachaMadreTierraWah #1 is a crazed prog-punk-funk combo, whilst the remix of that track that follows it is a complete reinvention of the original, bringing together chilled-out blues-psych-rock, jazz, electronica and noise-rock. Mesoflow combines traditional style Spanish folk balladry, grunge, warped angular rock and jazz. Megaflow #1 is a surreal, experimental kind of electronic music. Megaflow #2 is an equally surreal concoction of free jazz, electronica, avant garde neoclassical music, prog and noise-rock. Bomboklat #1: Da Gwelda Egli is an odder-than-usual take on psych-folk-pop, with added ranting and noise. Bomboklat #2: Ina Bomboklat has a Gong-like sense of the surreal combined with the ferocity of punk. Casamance Un adds a sense of punk rebellion to traditional style African music. Casamance Deux blends convoluted prog guitar, free jazz, and the kind of ranted, chanted vocals usually associated with drunken football fans. Exaflow mixes sampled spoken vocals, modern classical piano, and screamy hardcore punk.
Za! ignore all genre boundaries, taking an assortment of styles that are normally very 'serious', and infusing them with a sense of rebellion and wackiness. Imagine a combination of world, folk, electronica, prog and jazz played by a motley collection of punks, boozed up hooligans, and surrealist artists, and it would probably sound a bit like this. www.acuareladiscos.com

VARIOUS Arctic Paradise 2012 CD & book (FIMIC)
Arctic Paradise is a long-running compilation series showcasing the best of the contemporary Finnish folk music scene. This latest edition comprises a CD and an informative hardback book with details on the artists on the compilation as well as background information on the history of various subgenres of folk music in Finland. The book is beautifully presented, in full colour, with a textured cover embossed in silver.
Frigg are a fiddler band that originated as a collaboration between members of the Järvelä family of Finland and the Larsen family of Norway. Gjermund Larsen has since left to concentrate on his other project, the Gjermund Larsen Trio, but Einar Olav Larsen is still involved in Frigg along with Antti Järvelä of JPP and Troka, and his (Antti's) cousins Alina and Esko. Four other non-related Finnish musicians complete the current lineup of Frigg. The band take their name from a Norse goddess, and the accompanying book tells us that Scandinavian culture is "very much a part of the group's identity". They are however unafraid to explore other musical territories, combining Estonian and bluegrass influences with traditional Scandinavian folk music. I've been aware of this band for a few years and their music never disappoints.
Accordionist and vocalist Maria Kalaniemi originates from the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finland. Her album Vilda Rosor (Wild Roses) comprises traditional songs from this Swedish-speaking community, and here she performs the fantastic song I Fjol (Last Year), a song I've been familiar with for some time due to hearing versions from other artists/bands, such as Gjallarhorn. Lepistö & Lehti (Markku Lepistö and Pekka Lehti) are known for their work with Värttinä as well as solo albums. Here they provide a waltz based around accordion and double bass, that combines folk and neoclassical influences. Suo are a trio comprising members of Suden Aika, Johanna Juhola Trio, and Spontaani Vire. Their song here is impassioned and evocative and makes me very eager to hear more of their music.
Piirpauke, a band that has existed in various forms since the 1970s, appear here with a Finnish polska performed on flute, African drums, and rock guitar. Sväng are a four-piece harmonica ensemble, combining Finnish and Balkan influences. They play unusual variations of the instrument, such as chordal and bass harmonicas, alongside the more familiar form, so that no other instruments are required. Wimme combines Sámi joik with jazz and electronica. Antti Paalanen provides a fantastic accordion instrumental that is both energetic and sophisticated. Nordik Tree comprises members of JPP and Swedish band Forsmark Tre, on violins and harmonium. Their music is very much folk, but also has rather a stately feel reminiscent of classical music.
Pekko Käppi plays the ancient bowed lyre known as jouhikko, but does so in a way that is far from ancient, bringing together influences from a variety of locations and genres. His piece here has the feel of American folk music, but he is said to incorporate all sorts of other styles into his other music, ranging from the music of the Khanty people to punk rock and noise. This sounds an intriguing mix - I'm very curious to hear more from this artist. Paleface provides an innovative mixture of folk music and rap. Kimmo Pohjonen with Samuli Kosminen and Kronos Quartet are responsible for quite possibly the most experimental and innovative accordion music in existence. The instrument is played in a non-traditional style, accompanied by electronic soundscaping and an evocative vocal style reminiscent of Tuvan throat singing.
The artists here are, in the most part, making an open-minded, free-thinking, innovative interpretation of folk music, that makes traditional musical forms completely relevant for the 21st century. There is some really superb material on offer here, and I intend to investigate many of these artists' output further. I believe Arctic Paradise is only available as a promotional item, not for sale to the general public, but the FIMIC website provides further information on Finnish music: www.fimic.fi

