LOVERS BUGGERS AND THIEVES. Headpress.
Anyone familiar with Headpress or Critical Vision will probably know most of the contributing writers to this dazzling and hugely entertaining book. It basically consists of articles written about (mainly) fringe bands and artists. I say mainly because the fab four are here alongside Iggy and the Stooges, Lord Sutch, Skip Spence, The Monks, Charles Manson (yes, he cut some songs afore his career change), and Edgar Broughton. Also there's a look at Australian psychedelia and garage punk from the 60s, Mexican 'pop' and a fond look at The Bonzos. Andy Darlington, Rik Rawling. Martin Jones, and David Kerekes all give this book a must-have-more feel to it. It's one of those books you wish came in fifty volumes. The thrill of those early days when one 'discovered' the music 'scene' away from the top 40 and went around checking out vinyl covers and buying them on the strength of the wacky or strange designs - hell, that was half the fun! Anyways, that kind of early pioneering spirit is brought alive with many of the articles in here. After reading I began checking out many of the artists and bands, fantastic! It would be unfair to single out any particular article, so I'll just say that if you enjoy your music, and have experienced those early, halcyon days of venturing out into the world of 'proper' music, then this is well recommended. Excellent! (Dw)

SONIC RADIATION. The 121 Project. Iunknown Records. 7404400261
The press release says it all on the title lines that if you like the music of the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy then this is for you. Combining electronic/house/techno/trance into an 11 track score where the beats are very dancefloor friendly, these instrumentals are the work of Todd Last who has been inspired by Astral Projection and the Dallas club scene. Its an interesting concept to marry house music with the more intelligent dance music as normally the repetitive beat so necessary for house is usually the item least liked by those wishing to get away from the dancefloor. The opener sets the scene with Ready Set BOOM that in my mind follows a pattern of happy trance so loved by those with itchy dancefloor feet. Heat Flash is probably a little more akin to some of the less harsh moments of Hardfloor output, yet its still well within the required bpm rate. A typical house beat is heard on the next track and the following Shock Wave contains well-known spoken samples on another beat of similar tempo, but what is different is the distorted guitar riff. Ash Cloud is slower and more interesting and uses complementary riffs. Red Rain is perhaps more in the electronic category and Aftermath leans towards the techno category. The finale Dead Beat 121 starts in an ambient vein and slowly builds to the point where the beat leaps out of the speakers. This is Todd’s greatest moment on the CD and shows that he has the ability to make an impression. (Brooky)

T. Hallenbeck. Packrat
This is the third album from Hallenbeck and it can be neatly summed up as acoustic Folk. Not only that, but the multi-talented Hallenbeck writes the songs, sings and plays all the instruments. To finish off, the whole package was recorded, mixed and mastered by – well, you have a guess! The tracks are catchy with some clever lyrics, and the backing varied from stripped down to near orchestral. There is a sense of familiarity and sameness on a number of tracks but on the whole, if you like simple, well played folk then I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (Liam)

Earlymay. Little Answers. Mother West/PaperCup MW0069
Goodness me but this lot sent a shiver down my spine during the first track, ‘Shaping’. I thought I had been transported back to the early 80s and that I was in fact listening to a new U2 track from that era. Stunning stuff indeed. A fine layering of indie, pounding, stratospheric guitars, thumping good drum and bass and some rather fine harmonies combine to produce an exceptional EP. Plenty of energy abounds on all tracks and as I mentioned earlier, U2 are a major influence. Tracks that start quiet soon build up to a substantial wall of sound and leave you reeling, before returning to fine harmonies and classic indie rock. A wonderful EP. (Liam)

RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL. Septentrional. Din . DIN23
Some readers maybe wondering if composers ever get to the point where their inspiration runs out. Ian Boddy has been in the business for years and has released many albums in which he has skilfully edited arranged mixed and produced them. This new album is exactly the same and there is still an abundance of great melodies and instrumentals that are vaguely in the Tangerine Dream mould. Try the evocative sequences to be heard on the opener The First Cry, it commences with little structure but its not long before the beat and rhythms are formed onto which the melodies are delightfully placed. Concentrating only on the beat I realised that it is far more complex than most and is a long way from a repetitive standard like house. All five tracks are around the ten-minute duration so plenty of opportunity is not lost to explore the different textures and develop these into memorable instrumentals. The following Seven Sceptres For Sephulcrave has many different sections forming a whole where the contrast between these is very apparent. It has oriental sounding passages that evolve slowly out of pitch changes and then mellowed ambiences that lift the mood to the stratosphere. Just as you can view a hallmark on jewellery with the right equipment you can hear the quality on a hi-fi and its best when amplified to a point where the bass is very firm. Classic Tangerine Dream sequences can be found at the beginning of Trident but as soon as the beat breaks through it’s a very different sounding as the riffs are loud and purposeful. The tempo at this point is quite fast for this style of music and there are crescendos and quieter reflective passages that always involve the listener. The bass is deep and mean on Searching Septentrional Skies and again progressive techniques are used to build a full aural landscape that is perfectly balanced. This is probably my favourite out of the five. The finale The Last Laugh is a moving textured score that traverse the lighter and darker sides of electronic music and by the clever use of haunting themes that embed themselves in the mind of the listener, it maximises enjoyment. These slowly evolve into atmospheric ambience and subtle guitar passages and right at the end the last laugh is to be heard literally. Reviewing all the evidence this is yet another release that lives up to the fine contemporary electronica associated with this label. (Brooky)

BLOCK. Escape Velocity. Gears Of Sand.
The press release welcomes the reader to the prolific and virtuoso master of the digital synthesiser. I suppose its what’s expected to be written in the hope of attracting the reviewer to the album. Having lowered my expectations before playing the album, I began to realise that within a minute of hitting the start button that the press release may actually be right. With half a dozen tracks spanning only an hour I find myself slightly disappointed that it does not last longer as Jonathan Block certainly has a flair for operating the synth that forces the listener to become engrossed with these instrumentals. I did say synth and not synths as he only uses the one without any outboard effects which in these days is remarkable in itself. This is electronica in a standard well-known format that stays well within the boundaries of melodic music that’s just great to listen to. The title track is the opener and it’s a happy bouncy seven minutes instrumental that manages to tick all the correct musical boxes and is just gorgeous. I just want to keep increasing volume although the walls are starting to object. More classic sequenced riffs are to be heard on the following track that sounds as though they've been done many times before and yet there is no denying that it all makes this music even more magical. Easy listening that is also IDM (intelligent dance music) WOW! In/to has a slower tempo and is filled with choice melancholy riffs that ooze quality and the section towards the end that has the lovely electric piano type hook lines are really special. The long Orbits (over 25 min) is more ambient and therefore not bite size for those with short term attention spans, but is still very worthy of note as the music becomes more up-tempo with memorable hook lines after five or so minutes and then reverts back to ambient. After quarter of an hour the percussive beat and deep bass change the mood, as it becomes even more enthralling. At times you could be listening to Tangerine dream at their best or some of Ian Boddy's material although any thoughts of plagiarism are dismissed instantly. The finale Third Force is another instantly likeable instrumental that illustrates just how good this release is. There is a good range of time lengths available from less than five minutes to the best part of half an hour and not a duff track to be heard. It takes a lot to impress people who listen to a lot of music but Synthetic Block has achieved his aim and this is one reviewer who will return to this album on a frequent basis. (Brooky)

