The Bubblemen – The Bubblemen Are Coming!

You wish you were a Bubbleman, you wish, you wish, you wish.

The Bubblemen Are Coming! is a 12" single put out by, well, The Bubblemen, obviously, back in 1988 on Beggars Banquet, Vertigo, and RCA. Of course, unless you are like Ygritte's version of Jon Snow and know nothing, you probably know that The Bubblemen are none other than Love and Rockets. I mean, if you've ever paid any attention to the latter, then you'll probably pick up on David J's voice pretty quickly on "The Bubblemen Are Coming!" And, given that this release is, as of this writing, twenty-six years old, well, I don't think it's any big secret anymore that this little ditty was a side project of Love And Rockets--if it ever even was a secret in the first place.

The A-side begins, oddly enough, with an echoing, hollow, bubbly sounding synth that sort of seems like it could be approaching the listener--are the Bubblemen really coming? Watch out! After a bit of wishful choral thinking, the fun begins. This song is obviously Love and Rockets goofing around a bit for sure, but it's a snazzy little snappy number--fans of Love and Rockets can sort of understand, I'd reckon, how the group might not have felt this song would fit into their typical releases.

Not really synth-pop, even with the blippy snippets of arcade sounding synth bits (or maybe they're processed percussion samples--or a bit of both), this is more what I'd probably want to call "alternative pop-rock" with a playful edge. I mean, we've got a jazzy sounding bass line, some swinging percussion, and Daniel Ash's right rippin' guitar parts. How this ended up classified as "hip hop" and "electronic" on Discogs I'll never know. But, hey, go for a whirl.

The costumes that Love and Rockets don in order to become their Bubblemen alter egos get likened to bees--although, they are the happiest looking bees I've ever seen, but I bet it's probably the stripes and antennae--and this might go some way to explaining the B-side of this record, which probably gets played only slightly more often than the "Absolute Elsewhere" B-side of Coil's How To Destroy Angels. It's called, oddly enough, "B Side" and is three minutes and forty-seven seconds of the sound of bees buzzing around. Those clever punters.

The Bubblemen Are Coming! is a fun little release, bees and all, sure, that I'm glad Love and Rockets took the time to put out: it never fails to bring a smile to my face or put a little groove in my move. I give it a solid seven and a half ears out of ten.

This release on Discogs.

Interested listeners can find the actual video for The Bubblemen Are Coming on YouTube and can hear the full length version on Grooveshark.

William S. Burroughs + Gus Van Sant ‎– Millions Of Images

This translucent red vinyl version of the 45 released in 1990 by Singles Only Label (SOL) features two of the four tracks from the 1985 12" The Elvis of Letters put out by William S. Burroughs and Gus Van Sant, "Millions of Images" and "The Hipster Be-bop Junkie." Fun fact: SOL was co-founded by none other than Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould!

Well, if you like Burroughs' baritone drone-like voice, then you'll probably enjoy these tracks. If you hate Burroughs' vocal delivery, well, you'll probably not like these tracks very much. And if you're indifferent to Burroughs' voice, but enjoy some swinging jazzy acoustic guitar type noodling, then you might well love these tracks!

The guitar work on these songs--at least the guitar as called "word guitar"--is provided by one Doug Cooeyate (as credited on the sleeve) and is absolutely lovely! It really goes a long way to making these tracks delightful to listen to and seems to complement Burroughs' vocals extremely well. A spacey sort of airy sounding layered surf jam, well, more or less. Van Sant is credited with "music" on this release, so maybe he plays some guitar as well? Since I'm not really familiar with what "word guitar" is supposed to be, it is difficult for me to distinguish what may or may not be played by Cooeyate.

Let's simply put it like this: the guitar on these tracks is a pleasure to hear and makes these songs great to listen to.

"Millions of Images" is a more or less straight forward sounding track. Sure, some of the guitar tracks are processed with some effects--a bit of reverb, probably, some delay here and there--and perhaps some of the arrangement is a little avant-garde, but I wouldn't say there is a whole lot of "experimentalism" going on in this particular piece. It's simply some really good music with Burroughs' narrated lyrics. "The Hippster Be-bop Junkie," on the other hand, while still very recognizable as a more traditional sounding "song" goes a bit more into experimentalism via manipulations of Burroughs' voice tracks along with a more distinct avant-garde approach to the resulting sound of these manipulations.

This is a great little 45 to throw on now and then for some swingingly mellow avant-garde listening. I enjoy Burroughs' voice and, again, the guitar work on these songs is really great. I give this release eight ears out of ten.

This release on Discogs.

Interested listeners can find a video for Millions of Images on YouTube and hear The Hipster Be-bop Junkie at Grooveshark.

HÖH / Current 93 ‎– Crowleymass

Don't give us no sass or we'll kick your ass 'cause we're the heralds of Crowleymass.