BUTTON DAVE Songs from the Sock Drawer CD (Zen Ranch)
New solo project of Dave Ledgerwood of DIY pop outfit Rivertubes. Dave Hiney from said band also puts in an appearance on three tracks with guest bass, backing vocals and didgeridoo. Flipping Flipper is homemade acoustic pop with quirky lyrics and soaring flute that gives the song a hint of early 70s psych-folk. Animal Fight is an acoustic version of US-style folk-rock, again with Ledgerwood's trademark off-kilter dark humour coming through in the lyrics. Birds and Stars is psych-folk-pop with wailing/droning didgeridoo. Watch Your Fingers is instrumental save for a bit of humming and la-la-la-ing, while Red Rage is a lo-fi strum-along with lyrics about wanting to kill your boss, and General Sherman Tree is a slightly off-centre alt-country piece. Good stuff, worth a listen - visit www.zenranch.com for more info.

NORDIK TREE Contradans CD (Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department Recordings)
Nordik Tree is a collaboration between Finnish musicians Arto Järvelä (JPP) and Timo Alakotila (JPP, Troka) and Swedish musician Hans Kennemark (Forsmark Tre, Bäsk). Vals til Vännen Min begins as a fiddle and harmonium piece very reminiscent of JPP, and also putting me in mind of Frigg. The piece unexpectedly changes direction about two minutes in, with the introduction of vocals in Swedish. Close to Eight is a lively fiddle tune composed by Arto Järvelä, whilst Hans Kennemark's composition Enviser is much more melancholic in tone. Palojoen Marssi, a fantastically uplifting tune by Arto Järvelä, is followed by the rather more subdued Hymn, a piece by Timo Alakotila that combines folk and classical motifs and features guest accordion from Maria Kalaniemi. Contradans is a traditional piece collected in the late 18th century or early 19th century by Erik Ulrik Spoof. Bytt Lasses Brudmarsch is another traditional piece, this time from the collection of 19th century fiddler Per Alsén, known as Hultkläppen. Nordik Tree provide a sophisticated interpretation of this piece, based on mandolin and piano. Timo Alakotila's composition Matka combines aspects of Eastern European folk music, Finnish folk music and classical music.
This superb album includes some of the most exciting, moving music I have heard in a while. Very highly recommended. More info at www.myspace.com/nordiktree

ARTO JÄRVELÄ Plays Fiddle vol 2: Cross Tuned CD (OArt)
Cross tuning, or open tuning, is the practice of tuning the fiddle in ways other than the standard one. It is in use in the folk traditions of various regions; here Arto Järvelä (of JPP and Nordik Tree) provides 16 fiddle tunes from the Finnish folk tradition, some being authentic traditional pieces found in the archives, and others being new compositions by Arto Järvelä himself in the traditional style. Everything here is performed on solo fiddle with no additional instrumentation, but the pieces are so engaging that no other instruments are required. Just a few of the fantastic tunes on offer here: Wedding March and Kissakallio Crossing (a medley of two lively and catchy marching tunes), Goose's Polska and Starc 21 (that fast and furious fiddling in the latter part of the piece has a touch of bluegrass about it), Brakepolska (a fascinating and unusual piece inspired by the sound made by train brakes!), The Bells (a hypnotically repetitive piece with a sense of bleakness and melancholy. Whilst being inspired by the folk tradition, it also sounds quite avant garde in places), and Soil is Black (a stark, melancholic song, one of only two pieces here with vocals). The album comes with extensive, informative liner notes explaining the background to the pieces played here in both Finnish and English, as well as a history of cross tuning written by Paul Tyler. More information at www.artojarvela.net.

