Brocken Spectre - Interference Overhead / Fireworks Thrower

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings. TOR077. 2020.

01 Interference Overhead

02 Fireworks Thrower

Stephen Benson - Guitars & Bass.

Marc Gillen - Guitars & Vocals.

Steve Orchiton - Drums.

Recorded at Scott's Self Storage, September 2020.

Mixed and mastered by Jonathan Sharp, October 2020.

TOR077.

Various Artists - Esoterica Britannica X

 

Fan made compilation 2020.

01 Burial - Night Bus

02 The Chemical Brothers - Hanna's Theme

03 Damon Albarn - Apple Carts

04 Broadcast - Man is Not a Bird

05 Cate Le Bon - Shoeing the Bones

06 Mica Levi - Lonely Void

07 White Noise - Your Hidden Dreams

08 The Bonzo Dog Band - Quiet Talks and Summer Walks

09 Super Furry Animals - Ymaelodi A'r Ymylon

10 Mount Vernon Arts Lab - Warminister 4

11 Gwenno - Daromres Y'n Howl

12 Radiohead - Burn the Witch

13 Jocelyn Pook - Masked Ball (Extended Mix)

14 Richard Dawson - Ogre

15 The Raincoats - Only Loved at Night

16 Micahu and the Shapes - Eat Your Heart

17 Wreckless Eric - Lureland

18 Swell Maps - The Stars Are Like An Avalanche

19 Boards Of Canada - The Colour of the Fire

20 Cate Le Bon - The Eiggy Sea

21 The Fall - To NK Roachment- Yarbles

22 Pink Floyd - Jugband Blues

Friend David has provided us with a new installment of the Esoterica Britannica series.

Messol featuring Eleanor Servanté - Battle of Black Beck / Faint Lines

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings TOR076. 2020.

01 Battle of Black Beck

02 Faint Lines

Marc Gillen: Guitars, keyboards and sounds.

with Eleanor Servanté: Vocals.

Words by Marc Gillen.

Recorded at home, August - September 2020.

Mixed and arranged by Alastair Popple at the Kitchen Sync.

Photography by Marc Gillen.

"Messol is a new project for me, the idea being I write a song, ask someone to sing it, use it as an A-side. Then I write a B-side, maybe an instrumental or a little experiment, then put it out as a single. Repeat and fade, maybe one day if I get a few done it will make for a cool wonky mixtape.

If I'm really lucky different singers will sing the songs and bring something to the words and melody that goes places I would not. A chance to see what opens up. It's always fascinating to hear someone sing your words, collaboration is a beautiful thing.

I am thrilled that Eleanor Servanté agreed to sing on these two tracks; after hearing the wonderful 'Distaff Lines', I knew I wanted Eleanor to sing 'Battle of Black Beck', which I wrote three years ago and it was going to be a Mystery Spring song, but it always seemed to slip away quietly. It was always the odd one out. Three years of roaming and now Eleanor has given it a home."

Tír na nÓg ‎– Tir Na Nog

 

Chrysalis 1971

01 Time Is Like A Promise

02 Mariner Blues

03 Daisy Lady

04 Tir Na Nog

05 Aberdeen Angus

06 Looking Up

07 Boat Song

08 Our Love Will Not Decay

09 Hey Friend

10 Dance Of Years

11 Live A Day

12 Piccadilly

13 Dante

Haven'y had any psych / acid folk in a while. Here's the debut by Tir Na Nog; progressive Irish folk and one of the originators of the alternate folk movement. 

I was listening to this while working on a project concerning the Lammas Night Laments series. Hopefully that will see fruition in the next few months. 

Various Artists - From Czech Electronic Music Studios

 

Supraphon 1974

01 Zbyněk Vostřák - Scales Of Light
02 Miloslav Ištvan - Isle Of Toys
03 Václav Kučera - Two Parts From The Kinetic Ballet 2) The Labyrinth
04 Václav Kučera - Two Parts From The Kinetic Ballet 3) The Spiral

For anyone that is interested; here is a tasty slice of Czech Musique Concrète.

Manfred Hubler and Sigi Schwab - Vampyros Lesbos Sexadelic Dance Party

 

Crippled Dick Hot Wax 1995

01 Droge CX 9
02 The Lions and the Cucumber

03 There's No Satisfaction

04 Dedicated to Love

05 People's Playground (Version A)

06 We Don't Care

07 People's Playground (Version B)

08 The Ballad of a Fair Singer

09 Necronomania

10 Kamasutra

11 The Message

12 Shindai Lovers

13 The Six Wisdoms of Aspasia

14 Countdown to Nowhere

During the initial lockdown of March to June 2020, I embarked on several film seasons; some with friends, some alone.

One of the most fun was the films of Jess Franco, specifically with the late actress Soledad Miranda.

While watching the seminal 1970 classic 'Vampiros Lesbos', I remembered how wonderful the soundtrack by Manfred Hubler and Sigi Schwab was.

Parts of the soundtrack were used in other Franco films, notably 'She Killed In Ecstasy' and 'Eugenie de Sade'.

The soundtrack wasn't issued at the time of the films release and this Crippled Dick Hot Wax pressing comes from 1995.

James Blackshaw - Miscellania

 

Self made compilation 2017

01 No Ghosts
02 River of Heaven
03 Spiralling Skeleton Memorial (Live)
04 The Broken Hourglass
05 Cross
06 Are You Alright? (Chump Change)
07 Between Tides

Here's a round up of hard to find, non album Blackshaw tracks. Makes for a good 30 minute EP. The tracks are from:

No Ghosts - taken from the Various Artists album 'Gold Leaf Branches', Digitalis Recordings, 2005.

River of Heaven - taken from the Various Artists album 'Imaginational Anthem (Volume Two)', Tompkins Square, 2005.

Spiralling Skeleton Memorial - taken from the Various Artists album 'A Raga For Peter Walker', Tompkins Square, 2005.

The Broken Hourglass - taken from the Various Artists album 'The Garden of Forking Paths', Important Records, 2008.

Cross - taken from the Various Artists album 'Young God Amazon Sampler',  Young God Records, 2010.

Are You Alright? (Chump Change) - by Blackshaw, Wood, Wood & Tomlinson. Taken from the Various Artists album 'Benefit For The Recovery In Japan', Antiopic, 2011.

Between Tides - by Roger Eno, remix and collaboration with Blackshaw. Released on 'Greater Lengths', All Saints, 2014.