PERE UBU. The Modern Dance. Silverline/Cooking Vinyl.
Well, as you might well know, this is the album that our magazine derives its name. One of the main reasons was simple: the music on Ubu's classic debut consists of an amalgam of all kinds of styles and influences, and doesn't fit too well into any genre. There's rock, jazz, experimental, damn near everything - so it was a good name to use for the mag. Anyways, this album is definitely one of those that you must have in your collection. The bravery, nay, some would say cheek, of what the band were doing here was intensely satisfying. Tracks such as Street Waves, Humour Me, Chinese Radiation and Real World still sound stunning. The atmospheres of intercity roads, steel mills, industrial wastelands and those dark sinister corridors from David Lynch's Eraserhead permeate and combine to provide an album damn near peerless. The combinations of Tom Herman's meaty guitar and Tony Maimone's gutsy bass, Scott Krauss's effective drumming and Alan Ravenstine's ethereal synth all tied together with David (that's David) Thomas's unique vocals show how they got every track bang on. This new remastered release comes with a surround sound dvd so you can hear it even better. As I said, stunning album. (Dw)

VARIOUS. Nova Natura 2. Cosmicleaf. CLCD006
The first surprise was that this is released on a Greek label dealing with chill out/downtempo. In fact if you look at their website WWW.cosmicleaf.com you’ll find an amazing array of modern music to whet the appetite from IDM/experimental to Indie/Folk. My second thought was how interesting the opener by Minos (reconditos) was, but as usual I assumed that the next track couldn’t match that standard. I certainly wasn't prepared for the marvellous track by Not Drowning Waving. It’s a vocal but that should not put off serious listeners and with its spellbinding electronics and an exceptionally haunting string accompaniment that forces you to hit the repeat button immediately. It’s called the Cold and the Crackle the Arcane Trickster remix and is a must to be heard by followers of modern music. Turn the volume up on your hi-fi and wallow in its majesty. If that was not sufficient to guarantee a good review, the standard is again maintained with Side Liner Vs Will-O’-The-Wisp’s Soul Path which has a great beat despite still essentially being chill out and the strings add to the mood. By the time I reached Sparclin Coconuts by Batistatos, I knew I was well and truly hooked. I was starting to wonder when the quality would drop as the track by Zero Cult (Blur the original mix) was as good as anything previously heard. I could write about any of these tracks, but even the finale by Sunsaria (formerly “Psyburbia” recorded on Matsuri) has a very catch chorus line that leaves the mind humming and in between the electronics are beguiling. I for one will never ever think from now on that Greece and quality modern electronic music cannot stand proudly side by side. You must watch out for this label as it captures the style with amazing music. (Brooky)

LADERA VERDI. The Subliminal Laceration. Postdawn. PD005
On first glimpse of the rear cover of this CD it immediately becomes apparent that there are a lots of tracks, twenty three in all and so it becomes even more of a surprise that this release only has a playing time just in excess of thirty minutes. It’s all the work of Daniel Covert whose compositions are mainly electronic but a number use the guitar allowing plenty of electronica to boost the overall effect. My initial impression was that the tracks are far too short to get any pleasure from them and yet my curiosity was aroused by the way the textures and sounds being formed. This is much deeper and involved than any cursory glance would indicate. The mood changes from the rather sombre Time Collapsed Ocean Floating to the following reverb filled, menacing bass track entitled Devise Division (Dance Incomprehensive). Some tracks are very short an example being Escape Wooden Prison with a running time of 22 seconds, but the instrumental doesn’t even last for that long. Eon, Return From Comatose is one of the first to have a recognised melody but that again is a short piece. There is certainly little time to get bored with any section as it has moved on before you have had chance even realise it. It’s certainly mainly down tempo and some of the tracks like Bless Our Malformations contain very catchy guitar licks. Sounds of the jungle provide the backdrop for Reilian Black Seat along with distant voices. Compacion Nerviosa sounds like chants from a monastery on an ambient score that pulsate and yet there are really beautiful passages as heard of the 20th track Evolve Into Solitude. This is indeed a curiosity but a very good one at that. (Brooky)