FRIGG Grannen CD (self-released)
Fourth album from Frigg, a Finnish/Norwegian fiddle ensemble inspired by folk musics from across the Nordic countries and beyond. Their love of American folk music, which comes through strongly in their sound, has led their style to be nicknamed 'Nordgrass'! The lineup is centred around members of the Järvelä family, a renowned musical clan that also spawned the band JPP.
The album begins with Potatisvals, composed by well known folk musician Ale Möller (who grew up in Sweden, though his mother is Norwegian and his father of Danish descent. He has a long history in Swedish folk music, known for his work with the bands Filarfolket and Frifot, as well as solo material and collaborations with Swedish vocalist Lena Willemark and Norwegian fiddler Gunnar Stubseid). The piece is a lively folk waltz with a quirky and slightly chaotic section in the middle. Rajrajraj is classic Frigg, a superb quality fiddle tune with plenty of musical variety, interspersing breakneck speed sections with more introspective moments. The band's bluegrass influence is evident in Maple Cake Farm, where mandolin and cittern take the place of the more expectedly American banjo and guitar.
Grannen is a traditional piece, performed here by a whole orchestra of fiddles, plus bowed double bass which is employed in part of the track to create an atmospheric droning sound. Bussen is a soaring fiddle melody co-written by Gjermund Larsen (who has since left Frigg to concentrate on his other project the Gjermund Larsen Trio) and Magnus Samuelsson. The piece combines Nordic and American folk music motifs in classic Frigg style. Amurin Tiikeri combines American style mandolin-twanging with a big dramatic arrangement featuring drums and a brass and woodwind section. The overall sound of this track is very eclectic, with touches of jazz, prog and 60s sunshine pop. Patana Sunset/Hölökyn Kölökyn is an evocative and highly enjoyable piece that combines medieval and classical touches with traditional Finnish folk music.
I've been a fan of this band for some years now and this album is just as great as their previous offerings. Very highly recommended. www.frigg.fi

THE MORRISONS Listen to The Morrisons CD (Series Two)
Since re-forming a few years ago, 1980s indiepoppers The Morrisons have proved to be a very prolific outfit. Not only have they recently released the 3 EPs reviewed in this issue's singles section, but there's also this album, and I hear another one is due for imminent release as well.
Listen to The Morrisons includes 14 tracks of the kind of authentically mid-80s style indiepop we have come to expect from this band. You get vocal harmonies, and that classic jangly guitar sound that is one of the defining features of this genre. Some of their stuff is along similar lines to the sort of 80s indiepop typified by bands like Mighty Mighty, The Brilliant Corners, or early Orange Juice. Other tracks combine old-school indiepop with influences from 60s US folk-rock. Time Steeler is harder-edged, drawing from the heavier end of mod, with a pinch of psych.
The songs are always well-crafted, with strong tunes, and the lyrics often express deeper concerns than indiepop has a reputation for. Anyone expecting 'sunshine and lemonade' tweeness or 'boohoo, my girlfriend left me' wallowing in self pity will be surprised by songs like Cranberry Street, which deals with the grimmer realities of life from debt to death, and Amy Day, a really touching song focusing on a soldier's wife who lost her husband in the war.
A really high-quality album from a continually recommended band. More info on The Morrisons at www.freewebs.com/themorrisonsband

THE LEGENDARY TEN SECONDS Podtastic CD (The Golden Pathway)
The Legendary Ten Seconds is the other band of Ian Churchward of The Morrisons. This album also features appearances from The Morrisons' Phil Andrews and Elaine Churchward. The Legendary Ten Seconds share The Morrisons' jangly indiepop approach to a certain extent, but they add to that large helpings of traditional-style English folk music, psych-folk-rock, and Tudor-inspired melodies played in psych-rock or folk-rock style. There's also Can't Live Without You, a 60s pop meets blues number with wailing harmonica. Some of the songs are romantic and/or happy-go-lucky, but the band are also unafraid to touch on more serious issues, such as I'm So Rich, a piece of wry social commentary that aims its ire at those who are rolling in cash but too selfish to give anything more than a token few quid to charity.
Basically The Legendary Ten Seconds are updating folk music for the modern era, combining traditional musical motifs with modern lyrical concerns (such as references to modern technologies such as cars, credit cards and the internet, and colloquialisms such as 'chill out' and 'cool'), as well as musical styles with their origins in the 20th century, such as psych and indiepop. The music is eclectic yet coherent, and is very listenable. The 'Pod' bit in the title refers to podcasts; the songs here all appear to have been recorded specifically for podcasts and radio shows, and each one includes a jingle promoting the show at the end. Available from www.goldenpathway.co.uk

