The Goo 1
Albums Skinner - New Wave Vaudeville - Aaron Kava
nagh The brainchild of one Mr Aaron Corcoran, Skinner is an iconoclastic and idiosyncratic musical project that’s been kicking around for some time now, that cites influence from The B-52s, James Chance and the Contortionists, ESG, Pixies, and Morphine. To me, Skinner also invokes acts like Oingo Boingo, Huey Lewis and the News, Adam Ant, X-Ray Spex, Bad Audio Dynamite, and Wall of Voodoo. But, hey, don’t take my word for it; make up your own mind by listening to their recently released debut album, New Wave Vaudeville. I will concede that I probably can’t critique this record from the average listener’s perspective, as it feels tailor-made for a certain breed of nerd, of which I share a lineage. But if, like me, you used to watch clips from the shortlived New Wave Theatre show or The Old Gray Whistle Test, enjoyed movies like Urgh! A Noise War or those by Penelope Spheeris and Dave Markey, or wanted to be at the US Festival in the early ‘80s, then you’ll love it. For everyone else? Well, not to repeat myself, but make your own mind up by listening to it. Even if it’s not your bag, I think kudos should be given to the project for going against the grain and trying to revitalise a genre that most seem disinterested in giving chest compressions to. With all of that said, the two tracks that really stood out for me were the two that broke the formula: “Spiralling” and, especially, the closer “Here Comes the Rain.” Just amazing. It reminded me of when I first listened to ‘Cure For Pain’ and heard “In Spite of Me” in the middle of it. Also, the album’s title is a homage to the former nightclub that became Club 57. If you immediately understood that last sentence, you’ll love this album! 18 Giles Armstrong - The Ballad of Bond Street - David Carr Giles Armstrong has been a stalwart of the underground scene as long as I can remember. A prominent DJ who promoted the much loved ‘Electric City’ nights drawing in the biggest talents like Dave Clarke and Andrew Weatherall; Most recently he played alongside Jeff Mills. In recent years he’s turned his hand to production and this EP is the product of a man with enormous experience in the genre of techno. Each track not just provides a link to the past but provides specific touchstones. Opener ‘Bass Ok’ has the beautiful simplicity of the old Artificial Intelligence compilations. Beats and synths with one goal, to make you dance with a smile on your face. ‘Check is Complete’ moves things on a year or two but shifts stateside. There are more progressive drum patterns with echoes of the emergence of UR. ‘Eye of the Survivor - Hellfire Mix’ is a treasure and I use that word specifically. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear Giles had unearthed a DAT tape from the old R&S studios. The beats have a vintage crunchiness with the synths straining the old gears capacity. Title track ‘The Ballad of Bond Street’ comes across like a collab between Legowelt (in that it dabbles with electro and experiments with tempo) and Soul Designer era Fabrice Lig with its focus on sustained and soaring synths. It is great to see Giles drawing from his great reserves of knowledge to produce something so beautiful and so authentic. Mogwai - The Bad Fire - David Carr Noise mongering for 30 years, Mogwai are always quality. Though as well known now for their soundtrack work, their previous formal release As the Love Continues was as good as anything they’ve produced. There is a stereotypical style of track that you would associate with Mogwai and though they dabbled more significantly with synths on albums like Rave Tapes the opener ‘God Gets You Back’ was refreshingly different. While I wouldn’t call it club ready, it is of the 4/4 variety and would qualify for an indie-disco. The weighty guitar riffs remain but they are on an equal footing with some soaring synth-play making it quite uplifting and remarkably accessible. Their soundtrack understanding makes ‘Hi Chaos’ an event of high drama, almost the cinematic euphoria of every Manga hero and villain attacking each other at once. It’s breathless. ‘What kind of mix is this?’ implies something a little different and I guess it is, using ‘80s synths and ideals to reach their usual destination. ‘Fanzine Made of Flesh’ splices Mogwai with Daft Punk and Add N to (X). The most lengthy ‘If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others’ caters for the veterans. Immaculately constructed, it will pin you to the back of the wall. ’18 Volcanoes’ touches on MBV complete with muffled vocals, ‘Fact Boy’ has hints of Lankum. This is Mogwai at their most expansive. Infused with external influences, they’ve expelled something extraordinary.