(First published in Issue 112 of Electronic Sound magazine, April 2024)
DOROTHY MOSKOWITZ AND RETEP FOLO
The Afterlife
(Buried Treasure)
She was the voice of 1960s psychedelic pioneers The United States Of America. He is the Swedish synth maestro with a love of offbeat time signatures. And when they got together, it was⊠actually, rather wonderful. This virtual collaboration sees Moskowitz adding cautionary narration and floating harmonies to Peter Olof Franssonâs ecologically-minded soundscapes. âDare, dare to breathe the air before the air runs out,â she intones solemnly, amid the baleful guitars of âRunning Timeâ. âNo turning back before time runs outâ.
The highpoint comes with the five-part âBlack Hill Suiteâ, a seamless 13-minute montage. Moskowitz weaves Latin chants and the wide-eyed musings of her five-year-old grandson Boom into Franssonâs modular shards before Svante Sjöstedtâs chiming guitars lead us into the melodic uplands of âSleeping Hillsâ. And then the concluding title track: âThereâll be suns exploding here and away / And then all blackness and bleak, withdrawing into an abyss,â whispers Moskowitz, lending warmth and humanity to the infinite hereafter.Â
Album available here:
https://buriedtreasure.bandcamp.com/album/the-afterlife-cd
New 2025 version:
https://buriedtreasure.bandcamp.com/album/the-afterlife-2
RIDE
Interplay
(Wichita Recordings)
Thereâs an alluring alternate universe where Ride didnât split in 1996 and this is their 17th studio album. But maybe that two-decade breathing space was necessary for a bit of perspective? Interplay, the bandâs third album since their fruitful 2015 resurrection, is an album of very grown-up wistfulness. âThe feeling inside / Is a tension thatâs outside of time,â sigh Mark Gardener and Andy Bell in perfect unison on album opener âPeace Signâ. It is, apparently, about daredevil free climber Marc-AndrĂ© Leclerc, but it feels like a world-weary metaphor for the daily rock faces we all have to conquer.
Musically, itâs an album of charming curveballs, with Depeche Mode synths and U2 guitar flourishes throughout. âSunrise Chaserâ could even be Tears For Fears with Bhundu Boys guitars. And closer âYesterday Is Just A Songâ feels like Bell looking back on the bandâs turbulent history with a melancholy half-smile. âEveryoneâs got troubles of their own / Sometimes itâs too much but I donât stop livingâ. Itâs a touching conclusion to a delightfully bittersweet collection.
Album available here:
https://rideox4.bandcamp.com/album/interplay
THE TWELVE HOUR FOUNDATION
Compendium
(Disques Boum)
Boing! Plonk! Jez Butler and Polly Hulse create such authentically melodic tributes to the 1970s BBC Radiophonic Workshop that youâd be forgiven for thinking theyâd used a twangy ruler to summon the spirit of John Baker himself. This two-disc CD set assembles their 2018 album Tree Little Milk Egg Book And Other Non Sequiturs, 2020 follow-up Six Twenty Negative and a glut of EPs into one joyous whole. If you arenât listening to âMacaroni Cheeseâ with an ear-splitting, face-aching grin, hand in your Spangles and report for double detention on Tuesday.
Album available here:
https://thetwelvehourfoundation.bandcamp.com/album/thf-compendium
THE NIGHT MONITOR
Horror Of The Hexham Heads
(Library Of The Occult)
In 1976, BBC news programme Nationwide covered the story of the Hexham Heads, a brace of stone carvings unearthed from a Northumberland garden by two tank-topped brothers. Neil Scrivin retells this curious tale with typically Radiophonic relish. So the sinister synths of âBedroom Intruderâ are the (ahem) half-man, half-sheep creature that terrorised the boysâ neighbours, while the alarming ambience of âThe Doctor And The Werewolfâ is an homage to Dr Anne Ross, a specialist in Celtic carvings who investigated the case and was pursued by⊠well, you guessed it. Sheâs alright nooooow.
Album available here:
https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/album/horror-of-the-hexham-heads
VARIOUS ARTISTS
L SERIES #6
(Russian Library)
âJust past the house there was a patch where the crows donât goâ. So begins this intriguing mini-album. Ghost Box regular Justin Hopper lends deadpan narration to a spooky MR James tale, accompanied by the rustic stylings of label boss JoĂŁo Paulo Daniel in his guise as Folclore Impressionista. The overall theme? âThe spectrality of the gardenâ. So hiding behind the hydrangea is Frances âThe Hardy Treeâ Castle, adding wistful woodwind to âLily Of The Valleyâ, while âA Sea Educationâ is rustling, shadowy electronica from Jörg âFogroomâ Follert. A shadowy summerâs evening of a collection.
Album available here:
https://russianlibrary.bandcamp.com/album/l-series-6-justin-hopper-folclore-impressionista-the-hardy-tree-30-door-key-fogroom-nu-no-folclore-impressionista-dem-nio-ant-nio
IVAN THE TOLERABLE TRIO
Infinite Peace
(Stolen Body)
In May 2023, this unassuming trio decamped to Leedsâ ATA Studio with one mission â to create freeform psychedelic jazz in the spirit of Alice Coltrane or Sun Ra. Ten hours later, they emerged blinking with this immersive, improvised double album. From the sparse limbering of âHymnalâ onwards, Ben Hopkinsonâs mellifluous sax leads the way, while Oli Heffernanâs liquid guitars and Neil Turpinâs organic drums effortlessly fill the gaps. There are raga drones, actual Mellotrons and âHipnosisâ is their riotous ten-minute take on a vintage Archie Shepp riff. Nice.
Album available here:
https://ivanthetolerable.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-peace-2lp-dl-stolen-body-records-2024
Electronic Sound â âthe house magazine for plugged in people everywhereâ â is published monthly, and available here:
https://electronicsound.co.uk/
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