MARIA KALANIEMI Vilda Rosor CD (Aito)
Maria Kalaniemi "grew up in a home with two languages, Finnish and Swedish", her father speaking Finnish and her mother coming from the Swedish-speaking community of Finland. This well-respected accordionist's previous album Bellow Poetry was inspired by Finnish musical traditions such as runo-song and shepherds' music, but with Vilda Rosor she explores the Finnish-Swedish (i.e. the culture of the Swedish-speaking Finns) side of her heritage.
I Fjol is a song followers of Nordic folk music should be well acquainted with, having previously been recorded by Gjallarhorn on their debut album Ranarop: Call of the Sea Witch. Maria Kalaniemi's version nods towards American folk music with its addition of banjo and harmonica. Vårens Väna Grönska Går is a subdued and reflective ballad, its instrumental interlude bringing in some atmospheric, almost proggy electric guitar. Videpiano is an instrumental piece setting a medieval-inspired melody to expressive and intricate accordion that even veers towards jazz at times. De Rosor och de Blader is a traditional Swedish-language ballad, set to a Balkan-style arrangement. Under Fullmånen is a tango, adding a sophisticated, slightly jazz-tinged arrangement.
Magdalena på Källebro is an exquisite rendering of this traditional ballad, accompanied by distinctive and unusual acoustic guitar and evocative, almost ambient, use of the accordion. Cirkus 2 is a lively and quirky instrumental composed by Lars Hollmer, which evokes perfectly the feeling of a circus. Vilda Rosor is a beautiful song composed by Maria Kalaniemi, combining traditional ballad influences with soaring wordless vocals, setting this to a creative, artistic mixture of folk music and jazz-rock guitar. Sven i Rosengård is a traditional murder-ballad, its stark, droning string accompaniment perfectly suiting its subject matter. Jeppo is a traditional dance tune with oomph, including banjo and harmonica alongside the fiddles and accordion.
Maria Kalaniemi's accordion playing is expressive and modern, and definitely not to be confused with the sort of outdated 'oompah-pah' stuff that many people associate with the accordion. The music draws from the folk tradition whilst importing elements from elsewhere to create a sound that is fresh and new. The whole package shows a close attention to detail, the booklet featuring beautiful nature images and printed on heavy matt paper. More info at www.aitorecords.com

SVÄNG Schladtzshe! CD (Aito)
Sväng are a four-piece harmonica ensemble from Finland, playing a variety of unusual-looking harmonicas including one with keys and another that looks like a pair of binoculars! The music challenges preconceptions of what harmonica music sounds like, combining Finnish, Romanian, Swedish and Greek folk music influences, plus their own take on tango, and the sleeve notes even name Radiohead as an inspiration on one of the tracks. Hoijakat is a brilliant folky dance tune with some effective use of bass harmonica and what I assume is that keyed harmonica, as it sounds more like an accordion than a mouth organ. Menneet is a march with a dark, foreboding atmosphere, that morphs into a bittersweet and slightly off-kilter waltz; this evocative piece would make great film music. Tango Tauko adds a distinctive and slightly quirky twist to the tango genre, its mood completely encapsulating the theme of the nervous and tipsy youngster it is inspired by. Humaljärvi is a very enjoyable polska tune. Humppa Skitsofrenia is just as its name implies, a bizarre and unstable take on the Finnish folk dance genre of humppa, flying off at all sorts of insane tangents. Waiwainen Walitan Walkiast is an adaptation of a remorse hymn from the early 1700s, its atmosphere suitably melancholic. Valossa is a Swedish-style polska, featuring the addition of some bizarre psychedelic background noises at the start of the track, all produced by harmonicas! The album shows just what a versatile instrument the harmonica actually is, and is yet another example of the inventive and forward-looking folk music to come out of Finland in recent times. More info at www.aitorecords.com

