THE RIVER - Oneiric Dirges In Mono (demo)
An apt title for this Croydon based doom trio who have
taken downtuned, rumbling guitars into a new dimension.
The otherworldy vocals of Vicky add a counterbalance to
the epicus doomicus metalicus sound that creeps slowly
from the speakers, with the ten minute 'Amber' lending
itself to the status of "oh shit, that hurts".
But in a good way. If doom and sludge are your thing,
it really doesn't get much better than this. Awesome.
THE GATES OF SLUMBER - The Judge / Stitched Back From
Death (demo)
A trio from Indianapolis, TGOS are another doom outfit
shaping up to make a name for themselves. Drawing on the
classic influences of Saint
Vitus, Black Sabbath etc, this two tracker rivals The
River in promise.
From
the Black Sabbath influenced cover on in, this is fabulous
stuff indeed. There are hints of Celtic Frost lurking
within the grooves, especially on "Stitched Back
From Death", and if they can use this as a jumping
off point, there's promise galore. It took them 3 years
to put these 2 tracks out. Let's hope for more soon.
slumberingsouls@yahoo.co.uk
thegatesofslumber@yahoo.com
THE MEADOWS - demo
Recent arrivals on the Edinburgh music scene, The Meadows
have put 3 tracks together as a first step on the road
to stardom. But there's good news and there's bad news.
SO lets do the good news first.
They have a very powerful grasp on the notion of melodic
songwriting, and if they can continue to focus, there's
a mass market out there for there slightly retro mix of
mid-eighties U2 and jangle rock. The jangle may have to
go, but after all, if Elbow and Longview can get record
deals.
The second track on this 3-tracker "The Story So
Far" exemplifies the potential that is lurking within.
About two thirds of the way in, the performance, the song
and the vocals all work together, and the world seems
a better place.
Which brings us to the bad. Although this was recorded
live in the studio, the vocals have a tendency to drag
things down. They're very one-dimensional and poorly paced.
Nothing that some hard work can't fix, but they need to
be brought up to the same level as the songs. As I mentioned,
there are moments when it works, and some hard work could
pay off.
rayomkenny@hotmail.com
scotty_mcjimbo@hotmail.com
PETER LACEY - Anderida
In my review of ‘Thru a Glass Brightly’, his second release
I wrote that Peter Lacey transports us back to a world
where the dawning of a new technological age inspired
the recording of seminal works like The Beach Boys 'Pet
Sounds'.
Well, the opening track ‘Love’, based on a 16th century
prayer where Peter is accompanied by Jon Fielder on harpsichord
, bass and strings continues the homage to Brian Wilson
and co. ‘Chime In’ is the perfect companion akin to plainsong,
a sort of Gregorian chant perhaps. In complete contrast
‘Motorvation’ is the only ‘rocker’ on the CD with its
irresistibly infectious chorus and a curious slightly
out of tune bass and guitar. There is so much more than
the Beach Boys on this album. ‘September’ is a glorious,
achingly poignant song of lost love, a kind of leitmotif
returned to on the bluesy marvel ‘The Great Hurt’. There
are two instrumentals, ‘Zephyr’ which would not be out
of place in that Beach Boys session and a BBC radio take
‘Freewheelin’ with its Booker T & the MGs feel with
Fielder on Hammond organ this time. ‘The Silver Lady’
is another ‘live’ track that transports us back to a time
when ladies wore long beads and did the Charleston. Peter
is accompanied by the aptly named Palm Court Trio of double
bass, drums and clarinet. Peter is a skilful storyteller
as this track demonstrates and his lyrics are both poetic
and impressionistic. A rich melodic lush carpet of sound
is produced that leaves you scratching your head that
one guy could have produced most of this by himself. I
have heard Peter described as a ‘master painter’ and ‘one
of the best kept secrets of British pop’. Touché! ‘Anderida’
is destined to be one of 2003’s most memorable musical
accomplishments.
www.pinkhedgehog.com
(Pink Hedgehog Records SMILE 5)
(reviewed
by Phil Jackson)
Anderida is Peter's third album. The title refers to the
name given by the Romans, to the giant forest that stretched
from the east coast of England across Kent, Sussex and
into Hampshire. Looking north from the Downs, all you'd
see were trees. Roads, settlements, villages and towns
were created over the centuries, and where Peter lives
is part of all that. Peter loved the idea that it was
all once a density of trees, and this became the concept
and theme of his new album.
