Anything new from the beautifully creative mind of Jason Lambeth is cause for celebration, but news of his first vinyl release courtesy of the wonderful Madrid based label Meritorio Records is truly next level stuff.
Red Pants is Lambeth’s collaboration with fellow Madison, Wisconsin based artist Elsa Nekola, and the duo have just released Witching Hour, the lead single from forthcoming album Not Quite There Yet. It is a fuzzy, droning delight that will capture your heart in an instant, riding in on a riptide of warmth and intensity.
Staying true to the DIY indie aesthetic of previous recordings but adding just a little polish, Lambeth weaves his subtle, melodic vocal in and out of a barrage of dirty riffing and fluid, driving bass work, whilst Nekola’s rhythms drive the song forcefully forward.
Witching Hour is the perfect introduction to Jason Lambeth’s creative wonderland. With a back catalogue full of treasures waiting to be discovered and their best work to date about to be released, it seems Red Pants’ time is very much now.
Following on from their early limited EP tape releases and subsequent self-titled compilation for Paisley Shirt Records (tape) and Dandy Boy Records (vinyl) back in 2021, Oakland noise-pop trio Blue Ocean have returned with news of their first long player.
Fertile State is the lead single and title track from the bands debut album coming soon via Slumberland Records, and for me it serves as a timely reminder of how dangerous guitar music can still be. It isn’t the lyrics or melodies that pull me into Blue Ocean’s orbit here, but the sound, the sound is everything.
As soon as you think you have this tune figured out, it shifts another gear. Guitars and electronics veer from punk rock to space rock in a heartbeat, with rhythms set to the tightest kind of loose propelling us towards the sun. I suppose there’s elements of shoegaze to be found in its relentless shuffle, but again that label doesn’t really fit when the whole thing is pointing so beautifully skyward.
I’m sure there are a ton of cool bands from the past and present that I could use as a vague reference point here but I prefer to focus on what Fertile State doesn’t sound like. This isn’t easy listening, there isn’t a hook to snare you or any of the usual comforts of the familiar. With this release, Blue Ocean take the basic fundamentals of indie rock and twist them into infinite shapes and possibilities. Essential.
I was first drawn toward Oakland indie rockers The 1981 when I saw the hype building for last years Polaroids EP. I was hooked by the beautifully retro artwork before I’d even heard a note, and the fact they were part of the wonderful Dandy Boy Records sealed the deal.
Fast forward a year and the band are preparing to release their debut full length album Move On. Lead single Make It Right served as a fine introduction to their eighties influenced indie aesthetic with its anthemic power pop energy, and latest cut Notebox is their most immediate statement to date.
Continuing the albums wider narrative of a fictional couples relationship slowly crumbling, Notebox stomps out of the traps, with core duo Adam Widener and Bobby Martinez bolstered by Phil Lantz’s pounding drum track. Equal parts surging guitars and lilting melodies, this track will appeal to folk across the indie spectrum and is sure to help bring The 1981’s wonderful work further out into the light.
Each new tune I hear from this band raises my excitement for what’s to come next. This is music for the soul, rousing and soothing in equal measure. Move On is available now for pre-order, and is shaping up to be one of the albums of the year. Don’t sleep.
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There is something truly sublime about the music of Tony Jay. It goes all in on emotions that others will only hint at, and is never afraid to let the songs vulnerability be their strength.
Headed by San Francisco lo-fi legend Michael Ramos, new album Perfect Worlds will soon be arriving via the esteemed Slumberland Records, and for the uninitiated, it’s freshly released title track serves as the perfect introduction to Tony Jay’s perfectly imperfect pop.
Glistening with a just a little more clarity than previous releases, but losing none of the fragile magic that sets Tony Jay’s songs apart, Perfect Worlds is sure to bring comfort and gentle release from the chaos that surrounds us all, whilst still asking enough questions to ensure we don’t get too comfortable.
‘One day the words will come to me, can you believe them?’ asks Ramos with that unmistakably cracked croon, and when entrusting us with art this vividly real, how can we do anything but.