Crowleymass is a 12" single released back in 1987 on Maldoror, an early label of Current 93's (not to be confused with a more recent manifestation of a different label by the same name), in an edition of 2,000 copies. It is a product of the combined efforts of Current 93 and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson. This record was also rereleased in 1997 as a CD maxi-single on David Tibet's Durtro label and includes a fourth bonus track.

I neither own nor have heard every Current 93 release--there are many--but, from what I am familiar with, this single is somewhat of an anomaly in terms of the more typical output of Current 93. Released in the dawning of the late eighties, it certainly sounds like a product of its time. This is, of course, not a bad thing if you enjoy that eighties synth-pop, hip-hop influenced dance sort of stuff.

Yes, I do mean "hip hop influenced": the vocals of the two songs on this three song 12" are delivered in that sort of rap-like style that some people were doing in the late eighties. Certainly the musical arrangement, drum machine programming, and possibly the editing go a fair bit of the way to creating that seeming sort of delivery, but, to me anyway, they definitely have that style.

The fuzzed out chorus effected guitar sound in the third song, "Crowleymass (Mix Mix Mix)" reminds this listener of Killing Joke or Love and Rockets, and the riff itself seems somewhat similar to the latter's "The Dog-End Of A Day Gone By," from Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven, which came out in 1986. So, yes, this release does seem to be drawing from the (somewhat?) successful sounds of other eighties "alternative" bands and is perhaps an attempt to create a more listener friendly and danceable set of tracks--maybe to garner a wider audience for Current 93 or at least get something out there that could be played in the clubs.

In itself this is quite a feat considering it is still David Tibet's distinct voice and delivery regarding what is generally typical Current 93 subject matter. If we threw in some deep bass vocal samples going "Oh Yeah!" or "yeah, yeah, yeah!" here and there the whole package would have possibly been a complete club success. But they left that sort of thing out and instead opted for some absolutely beautiful backing vocals delivered by Rose McDowall whose voice is entirely a slice of heaven for sure. Hands down, her vocals elevate any song they appear on: always hauntingly pure delight.

For consisting of tracks that are well outside the usual Current 93 fare, this is a very fun release, entirely listenable, and definitely an example of classic eighties alternative synth-pop. It's not like I've been to lots of "retro eighties goth industrial bat cave" nights at clubs, but I'm kind of surprised that this release isn't in a higher rotation at these sorts of events that I have been to. Indeed, I'm not sure I've ever heard any of the tracks on this record played at such a night, but, in my opinion, it could easily be right there with Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead" as far as goth anthems go--I mean, geez, it's about Aleister Crowley, ferchrisakes, and next to vampires the definitive witchy "Beast" of last century ought to have at least some memetic traction amongst those inclined to darker things.

Or maybe I'm merely mistaken and this release is more well known amongst that sort of crowd than I am currently aware. I'm simply too square to be that hip.

Anyway, an enjoyable effort that'll fit right into any playlist of an eighties synth-pop sort of mix, sure. I give Crowleymass seven and a half ears out of ten. Now go put on some dark (like all black) colours, maybe some really pale foundation and black eyeliner, and dance, dance, dance--but, y'know, in a subdued and saddened melancholic expression of inner turmoil and angst.

This release at Discogs.

Interested listeners can find the A-side version of Crowleymass on YouTube.

It isn't Crowley that rhymes with foully, blech.

Sleep Research Facility ‎– Nostromo

Remember all that tense and eerie creeping around through that hulking spacecraft in the original Alien movie? Well, Sleep Research Facility wants to take you on a tour of that same ship--going deep into its bowels, with hardly any light, as intense and ominous as any scene with Ripley skulking through the vastness of the Nostromo's interiour spaces. Yes, welcome aboard, all hands on deck.

This 2007 CD is a reissue of Sleep Research_Facility's limited edition 2001 debut CD on Cold Spring Records (original pressing run was 1000 copies). It adds one more track, "Narcissus," to its original five track--A-Deck to E-Deck--playlist, which is a delightful bonus because this initial effort from SR_F definitely leaves this listener wanting more.

The tracks on this disc are dark and deep with an emphasis on lower end frequencies. At times it will shake your walls even at a moderate volume and I can only imagine what listening to it with a proper 2.1 setup would be like: intense. Depending on the track, the bass frequencies provide anything from a slowly pulsating rhythm to a steady background drone. This easily captures what it might be like--in the imagination, anyway--to be wandering around on a spaceship powered by some kind of nuclear fusion reactor, and not to mention readily bringing to mind the feeling of drifting through the seemingly boundless void of outer space.

Soundscapes unwind slowly on Nostromo. This is an exercise in experimental, dark ambience, yes, but there definitely seems to be a meditative aspect to these recordings as well. Put this on through some headphones, get comfortable, breathe deeply and regularly, and I'm pretty sure you'll be successfully transported into some strange interiour landscapes. The pacing is sedate but not dull. Tracks unfold with drawn out sounds, pulsing tones, minimalist pondering synths, and healthy doses of skillfully dialled reverb. At times there is a palpable sense of dismal foreboding.