LEPISTÖ & LEHTI Radio Moskova CD (Aito)
This latest release from Aito Records is ingeniously packaged in a kind of fold-out origami sleeve shaped like an accordion, the CD itself being held in place by the folded cardboard. I appreciate these sort of details, where an album is presented as a complete package, with as much care going into the artwork as the music itself. This is the second album by Markku Lepistö and Pekka Lehti as a duo, following a number of solo albums and appearances with famed Finnish folk ensemble Värttinä. The music here is based around accordion and double bass, and like everything else I've heard from the Aito label, adds a strong sense of creativity to traditional musical forms.
The acoustic instrumentation sounds almost electronic at times in Waltz for Eino. Skrubu is a piece aptly defined by the artists as a "robust tango with tragicomic tones". It combines traditional tango influences with a chaotic quirkiness. The name Skrubu itself shows a self-deprecating sense of humour, as it is a Helsinki slang term for bad quality! Lokakuu combines jazzy double bass and folky accordion with some highly effective atmospheric sounds that the listener would be forgiven for thinking were electronic, but appear to be produced by the accordion. Radio Moskova is an Eastern European-styled accordion tune, part sprightly folk dance, part lament, inspired by Pekka Lehti's childhood listenings to Radio Moscow back in the 70s.
Kaksi is a dramatic and often frenetic piece, featuring a jabbing, rhythmic accordion riff that again sounds more like a synth. Värttinä fans will recognise this riff as Lepistö also used it on the track Synti, from Värttinä's 2006 album Miero. Artsi is solo jazz bass from Pekka Lehti. Raudanselkä uses traditional folk and arty modern classical influences, as well as a touch of jazz, to paint a sound-portrait of a blacksmith; the end result is both inventive and engaging. Vasulaisten Juhlamarssi is the only traditional piece here; a slow and stately march with religious roots, first heard by Markku Lepistö as a child when it was performed regularly by a local brass band and choir.
The album has much to appeal to folk music fans whilst encouraging innovation and a healthy disregard for genre boundaries. Info at www.aitorecords.com

SAID LIQUIDATOR Anthology 1987-1991 double CD (Eccentric Sleeve Note)
Said Liquidator were an indiepop band around during that genre's heyday. Whilst relatively unknown at the time, interest in the band has increased since one of their tracks was included on one of the Sound of Leamington Spa compilations of old-school indiepop. As a result, the band have released this retrospective double album anthology. I must mention at this point that what I was sent for review is not the entire album but a promotional sampler featuring 8 out of a total of 33 songs. I cannot therefore comment on all of Said Liquidator's material, but if the stuff here is anything to go by, the album sounds like it would be a real treat for fans of old-style indiepop. The Third Man is bouncy, upbeat and catchy - but not twee - indiepop, akin to Mighty Mighty, The Brilliant Corners, The Morrisons, or early Orange Juice, but what makes Said Liquidator's sound very different from indiepop in general is their inclusion of flute and clarinet. House in Bohemia includes strings as well as woodwind, and the song itself has a hint of The Smiths about it. It sounds like the sort of track that would have been popular at the time (1989), so it's very surprising that the band accumulated a massive 44 rejection letters from record companies. How To Smile is spiky, ramshackle and slightly off-kilter. Sole Contempt begins as a fairly laid-back number incorporating a bossa nova style rhythm and gentle flute, but then it flies off at a more unsettled tangent, with agitated yelps of "Threat!" Lovely Day is minimalistic yet cheery indiepop with soaring flute and African-influenced percussion. No Ribbons on Oak Trees expresses frustration towards the government of the time, but is no angry punk track but a gentle and subdued indiepop number with occasional slight hints of folk. Said Liquidator's sound features all the hallmarks of classic indiepop, yet adds much that is their own, particularly due to the use of instruments not normally associated with the genre. More information at www.eccentricsleevenotes.com