There is a startling amount of great stuff happening on the Oakland based Dandy Boy Records at the moment, and this wonderful new tune from Smile Too Much might just be my pick of the bunch.
You Can’t Help Me is the lead track from the Oakland bands upcoming self titled EP, and it’s a hazy, melodic delight. Melancholic guitars fuzz in and around the dual vocals of Maggie Aytac and Louis Bilman, combining to create the happiest kind of summer sadness.
Evoking the halcyon days of early nineties indie when it felt as if the right chord change could alter the trajectory of your life, it can’t be easy making it sound this easy. That unique Bay Area spirit is fully intact, and soul seeps from their every heavy hearted note. It’s all but impossible to resist Smile Too Much’s restless charm when it hurts this good.
I was thrilled to learn recently that Factory Benelux are to give four late period Section 25 albums their first vinyl release. The Blackpool bands post-punk Factory Records origins and later Bernard Sumner produced electro triumphs have been well documented in recent years, and it is now time for their later work to receive the attention it so richly deserves.
This often overlooked period in the bands history swings between triumph and absolute tragedy, resulting in some of the most beautiful and challenging music of their career so far. Here I take a brief look at each of the albums in question, in an effort to shine further light on this most special of bands.
Part-Primitiv (2007)
After the gradual dissolution of the original Section 25 line up in the late eighties, 2001 saw brothers Vincent and Larry Cassidy reconvene with Jenny Ross to work on demos in preparation for a possible new album. These plans were rocked by the tragic passing of vocalist/keyboardist Ross in 2004, and it would be another three years until the band were ready to step back into the fray with Part-Primitiv.
An up-front, raw post-punk album at its heart, Part-Primitiv is an uncompromising, cathartic work of art. Tracks like Cry and Can’t Let Go see Larry Cassidy seemingly dealing first hand with the loss of his former partner in both music and life, whilst the inclusion of two of Jenny’s own demo recordings adds real beauty and another layer of heavy emotion to the album.
Nature + Degree (2009)
Nature + Degree saw the Cassidy brothers joined by Stuart Hill and Steve Stringer for what was a far more electronic affair than its predecessor. The need for a female vocalist to complement this change of direction lead to the band reaching out to Larry and Jenny’s daughter Bethany, who stepped up bravely to the task. Her voice and spirit brings the album to life, and is the perfect counterpoint to her Father’s beautifully weathered ruminations.
Highlights include the pure electro-pop of Remembrance, the driving kosmische of Garageland, and my personal favourite Mirror, where Beth reinvents a long lost Section 25 original and brings it slap bang into the 21st century.
Remembrance
Retrofit (2010)
Carrying on the trend of reinventing the bands history, Retrofit saw the band reimagine nine Section 25 classics, with Beth and Larry sharing vocals. In these new arrangements Looking From A Hilltop shimmers with new pulse and purpose, Beating Heart re-emerges as a beautifully fractured pop gem,whilst Girls Don’t Count marries the contrasting vocal styles perfectly, with the devastatingly powerful push-pull that results possibly serving as the highlight of the entire set.
Towards the end of the recording sessions for this album, the band were rocked by the sudden loss of Larry Cassidy. Despite this latest tragedy to befall them, the decision was made to continue, and the inclusion of solitary new track Überhymn hinted at a future yet to be written.
Looking From A Hilltop
Dark Light (2013)
After the release of the sparkling Invicta EP in 2011 which included the perfect pop of Colour, Movement, Sex & Violence, the band pulled together to record Dark Light, a full bodied, wondrous electro-pop joy. This album saw the band joined by new family addition Jo Cassidy and producer Outernationale, and holds up as one of Section 25’s very finest albums.
My Outrage speaks of finding the purest joy in the smallest moments, Pitch Black Box’s twitching techno pulse deals with the darker side of internet connection and our online worlds, whilst the heart-achingly poignant Early Exit still has the power to make me cry ten years on from its original release. This album stands tall as a triumph over the toughest, cruelest of adversities and is a testament to the enduring power Section 25 possess.