VARIOUS. Audio Furniture. PAD
Downtempo and mean very deep bass, which is tempered to some extent with the coolest saxophone breaks and percussion to match is what is offered by the opening track to launch the PureAstrianDesign event. Held in a converted brewery down in London, this CD sets the backdrop for all the contemporary designs to hail from Austria. In an attempt to steer away from the typical stereotyping and present designs that are very challenging, the music score needed to be dynamic as well. So a collection of artists from differing genres and although not really household names, its the quality of the music that counts. So back to the opener by Lop Nor in which Eclipse sounds great on the contemporary hi-fi and is almost as comfy as those old slippers that are so much loved. The 2nd track by Zeebee offers slinky female vocals that are slightly breathy that almost makes the hairs on your neck stand up. Its quite a percussive piece with reggae dub overtones. Another track with vocals but entirely spoken this time is by Karl Moestl and features Pauline Marcelle and this reminds me a little of the Starseeds with it’s remarkably catchy sections containing snatches of various instruments all contributing to the chilled atmosphere. Shades Of Blue by Albanek starts in a very beguiling way with good bass and a kick drum that is prominent. The male vocals just simply add to the mood and the chorus is simply stunning. Stereotyp’s Stand Up is taken from a 12” single and is a fascinating insight on the correct way to produce a quality reggae based track. Perhaps the album gets a little too close to lounge music with the calypso soaked Avalon by Forms Of Plasticity, but this is soon rectified by a deep funky bass rhythm with spoken male lyrics and clever use of guitar and flute. Downtempo hip-hop and damn good at that has just been heard by the appropriately named Waxalutionists on Roll With The Punches. The finale by Mika is in two parts commencing with lo-fi vocals and high frequency distortion and then it becomes the most interesting of the album with the electronica coming to the fore on Right Place Right Time. With over 78 minutes exposure you’ll be a very hard taskmaster if this audio delight doesn’t stimulate the mind. (Brooky)

The Kieran Ridge Band. Nothing Left to Lose
TKRB have a fine mix of Blues, Country and Western and Rock and Roll. They do, at times, sound like a mellow Pogues, with shades of Bob Dylan and early Rolling Stones. The songs are not altogether the happiest, but then, neither is real life. The intensity of the 11 songs here range from full blown Rock to bare and stripped back to just a piano. The feel is very much American throughout, which you would expect, since they do come from the States. Difficult to know what to make of them really. They have moments of brilliance although overall the album will appeal mostly to those who like strong, dark Blues and Country. (Liam)

The Korgis. Unplugged. AngelAir SJPCD213
The Korgis roots go back to the late 70’s and Stackridge but over the past 25 years the band has enjoyed significant worldwide commercial success with hits such as “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” and “If I Had You”. This album was recorded with just the 3 main members, a few guitars and a synth (used sparingly). The harmonies and playing are actually quite breathtaking and makes these revisited tracks stand out . James Warren’s vocals have a breath and freshness that defies the fact that he is not a spring chicken any more. The stripped back effect has been excellently produced and it can be a shock to hear someone talking about a few of the tracks before they begin. There seems to be a mini-resurgence in the Korgis – they released a fresh new album last year. Ok, the Korgis may not be to everyone’s tastes but it does show that you can produce a clean, fresh sound with the bare minimum of equipment. (Liam)

HOME AND GARDEN. History And Geography. Exit Stencil Recordings.
I'm actually incredibly pleased with this issue, mainly because of two things. The first is that The Modern Dance (the album, not the mag) has been rereleased and is a belter. The second is that Home And Garden has as well. However, the cherry on the icing is that Home And Garden's album has been released with ten bonus tracks (and the album only originally had eight!). I think this is the first time it's been released on cd? Anyways, when Ubu split a few members drifted sideways and formed H&G, Scott Krauss, Tony Maimone and Jim Jones. Maimone's bass is significant here, it pounds and grabs and you can hear both Maimone and Krauss as a superb rhythm section, and Jones' guitar is as effective. What made the music different was the vocals of Jeff Morrison. Most of the tracks feature more spoken lyrics than sung, but for me back then (and even now) it works incredibly well. Like Ubu in their early days, they painted some incredibly rich and vivid musical landscapes, and it's the same here. The bonus tracks consist of sessions and an ep that's been long lost, combining an amazing 18 tracks. All the session tracks are unique, so basically it's like another album really. I remember years ago buying this on vinyl (still got it) and was really impressed and well chuffed as the band were an unknown quantity really. Yes, I knew that some of Ubu were here, and just hoped that the feel of what became the Cleveland sound would be here, and it is, although it's like a further extension of that sound. Not quite as industrial as Ubu, but it's there. An absolute essential purchase, especially with the added tracks. A belter. (Dw)

