Hola Amigos! What with 1537 being a bit of a retrospective gig I thought I would very self-indulgently* let you know what was happening musically over here at 1537 Towers, 2014 stylee.
First off the line-up for the 2014 Liverpool Psychedelic Festival has been fleshed-out a bit:
This was just a brilliant time last year and I’m sure this year will be no different. I am very excited to see Goat, if you don’t own World Music rectify that immediately, Teeth of The Sea and, of course the best-dressed band in psych rock, White Hills. Also looking forward to seeing (is that the right verb?) Andrew Weatherall DJ-ing too. Other than that I recognize some names, don’t recognize others but hanging out and exploring is half the fun.
Secondly, despite my earnest declaration that I would not buy any vinyl this year, I am staring down the wrong end of 17 LPs bought so far, or one a week plus interest as I like to think. Retro highlights include The Shrine Primitive Blast, Anathema We’re Here Because We’re Here, Helmet Betty and a great box set anthology of Mark Lanegan Has God Seen My Shadow? 2014 is definitely a bit of a rock year for me so far, new stuff includes the quite wonderful Harsh Toke Light Up And Live (not a stoner band at all!), Papir IIII and Pontiak Innocence. All that aside, I think may just think I may have just picked up the best of the bunch last week, War On Drugs Lost In The Dream, a wonderful album that I’m losing myself in for hours on end – lots of classic rock sounds courtesy of Springsteen, Petty and Knopfler, refracted through a more arty, hazy prism, a great LP.
As is a bit of a 1537 tradition, I’ll be away in the middle of nowhere for RSD 2014**, but in all honesty there wasn’t too much that grabbed my fancy on the list apart from a couple of Poison Idea 7″ and a Gonga 12″ called Black Sabbeth, where they cover ‘Black Sabbath’ but with Beth Gibbons from Portishead on lead vocals, other than that there are a couple of things I’d quite like, but nothing that would be likely to persuade me to stand in line for 15 hours for.
I’ve also discovered a delightful, small, but perfectly formed record label that specializes in new psych/prog/acid/spacerock releases called Fruits de Mer Records. I’m already very excited about all their lovely vinyl and the fact they have a beer named after their Crabstock festival – that shit’s important EMI! Anyway, visit them here for a rummage around their brains.
Gonna need some more shelves, again!
365 Down (still).
P.S – as always thank you to any/all of you out there who steer me towards new/old music, my friend Mr Hubner particularly for hipping me to Papir and Harsh Toke and Mike Ladano who has just reviewed me into ebaying a copy of Def Leppard High ‘n’ Dry.
*okay, okay, so more self-indulgently than usual.
**am beginning to suspect Mrs 1537 is tactical genius.