As of summer 2023, the band are working on a new album as a duo of Vin Cassidy and Steve Stringer, whilst Bethany Cassidy is now a part of vital new Manchester based electro-indie act Sea Fever. I truly hope that the wonderful work Factory Benelux are doing with the reissue of these four albums will help further spread the word about the rare, beautiful magic of Section 25.
I have been regularly singing the praises of Now ever since I was handed a tape of Will Smith and Oli Lipton’s marvellous Saturday’s Child album earlier this year. Recent live shows have seen the band showcasing fresh material with new bassist Hannah Forrester, and our collective Summers can now be lifted with the release of And Blue Space Is Burning Noon, their first album to be pressed to vinyl, courtesy of Sloth Mate Productions.
From the off it’s clear that Now have gone through the gears for this release. The production is tighter than ever before whilst keeping the raw energy of previous releases fully intact. Opener Wind Was builds slowly, with guitars and drums rising in unison, locking into a groove with the help of some seriously fluid bass work. After a tension building first few minutes it bursts into a beautifully melodic coda, which sets the scene for all that is to follow across the next forty or so minutes.
Stand out moments are plentiful as wave upon wave of beatific guitars dance amongst what has to be one of the tightest rhythm sections the Bay Area has to offer. Roses After H.D.’s soaring melody and retro keys dazzle with psychedelic wonder, Loose Strand showcases Will’s lyrics and vocals at their purest and most joyful, whilst the closing title track takes us on an unexpected but enthralling trip into the kosmische. Both lyrically and musically the overarching theme of this album seems to be one of reaching out beyond the everyday, in search of the magic we so often neglect.
Listening to Now is like hearing every song you’ve ever loved all at once, for the very first time. This is the most immediate album I have heard in a long time and its soaring psychedelic pop is an absolute thrill from start to finish. It’s the kind of music that enhances every emotion and makes just about anything seem possible, and we all need a little bit of that at the moment right?
Sea Fever are a Manchester based band fronted by Iwan Gronow (Haven, Johnny Marr) and Bethany Cassidy (Section 25), with Elliot Barlow and New Order’s Tom Chapman/Phil Cunningham completing the line up for what is an absolute powerhouse of a group.
I have been listening to latest single Dilemma a lot these last few weeks, having been blown away by it’s freshness and urgency. To take such rich musical heritage and shape it into something this new is no small ask, and the passion and energy bursts out of the speakers with every play.
A large part of that energy comes from Cassidy’s vocal, which delivers a sweetly melodic but razor sharp cool that is completely her own. Gronow in turn provides an earthy counterpoint as the band swirl and build around them in unison, until the whole thing becomes a relentless juggernaut of unique electronic wonder.
The inherent mystery and power that is embedded within the finest Manchester music is of course present and correct, but Sea Fever harness that power and use it to drive themselves boldly forward. With so much knowledge and talent at their disposal I am truly excited to hear what comes next from this gifted, brilliant set of musicians.
Emma Lucy McArthur is an Artist and Printmaker based in Bristol, UK. Her book The Body Tarot was published in 2022 and she recently showcased a selection of her work at this years BS4 Art Trail.
Some time ago, a life drawing teacher shared with her his love of using music to shape and influence the creation of art, citing the ambient/avant-garde works of the likes of Jon Hopkins and William Basinski as inspiration.
Whilst listening to my second heavymetalkids.uk radio show for Ship Full Of Bombs, Emma decided to apply these teachings in a more pop setting, creating the work featured here in real-time response to Cindy’s A Trumpet On The Hillside.
I absolutely love the concept of one art form influencing another so directly, with a new kind of hybrid being created instantly as a result. When I look closely at these lines, I can’t help but wonder if some of the magic I can’t find the words to describe is somehow captured within.
You can find this piece and more of Emma’s wonderful work at:
heavymetalkids.uk 