STRAY. Suicide (Sanctuary CMRCD 1384), Saturday Morning Pictures (CMRCD 1385) & Mudanzas (CMRCD 1386)
Stray remain one of those great forgotten bands of the early seventies. Despite a cult following and many concerts, including three consecutive appearances at the Reading festival, they never quite made it into the ‘premier league’ of rock acts like some of their contemporaries like say, Black Sabbath or The Groundhogs. True, they weren’t helped by their record company of the time who didn’t bother to promote them properly (no singles were released off their first album). But listening to these re-issues of their 2nd, 3rd & 4th albums, one can’t help thinking if they only had an Ozzy or a Robert Plant type frontman. Don’t get me wrong, the harmony vocals are very good, but would have benefited from a strong vocalist to give the songs an identity. All the above albums are worth checking out, but ‘Suicide’ is arguably the best of the three, containing some fine varied ‘prog’ rock including the Beatlesque ‘Dear Eloise’, ‘Do you miss me’ (very much like early Yes) and the title track which wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Black Sabbath album. Lets hope these re-issues do better than when they were originally released all those years ago – they certainly deserve to. (Polly)

DILLINGER. Cocaine In My Brain & DELROY WILSON. Better Must Come. Both on Trojan Records.
Dillinger probably had to change his name, it being Lester Bullocks! Anyways, born in Jamaica in 1953 and he began his career as a dj and imitating U Roy amongst others before his own style came through. Cocaine In My Brain is an interesting anthology, named after one of his best received albums (the follow up, Marijuana In My Brain less so). There's a really wide diversity of subjects that Dillinger sings about and the anthology does a decent job in gathering in a few of them. Delroy Wilson, slightly older, and more experienced (he was incredibly young when he cut his first single, and came under the tutelage of one Lee Perry. Again, this is an anthology (double cd as above), and the title track was adopted for a political party back in 1971, although at this time Wilson was teamed up with Bunny Lee. Perhaps slightly more political, Better Must Come is the stronger of the two anthologies, but they actually make a good team. Not a bad coupla cds. (RG Gold)

THE NICE. Everything As Nice As Mother Makes It. (Sanctuary CMEDD 1404)
Whilst their musical styles were different, the careers of Keith Emerson & the Nice were very similar to one of their contemporaries, Jimi Hendrix & the Experience. They both coexisted at exactly the same time (1967 -1970), both made just a handful of albums and both were led by a brilliant virtuoso. Hell, they even toured together! Unfortunately that’s where the similarity ends – as Jimi was about to choke on his own vomit, Emerson was busy forming ELP. The press blurb accompanying this fine compilation states that (The Nice) “was a truly seminal act, rather than just a nursery band for ELP” That maybe be so but to my ears they missed having a strong vocalist & songwriter – a Greg Lake infact !! Emerson (and the Nice’s) strength, apart from his brilliant musicianship, was to interpret his own arrangements of classical, jazz and musical scores. One being Leonard Bernstein’s ‘America’ which became a surprise top-twenty hit single and is included here along with a manic arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Rondo’ . Like Hendrix, there have been countless compilations of the relatively few tracks the band recorded. This is by far the best of them and is thoroughly recommended. (Polly)