THE WORKHOUSE The Coldroom Sessions CD (Hungry Audio)
Third album from The Workhouse, whose music combines aspects of post-rock, post-punk, shoegaze, old style indiepop, and psychedelia. Atmospheric noise and effects are a big part of their sound, but this is definitely not noise for noise's sake, or self-indulgence with very little musical substance. The music here is strongly melodic and very well crafted. You may expect a track called Stalker to be chillingly sinister, but The Workhouse's Stalker features shimmering guitar effects as backdrop for a surprisingly sunny tune, interspersed with full-on shoegazer noise straight out of the early 90s. The Last Time I Saw The Stars is very fine old-school janglepop with atmospheric noise undercurrents. Drag Queen is a woozy, subdued dreampop instrumental. The Whistler is brilliant 80s-style jangly indiepop with ethereal dreampop effects. Seen Sometimes combines bleak post-punk with a huge shoegaze noisescape. A very enjoyable album, having much to offer fans of the various genres The Workhouse are inspired by. More info at www.hungryaudio.co.uk and www.theworkhousemusic.com

ROOT DECO Third World Planet CD (self-released) and Crystal Pool CD (Stone Premonitions)
Two new albums from this prolific retro-rock band. The music on Third World Planet begins with a basis of raw bluesy rock, adding further influences from psych, prog, and occasionally folk. As always with Root Deco, the music sounds authentically vintage, and you get the feeling that the band have a total, genuine immersion in their chosen type of music - it's not just a fashionable veneer like some revivals of retro-rock have been. A lyrical theme of freedom of thought runs through the album; there's songs with messages against conformity and social injustice, and songs about UFOs which reflect a concern that these things aren't just something out of science fiction movies. Fins and Fangs is particularly worthy of further discussion for a number of reasons. First, it includes guest guitar from Tim Jones of the Stone Premonitions musical collective, known for his work with countless bands such as The Rabbit's Hat, Body Full of Stars, Neon, Census of Hallucinations, and so on. Secondly, it is the track with the most obvious folk influence, including a medieval-tinged folk-rock riff that works really well. Thirdly, you've got to admire the lyrical sentiment: the song begins with the lines "Conformity's nice, you always know just what to wear/And what to think, and whether or not to care", setting the scene for an ironic critique of 'sheep' type thinking. Snow on the Roof is 70s-ish rock with a massively catchy chorus, and Red Head Walking is a grunge-blues-rock cover of a Beat Happening track.
Last issue I reviewed a promotional taster for a planned Root Deco album entitled Champagne World. The title of this album has now changed to Crystal Pool, but all four tracks from the Sip of Champagne sampler are included here along with eight others. There's raw, intense blues-rock (Tough Night), American-style folk-rock (Dead by Morning, S.O.S. (Different Day), Nightlight), psych-rock (Big Parade), and 70s-style heavy rock (What's With You?) As well as their own material, there are covers of songs by Cream (Deserted Cities of the Heart) and Sharon McMahan (Someday We're Gonna Love Again).
Root Deco are onto their sixth album now but show no signs of running out of ideas. Their music is continually recommended for fans of old-school rock in all its forms. More info at www.rootdeco.com and www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions

BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG ZOMBIE s/t CD (Pastime)
Bright Lights Big Zombie includes former members of Exeter bands Console and A Fine Day for Sailing. Their music is a blend of atmospheric and emotional contemporary indie music and the more ragged-round-the-edges kind of indiepop from the late 80s and early 90s. Centaurus features some nicely meandering, laid-back psych guitar work. Inevitable is very much a song with two personalities; it starts off as old-style indiepop, reminding me a little of Tramway in places, then its psychedelic alter-ego puts in an appearance with its floaty, woozy, spaced-out guitar and even a sitar courtesy of producer Andy Fonda. Voices in the Dark combines influences from the quiet and noisy varieties of old-school indiepop. Snowglobe is a slightly off-kilter, ramshackle indiepop number. Complicated is contemporary indie music with a rockish kick. Decendo is an instrumental combining evocative post-rock and riotous noisepop. There's a good mix of sounds and moods here and the music never gets dull. There's lots here to delight fans of various indie subgenres and even psychedelia. Hopefully there will be much more to follow this very enjoyable debut. More info at www.myspace.com/pastimerecordings and www.myspace.com/brightlightsbigzombie

ANDY B Letters Home CD (Pastime)
Second album from indiepop singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Andy B. There are songs here in the classic late 80s/early 90s indiepop style, as well as more sophisticated updates of that genre which include some effective use of violin, piano and flute. There's a kind of mod/freakbeat thing going on in So Screwed Up. Don't Tell Me It's True is melancholic indiepop that would have fit right in on Sarah Records in the early 90s. Not In This Lifetime is a great 80s-ish janglefest. Coma is a different version of a song by Andy's other project National Pastime; this recording is gutsy contemporary indie music which, unusually for this genre, also includes flute. Pastime Records has a lot of very impressive indiepop stuff going on, and fans of this genre would do well to check them out. More info at www.myspace.com/pastimerecordings and www.myspace.com/andybotterill