But it's not all droning electronica and throbbing bass frequencies. On several tracks there are "glitch" type elements recontextualized from glitch's more (at times) upbeat approach and frequent drum and bass sort of sensibilities. In other words, the glitch sounds heard on Nostromo fit in well with the overall vast glacial textures and serve to remind us that perhaps we really are part of a doomed crew's terminal voyage.

Glitchy or otherwise "abrasive" sounds add subtle layers of more "noise" oriented experimentalism into some of the tracks, but without going anywhere near overdriven, difficult to listen to cacophony or "wall of sound" type audio escapades. All the noisy goodness sits well balanced within the greater context of the dark, cavernous, slow moving soundscapes, and certainly serves the conceptual side of the endeavour.

As of this review, Nostromo has only been released on compact disc. The CD itself comes in a regular jewel case with a clear insert tray. Removing the disc reveals a slick schematic style drawing of the Nostromo as seen from the rear, and the disc itself has a similar style drawing done from a top-down perspective. There is a booklet insert with suitably dark and minimal artwork gracing its pages. On the rear cover of the booklet thanks is given to Ridley Scott (as "R. Scott") "…whose work continues to inspire."

Nostromo is an excellent exploration in experimental dark ambience, and I highly recommend Sleep Research Facility's work here: it's fucking awesome. This release gets nine and a half ears out of ten.

This release on Discogs.

Interested listeners can even find "A-Deck" on YouTube (albeit, of course, with YouTube's severely compressed audio, which, in my opinion, does not quite do the piece justice, but it'll definitely give you a decent taste).

Colin Potter – Two Nights

Inside the included plastic sleeve.

Originally released on cassette in 1981, this effort is Colin Potter's first attempt at recording a "live" performance.  Each side is its own piece, each of which was recorded on one of two successive nights in his studio in a single take and presented unedited, as is (see the liner notes image below). The long out of print cassette was recently rereleased by Deep Distance Recordings in a limited run of 500 pressings on split green and red vinyl.

First thing to note about the release is the absolutely gorgeous packaging. The record is housed in a die-cut 'cones' sleeve which allows light to shine through the transparent green/red vinyl. It looks absolutely stunning when held up in front of a light source, and the picture here does not really do it full justice.

Out of the sleeve, in front of the light.

The recording itself falls under the "electronic" genre of music, although there is plenty of effects processed guitar amongst the sounds of sequencer programmed synthesizers and the mechanical beating of a drum machine. The material has been further classified as "Abstract," "Noise," "Minimal," and "Experimental" according to the Discogs release information of the original cassette.

I would say that this recording is not really "noise," as there is definitely harmony and readily noticeable distinct instruments playing structured individual parts. "Abstract" and "experimental," sure, why not, but I would perhaps even balk at calling it "minimal" as there is definitely a "fuller" sound stage much of the time with at least a few instruments frequently adding their individual voices to the mix.

Oh so pretty.

I would also say, given the somewhat repetitive nature of the programming, this could possibly fall into a "drone" sub-categorization, but perhaps the more (at times) frenetic guitar work might keep it from being heard as such.

Speaking of which, and as Potter notes himself in the insert, there are times when the guitar work goes a little astray--with the occasional, but seemingly rare, "bum notes"--however, overall, it fits in very well with the gurgling, buzzing, and/or droning synth parts and keeps pretty good time with the pulsing drum machine. If these were more or less  "impromptu" recordings, then I'd say that Potter has done more than a fine job at creating nicely layered pieces that have a fair bit of variety while at the same time relying on a core of more or less straightforward step sequencer programmed parts. It seems to me that in this aspect the guitar really carries the driving force of the pieces, lifting them out of mechanical sounding repetitiveness, and, again, easily pushes these recordings outside of a  simply "minimal" sound.

5" x 5" Insert

Overall, this is a fun and easy recording to listen to. There is enough structure and variation in the parts to keep these pieces moving along at a fair pace balanced with enough repetitiveness and drawn out synth notes to give the pieces hints of a more droning oriented sound. Both sides are ready compliments to one and other--Potter seemingly choosing to use the gear that he had available to create "Two Nights" of self-smilar recordings.

Rotating and ready to go on the RP1.

As far as quality goes, and since I bought this brand new I feel I can reasonably mention this, there is some small amount of "surface noise" at times in terms of occasional "pops" and "clicks." I have found this is sometimes the case with small run indy pressed releases and is certainly part and parcel of the whole "vinyl listening experience." That said, some of these "pops" could also be attributable in part to static on the record as my copy seems to have gathered itself a pretty high amount of charge, heh. Other than that, this pressing sounds great and is, as far as I know, a faithful representation of the original.

As Potter went on to frequently work with the "experimental" legend Nurse With Wound (among others), it seems to me this set of two pieces is at least worth having with regards to placing Potter's work in a more historical context: it's a sort of "origins issue," if you will. With this in mind, I give this record eight ears out of ten.

This release on Discogs.