GOASIA Vs OMEGAHERTZ. Purple Energy 2. Unicorn Music. UMCD011
It commences very quietly and the immediate thought is of another chill out release, with religious harmonisation accompaniment, but the essence of a beat suggests that it possess the potential to become much more uptempo. The track soon builds into a storming trance number but instead of being full on throughout the recording there are quieter interludes and the melody is very upbeat and consequently happy. What a great intro to this CD from Omegahertz with A Child From Another Planet! Goasia’s follows with Yin & Yang and it has a typical psy trance beat and all the usual accoutrements normally associated with this type of instrumental where the energy is contained within the beat. It then settles down to display its psy trance musical colours. It is almost a battle between both artists whose alternate tracks vied for max energy and attention. It does not hold back as this is no Euro-trance dancefloor excursion rather the much more involved serious stuff to pummel your ears. It’s quite relentless until the more progressive opening section of Spiritual Connection by Goasia, but don’t be fooled as the beat soon hits you and the familiar musical pattern erupts. Naturally with this style of music the tracks are quite long so you get over an hour to savour during the eight instrumentals. Sometimes the last track on this type of release is more chilled and although it may start that way, it soon develops into a powerful example of trance and yet the beat is curiously muted. It’s by Goasia and entitled Totem. High-energy trance followers will enjoy the last hour. (Brooky)

VARIOUS. Chill On Ice Second Edition. Cosmicleaf. CLCD01SE
From the quiet opening notes to the moment the beat appears on the first track there is a very strong and distinct impression that I am going to like this instrumental a lot. It reminds me of some of the better compositions by Jake Stephenson (ex Optic Eye etc). It has mellow passages, a very strong bass line and great hook lines. What is probably more surprising are the lead guitar passages that do not normally sit well within this style of music, but there is always a great exception to the rule. Chill On Ice is worth buying for Sardonia by MLT. More high quality chilled music is on offer with the following piece which is more percussive (kick drum especially) and electronic harmonisation that could be quite creepy and yet isn’t. D Batistatos performing In The Bottom Of The Ocean has all these and more. Even deeper bass notes are to be savoured at the start of the third that is simply entitled If. It’s a million miles from the Bread song with the same name, but Zero Cult offering is I suppose basically a chilled drum ‘n bass extravaganza. Another magnificent slab is the 7th track, which is just at the right tempo for humming and very different to the third although it’s by the same artist(s). This is without doubt the best of a very good bunch and I will be hearing P Ray frequently during the darker evenings. Omegahertz are behind the eighth piece as it goes oriental at the start and then becomes almost a rocker with great use of reverb. In fact there is such an amalgam of sounds on this instrumental including the flute, which is almost soloed at one point, and overtones of Middle Eastern sounds with the call to prayers. There is almost too much to take in on first hearing of Nostos the Vocal Edition. The gentle lapping of the waves sets the scene for note bending. These are normally abhorrent but used with care they fit perfectly and of course when the hook line starts its just right for the listener to be reeled into the musical paradise provided by the appropriately named Outer Heaven on Undo The Future. You’ll have probably gathered by now that this release is going into my pile that is reserved for favourites. (Brooky)

KING TUBBY. And Friends. & Meets Jacob Miller In A Tenement Dub. Both Motion Records.
Well, it's been some time since I had some decent dub, and it had to be Motion who delivered the goods. And Friends is a collection of cuts from 1974 through to 1978, arguably a 'classic' dub period. His friends on here range from Jacob Miller, John Holt, Lenny Marshall, Dennis Brown and The Skatelites. The two Jacob Miller cuts actually come from In A Tenement Dub, but that aside there's twelve other all given the Tubby treatment. One or two of the tracks are rich in moog sounds and effects, and others are the more old school type dub. Nothing else really needs to be added other than you need this album. In A Tenement Dub is a bit of a gem in that it was only initially a small run, and pressed with the wrong label. So, if you really do want to pay zillions, then get looking. If, on the other hand you want a cracking slab of synth-led dub, treated by good ol' Tubby, then check out this new release by Motion. Also, and rightly so, the sleevenotes go into great detail about the why's and wherefore's about the making of this lost, now found gem. (Dw)