THE POND s/t CD (One Little Indian)
The Pond is Kathryn Williams' new project, also including former members of Fairground Attraction and The Dear Janes. Anyone expecting the music to sound like Kathryn Williams' previous recordings will be very surprised. Carved combines vintage soul, chilled-out beats, and spiky noisy guitar. Circle Round a Tree is sunny retro pop that even incorporates a touch of rap. The River combines Indian and Celtic influences with off-centre electronica. Pass Us By augments 60s-ish folky singer/songwriter stuff with a retro-futuristic synth. The Art of Doing Nothing combines brass and shimmering electronics with retro pop. Whilst Circle Round a Tree included The Pond's own playful take on rap, Bebop goes one further, featuring a guest appearance from an actual rapper (Kirsch). Hard Shoulder sets a vintage style torch song to a mixture of folky mandolin and classy brass. End of the Pier takes a song reminiscent of American folk-rock and throws in some spooky and weird mashed-up electronic sound effects. Aim is a slinky, sultry torch song reminiscent of James Bond movie themes, but not without the usual genre-blending aspects: bits of mariachi, vintage dance beats, folky accordion, and electronic burblings are also thrown in the mix. This is an intelligent and artistic album with wide appeal. There's enough classic pop and soul aspects to entertain a mainstream audience, but there's also a strong off-kilter, genre-hopping quality that is sure to delight underground music listeners. Really fantastic stuff. More info at www.indian.co.uk

LOVE AND HYMEN s/t CDR (self-released)
Love And Hymen is the latest project of Lisa Hammer, previously known for her work with Mors Syphilitica, and her solo album Dakini. Love And Hymen is something of a departure from both of those projects, but is no less impressive. The music here is basically powerpop, but with more originality than is the norm for that genre, and more willingness to incorporate aspects of other styles. Over the Moon includes some doom-laden gothic guitar, but is essentially a pop song, with a strong tune that stays in the head. Black Sheep is powerpop with the unusual addition of sitar. Tigress on a Train Moving Fast is an inventive mix of powerpop, vintage synth and atmospheric ba-ba-bas. Brother Sun has a frankly beautiful melody, the song itself sounding rather like psych-folk, but set to hard-hitting noisepop instrumentation. Mona Lisa Smile is on the darker side of dreampop. The Invisible Heart is strongly tuneful powerpop, but again with a difference: is that a melodica I hear? Monkey King sets an ethereal dreampop song to harsh noise guitar and unsettling gothic synth. Love is Not a Crime is excellent atmospheric noisepop, the song itself being along similar lines to Secret Shine during their dreampop/shoegaze incarnation, but with darker and heavier instrumentation. Finally there's the happy-go-lucky pop song Something Like Penguins, that adds brass and glockenspiel to its bouncy powerpop arrangement.
This CD isn't actually out yet; the band are still looking for a label and the songs may go through another remastering phase prior to their official release. I sincerely hope Love And Hymen find a label for this album, which is quite honestly a genuine masterpiece, loaded with strong melodies and well-crafted arrangements. Love And Hymen are a truly talented outfit that deserve a wide audience. More info at www.myspace.com/loveandhymen

CEWINEYE Acoustic Vibe (Citicat)
Cewineye is a duo comprising Angie and Johan Lindblad. Angie recorded some very fine demo material back in 2001 as Anji the Fay; two of those songs, Dolphins Play and Sailing with the Sun have been re-recorded for this brand new album Acoustic Vibe. Dolphins Play is a very lovely folk/pop number, the guitar on this version having quite a Spanish feel at times. In the Wink of an Eye is a different thing entirely, being harder-edged with elements of powerpop and 80s rock. Like a Bumblebee is playful retro pop. Acoustic Vibe combines romantic pop with flamenco. Golden Valley is beautiful acoustic folk-rock with atmospheric harmony vocals. Sailing with the Sun is predominantly acoustic pop with a very catchy melody. I Close My Eyes is melancholic, folk-tinged acoustic pop with more of that Spanish guitar. It seems to me that Cewineye have two distinct sounds, and ones that are likely to appeal to two completely different audiences. Some of their material seems inspired by the sort of soft rock and pop that was popular in the late 70s and 80s, and as such is a little too mainstream-influenced for my own taste. Yet Cewineye really shine on their more folky/acoustic material. Songs like Dolphins Play and Sailing with the Sun have really strong tunes that won't leave my brain days after listening to them. And fans of the now-burgeoning alternative folk scene simply cannot miss Golden Valley. For more info visit www.cewineye.com

