(First published in Issue 109 of Electronic Sound magazine, January 2024)

CULT OF WEDGE
Witchcraft In The Middle Of England
(Bandcamp)

The West Midlands boasts a proud tradition of luxuriantly hairy weirdies making glorious pop music. Roy Wood, ELO, Slade… to their number add Pete Hackett, whose Cult Of Wedge albums are joyous throwbacks to a time when Funny Feet lollies dripped unapologetically down parka sleeves. “In the event of my sudden death / After they bury me below the deck,” he sings on opening track ‘Enfield Poltergeist’, “You can sell my clothes and hat and scarves / But don’t ditch my records or my guitars…”

This heady combination of classic pop and melancholy morbidity pervades the whole splendid shebang, with the suburban occultism of the title track even sounding like peak-era Wings. It’s an album of Sparks keyboards, Ringo drumfills, jingly-jangly guitars and basslines that go “plink”, and Hackett is defiant in his retro obsession.  “Don’t tell me to grow up, I can act like a child if I want,” he sings on ‘Born In The 70s’. “I just can’t understand why you don’t sell Strawberry Wagon Wheels in this shop”. Quite.

Album available here:
https://cultofwedge.bandcamp.com/album/witchcraft-in-the-middle-of-england

ALEXANDER R CARGILL ESQ
Bromham
(Woodford Halse)

Bromham? A picturesque Wiltshire village boasting a bowls club, a 13th century church and – as of now – a rather beautiful musical homage from Alex Cargill, the artist formerly known as The Central Office Of Information. Cargill’s family history is celebrated throughout, sometimes literally. ‘The Oldest Man In The Village’ is his 104-year-old Great Uncle Ivor, whose cryptic spoken contribution (“My secret to a long and happy life…”) is embedded into a rumble of woozy synths.

Meanwhile, ‘Thisledo’ (the name of Cargill’s great-grandparents’ tumbledown cottage) is a Boards of Canada-style daydream, and ‘48 New Road’ (his grandparents’ house) sounds like a battered Wurlitzer organ rising from the floor of Bromham Social Centre. An institution Cargill also honours, this time with Test Card electronica and skittering beats. And to conclude? ‘Bromham Carnival Queen, 1967’ employs somnambulant Pink Floyd guitars in tribute to the proud holder of said title – Cargill’s mother, Linda. It’s the conclusion to a wistfully charming celebration of fading childhood memories.
 
Album available here:
https://coi-woodfordhalse.bandcamp.com/album/wf-85-bromham

STELLARAYS
Winter Resort Music
(Castles In Space)

There’s an impossibly dark shadow hanging over this impeccable collection. Stellarays main man Bruno de Sousa died in March 2023, aged only 50. This wonderfully-realised tribute to the heyday of sophisticated Easy Listening, recorded during his final months, has been released with the blessing of his partner and bandmate Corinna and is the first of three planned posthumous albums on Castles In Space.  

And what a glorious collection it is. The focus is firmly on the après-ski, with the likes of ‘Futuristic Toboggan’ and ‘The Chalet Cafeteria’ combining exquisite synth melodies with Bontempi beats. Think Jean-Jacques Perrey on the Cinnamon Schnapps. ‘Winter Love’ is a genuinely touching seduction, all snaking woodwind and vinyl crackles. There are darker moments too, with both ‘Ski Documentary Theme’ and ‘VHS Avalanche Film Crew’ heralding ominous rumblings in the mountains. But all told, it’s a crackling log fire of an album on a freezing day – and a heartwarming celebration of Bruno de Sousa’s talents. 

Album available here:
https://stellarays-cis.bandcamp.com/album/winter-resort-music

THE HOME CURRENT
Weekend Shark
(Modern Aviation)

Luxembourg-based Dane Martin Jensen claims no overall concept for this splendid collection of melodic grooves. But it feels like a celebration of the weekend itself, and – indeed – of the club and comedown culture of his youth. ‘Ghostkicks’ boasts Cafe Del Mar strings and squelchy synths, ‘The Sugar Sea’ adds irresistibly funky bongos to filthy fuzz bass. The title track, meanwhile, starts like eight-bit chiptune and ends with head-thumping beats and chants, a timely reminder that even the most delirious of weekends can leave some pretty nasty bite marks. 

Album available here:
https://musiqueparavion.bandcamp.com/album/weekend-shark

CAT TYSON HUGHES
Roses In The Casement Window
(Quiet Details)

“Childhood imagination and having the chance to live the simplest childhood dreams as an adult”. Such are the inspirations behind this soothing ambient collection from an Australian composer whose formative years, we assume, were spent in bucolic stillness. The title track mixes distant birdsong with softly-breathing drones, ‘Another Daylight’ adds layers of wordless, ethereal vocals from both Hughes and LA-based producer Cynthia ‘Marine Eyes’ Bernard. An album for anyone who ever drew pictures in the air with their fingers as the mantelpiece clock ticked away a silent Tuesday afternoon. 

Album available here:
https://quietdetails.bandcamp.com/album/roses-in-the-casement-window

Electronic Sound – “the house magazine for plugged in people everywhere” – is published monthly, and available here:
https://electronicsound.co.uk/

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