HAWKWIND. Take Me To Your Future. Voiceprint.
As with any Hawkwind release, Hawkfans eagerly snap them up. There is no doubt that the true glory days of Hawkwind are behind us, and albums like Space Ritual, Warrior On The Edge Of Time and Hall Of The Mountain Grill will probably never be bettered. However, along the way they've come close and every album since has had reviews ranging from non essential to interesting to quite warm. Take Me To Your Future is certainly one that is made especially more collectable due to the additional video footage, and a couple of unique tracks. Okay, so the album is basically a sampler of forthcoming Hawkwind material (hence the title, geddit?). It's a double sided cd, one audio, and the flip is video. Again, the video material like the songs, is a mixed bag, and as I've said, they've cleverly added a few exclusives to justify the price (not exactly a full on price release anyway!). Not a bad one really. (Dw)

SURFACE 10. SURFACE TENSION. DIN. DIN24
Hailing from Southern California, Dean De Benedictis uses a style of music that does not form the usual structured methods that are expected in that part of the world. It all commences with a beautiful ambient piece entitled B2 Gigacosm. This is followed by Dawn which starts normally but after a minute I though thought that either my CD player or the CD itself was faulty as interrupted or repeated sounds were heard that are very reminiscent of a skipping CD. Thankfully it all sorts itself out to form recognised musical patterns. I was lulled into a false sense of security as he has a history of manipulating sounds in this way and likes to experiment within an intelligent framework whilst always keeping in mind that the role of an album is to bring music to the listener. No One Was Invited But Everyone Came is a great title and it reminds me of the music of the Andes in the background whilst eavesdropping on a conversation. The intriguing bass and the cymbals that don't follow a normal pattern all add to the complexity and its all held together by slow moving melodic hook lines that are gorgeous. There’s a lot to take in with this track and a couple of listens are just not sufficient. X Tension sounds familiar, Perhaps it's a little similar to early Rick Wakeman but the jazz style bass and other electronica make this instantly likeable although for some reason I wanted to dismiss it, but was unable to do so. Strange. Returning to true ambient on See You On The Other Side, the peaceful nature of the instrumental is the overriding aspect. If he has a sound style that predominates then its lush slow moving ambient as background onto which harsher electronica is applied, but its still quite a mellowed overall effect and one that I like a lot. Days Of Lovely Statistics start with spoken mathematics on a minimal electronic score and I started to think that the vocal component was going to last throughout the entire instrumental but of course my initial fears were unfounded and its a great piece with delightful use of reverb. The finale Only A World contains angelic harmonisation. A sign of a quality album like this is the way it encourages the listener to keep returning to the music long after something else stirs the imagination. (Brooky)

James Warren. Jim’s Easy Listening Album
James Warren is perhaps better know as the vocalist from The Korgis and, previous to that, Stackridge. This album started life in 1995 when Warren produced, for family and friends only, ‘Jim’s Special edition Easy Listening Album’ which has since become much sought after by fans. Pretty much a labour of love, with 17 tracks from the pen of Warren. It is, as it says on the tin, easy listening and certainly one that won’t tax the brain too much. Warren does have an impressive vocal quality and range that he puts to good use on a fair number of the tracks. There’s also a running theme throughout, based on love, whether good, bad or unrequited. I would say that one highlight is the original demo version of ‘Everyone’s Got to Learn Sometime’ which sounds quite breathtaking in it’s simplicity and gives no indication of it’s future hit potential. One for the true fans. (Liam)

Eric Anders. Tethered to the Ground
This is the third album from West Coast (USA) based Anders. I’ve not heard the previous two releases but I can certainly say that this is a breathtakingly beautiful album. It is almost orchestral in tone, with a vocal repertoire that seems at times to combine the gifted, literacy of Elvis Costello with the hypnotic emotion of Sinead O’Connor. Subtle and haunting, this just begs to be listened to, with the lights turned down and the brain turned on. The multi-layering of the arrangement just sends a shiver down the spine. It is beautiful and sad and dark and this guy should receive the accolades and recognition he so richly deserves. Not heard such a moving CD in a long while. (Liam)