Don’t tell Mrs 1537* but I had a bit of a splurge the other day. I went out at lunch time to buy a sandwich, sort of lost my way and ended up in the mighty Probe Records in Liverpool, at that point I seem to have blacked-out and only came to twenty minutes later having bought a bunch of beautiful coloured heavyweight vinyl. Hmmm…
In my defence I will state that I was presented with:
- Black Moth Condemned To Hope
- Transmaniacon The Darkening Plain
- Blown Out Drifting Way Out Between Suns
The first two are British groups I’d not heard of before, although this is Black Moth’s second LP on a really great record label that I’d not heard of before either – New Heavy Sounds (NHS) Records. Black Moth a re a female-fronted band from Leeds who are produced by the mighty Jim Sclavunos, of Bad Seeds fame AND who got a war-referencing Roger Dean cover. They have a really good, interesting sound, not straight-ahead rock by any means there’s a lot to explore and to come back to on Condemned To Hope. Current favourite track is the brilliantly named ‘The Undead King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’. It also has the thickest cardboard sleeve I have ever encountered.
Now Transmaniacon, despite having a BOC-referencing name, play a really interesting version of prog rock, which despite the first track taking up the whole of Side A of The Darkening Plain, is FAR more rock than prog – really rather punky and rough-around-the-edges at times too. They even rope in arch provocatrix Lydia Lunch to aid their tales of death, destruction and laying to waste. I know nothing else about this band, except I want to go see them live, right now! Add in a deluxe gatefold sleeve full of spiky robots designed by Ian Miller and you’ll see just why I couldn’t leave this beauty there – no-one puts Transmaniacon in the corner!
Lastly is Blown Out, peddling the sort of side-long space jams that can either be amazing, or snooze-inducing. But the LP was on a favourite label of mine, Riot Season**, the title Drifting Way Out Between Suns did it for me and how could I resist a sticker on the album promising ‘totally crushing, waster-infused, head-change guitar leads’? I’m only human after all. It is really good too, very varied and not at all samey.
I love getting hold of new bands and it is important to support them and the labels that put this stuff out, otherwise we’d just be left with vast amounts of corporate-backed dross and the 1000th re-release of the {Insert appropriate Name}’s Greatest Hits. Plus there’s the vinyl.
Now quick help me hide them before she gets back in!
475 Down (still)
*obviously being an omnipotent star lord and master of all I survey, I wear the trousers in the 1537 household! But just please don’t mention it if you happen to bump into her okay? please?
**always great sleeves, usually limited to 3-500 copies on LP and home to 1537-faves The Earthling Society.