THE MORRISONS Southern Soul CD (Pastime)
Southern Soul is the latest release from prolific old-school indiepop outfit The Morrisons. It brings together the three tracks from the CDR EP on Susy Records (see this issue's singles section for more on that) along with ten previously unreleased tracks recorded between 2005 and 2010. The Morrisons were originally around in the mid 80s, and some of the tracks here have their origins in this period. Out of the Blue and Town After Town were written in 1986/7 by the first line-up of The Morrisons, Captured in a Jar was written in the early 80s by members of The Morrisons' previous band Chapter 29, and Down to the River (from the Susy CDR) originated in another pre-Morrisons band called Jensen. Everything else here was written in the last few years, after The Morrisons re-formed, but it's all very much in the spirit of classic 80s indiepop.
You're a Fraud is bouncy, jangly indiepop straight out of that genre's heyday. The Man With Nothing Left is old-style indiepop meets American folk-rock (especially The Byrds). Captured in a Jar has a bleaker, less obviously indiepop feel than their usual material, clearly due to the fact that it was written before indiepop even existed as a genre. The band say the inspiration for this track came from Scott Walker's 60s solo albums. Town After Town is old-school indiepop in a similar style to Mighty Mighty. Dana's Diary is a melancholic song that previously appeared in a different version on The Morrisons' previous album Listen To The Morrisons.
This band's recent releases have restored my faith in indiepop, and prove that the genuine classic indiepop sound is still alive. Anyone nostalgic for real indiepop, unadulterated by commercialised so-called 'indie' music, really ought to check out The Morrisons. Visit www.freewebs.com/themorrisonsband and www.myspace.com/pastimerecordings

17 PYGMIES Even Celestina Gets The Blues (A Tale of Love and Quantum Physics) CD (Trakwerx)
A highly original album in terms of music and packaging. The factory-pressed CDR is packaged within a translucent metallic paper sleeve, which is in turn packaged within a gold-embossed sleeve held together by a wax seal, which is in turn packaged within an outer sleeve also containing metallic confetti. The CD also comes with a miniature handmade book, The Book of Celestina Part Three, written by multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist Jackson Del Rey. It's a bizarre science fiction story about a robot who feels human emotions, and is closely related to the title of the album itself. A great deal of effort has gone into this hand-assembled packaging, showing this band really care about what they do.
17 Pygmies have four band members, each playing a number of instruments, and are also joined here by 7 guest artists adding further vocals and instrumentation including oboe, cello and viola. The music is an innovative mix of spacerock, prog (I'm talking actual progressive music, not the mere excuse for self-indulgence exemplified by some of the genre's most famous representatives), folk, classical, and film soundtrack-like sound effects. Despite its avant garde aspects, it tends towards the strongly melodic, and features vocal sections from the very talented singer Meg Maryatt.
Celestina XXV has a very lovely folky melody and a dreamlike, psychedelic atmosphere. Celestina XXVII is an epic instrumental close to 10 minutes long, with much spacey electronic bleepery and odd sound effects, building up into a crescendo of dark, heavy spacerock, like a gothic version of Hawkwind. Celestina XXX sets a folk-tinged song to a mixture of ethereal drones and sophisticated orchestration. Celestina XXXI is a neoclassical piece with a waltz rhythm, based around classical guitar, cello, viola and glockenspiel. Celestina XXXIII.III is a fractured, deliberately lo-fi form of underground blues.
This is one of the most inventive albums I've heard for a while; taken as a whole it defies categorisation. The band are clearly doing their own thing outside of restrictive genre boundaries or the dictates of current fads, and this is something I really appreciate, especially when the music is this well-crafted. Available from www.trakwerx.com/label.htm

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