NSC Easter Bunny CD 2015

[Theatre of Trees]

[MENTION=26695]Mowgli37[/MENTION]
[MENTION=12196]tinycowboy[/MENTION]
[MENTION=3566]hans kraay fan club[/MENTION]
[MENTION=14921]spring hall convert[/MENTION]
[MENTION=17286]Gordon Bennett[/MENTION]
[MENTION=21578]Worthingite[/MENTION]
[MENTION=15464]DavePage[/MENTION]
[MENTION=19671]CorgiRegisteredFriend[/MENTION]
[MENTION=13947]happypig[/MENTION]
[MENTION=2040]Staly[/MENTION]
[MENTION=19864]Flex Your Head[/MENTION]
[MENTION=1131]Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo[/MENTION]
[MENTION=13836]deletebeepbeepbeep[/MENTION]
[MENTION=616]Guinness Boy[/MENTION]
[MENTION=21502]Razzoo[/MENTION]
[MENTION=468]somerset[/MENTION]
[MENTION=2351]m20gull[/MENTION]
[MENTION=15311]The Buttery Biscuit Base[/MENTION]
[MENTION=260]sully[/MENTION]
[MENTION=27736]SouthCoastOwl[/MENTION]


As next week is the first week in December, just a little nudge to remind everyone to try and get your CD in the post this week or next before it gets swallowed up by the Christmas rush. A few have already contacted me to say they've posted.

For those new to all this once you have received and listened to your CD post your review up along with any artwork and try and guess who sent it.

 

[Worthingite]

I'm moving this weekend, but I hope to have this resolved in the next week or so, I haven't forgotten!!!!

 

[happypig]

I've been struggling due to working 12 hour days in London for the last 5 weeks but I'm back now and will be on to it, hoping to send it out by the weekend.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

A huge apology to whoever it is that sent me their CD. I have only just got it due to a number of very boring work related events and not being home. Anyway- give me a couple of days to have a decent listen and will be back with a review and some kind of a guess. Looking at the tracklist I am so far clueless! P.s- loved the card.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I will send mine this weekend.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well now, my Santa has put in quite some effort on the artwork front.

The music is a mystery to me - I'll review it whilst at work tomorrow.

But back to the artwork. I'll add a picture later, but first I'll just describe it, so you can draw your own mental images.

The front cover features Ian Hart, with an oversized head, stood in a wicker man, waiting to be torched, by a laughing ginger-haired Tony Bloom...

If that is not disturbing enough for you, steel yourself for the listing card, which features a naked man going into The Cliftonville, outside which stand a fat woman with bunny ears, holding a copy of the Worthing Herald, and a man with a goat's head...

 

[tinycowboy]

Well now, my Santa has put in quite some effort on the artwork front.

The music is a mystery to me - I'll review it whilst at work tomorrow.

But back to the artwork. I'll add a picture later, but first I'll just describe it, so you can draw your own mental images.

The front cover features Ian Hart, with an oversized head, stood in a wicker man, waiting to be torched, by a laughing ginger-haired Tony Bloom...

If that is not disturbing enough for you, steel yourself for the listing card, which features a naked man going into The Cliftonville, outside which stand a fat woman with bunny ears, holding a copy of the Worthing Herald, and a man with a goat's head...

That is brilliant. I'm going to have nightmares tonight - Ernest with every copy of Gull's Eye for the price of a full English parachuting onto the Amex pitch with Britt Ekland.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

So, here is the cover...

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Here's the other pic, and the first half of my review. Really must do some work before embarking on the second part.



Review, part 1 of 2

01./02. Cloudier Skies – Mastering the Mystery
Gentle female vocal, and a soft beat, pleasantly interrupted by a xylophone solo…(the magic of google reveals this is) a band from Hastings, no less. Nice start. https://www.facebook.com/CloudierSkies?fref=ts

03. Cherry Glazerr – Had Ten Dollaz
Another female vocal, but much rougher, and accompanied by jangly guitars. West Coast indie-pop/rock, done pretty well, by what turns out to be a couple of kids. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-cherry-glazerr-20141119-story.html#page=1

04. Petra Schelm – Come Over Lover
Darker. Unsurprising, given that the artist’s name is taken from that of a fallen Baader-Mainhof terrorist. Reminded me somehow, of Kristen Hirsch.

05. Halasan Bazar & Tara King th. – Rot Inside
This is terrific. The above mentioned are revealed to be groups, rather than people. This IS a duet though, and one I’ve had on repeat for 20 minutes, while I read up. Tough to describe. Its dark indie, but also a bit country. In fact, it has a similar feel to one of my favourite tracks of all time – Nick Cave’s mesmerising duet with Kylie Minogue – Where the Wild Roses Grow.
In fact, read this review – it captures it FAR better than I can http://www.nofearofpop.net/halasan-bazar-and-tara-king-th.-rot-inside

06. The Galaxy Electric – Calm Down
Mellow electronica, with a decent female vocal. This blog post / interview is illuminating. More so their first answer than his introduction. Background music for me this kind of stuff – but quality background music. http://psychedelicsoundsformysoul.blogspot.ch/2014/10/the-galaxy-electric-los-angeles-strikes.html

07. 62 Miles from Space – In this Bed
Gentle. Cinematic. Slightly ethereal. Imagine if AIR had put an extra track on Moon Safari, but got one of their sisters to deliver a breathy vocal over it. Better with every (5 so far) listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI7mfSig2k

08. English Heretic – Invisible Canon
Plain odd. Downbeat music, overlaid with what sounds like a 1960’s recording of a children’s TV presenter conducting a pop-quiz on skeletons of chickens… Gets, better when the singer joins in. Oh, and it has pan pipes too. Oh – she’s back – talking about skeletons and skulls.
Not for me, this one. Scores really high on THIS though!: http://obscurometer.com/artist/English+Heretic

09. Scarfolk Council – Demons Come in all Shapes and Sizes
More of the above, but it’s a bloke now, going on about a duck’s head… The name is interesting though. It refers to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarfolk which I’d never heard of, and has piqued me.

10. Concretism – Rabies Warning
This is a 1950’s public information warning about the dangers of rabies, played over some techno beats. http://concretism.bandcamp.com “Welcome to my grey world of sinister public information films, dusty archival sounds, Cold War Britain and weeping analogue synths”


My Santa has gone to a huge amount of effort, and judging by the first 5 tracks, knows pretty well what I like from my comments on various music threads. Some terrific stuff there – track 5 the standout. Not so keen on the techno stuff. Hope the second half sees more of the former.

A great many thanks. No idea who my Santa is yet. Was going to guess [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] until I saw that he’s not on the list this time!
Will withhold guessing until I get to the end.

 

[tinycowboy]

A great many thanks. No idea who my Santa is yet. Was going to guess [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] until I saw that he’s not on the list this time!
Will withhold guessing until I get to the end.

Hmmmm. This person is highly likely to have a very detailed knowledge of lesser-known (sometimes very obscure) alternative music. I've got three people in mind. However, they are also well-versed in NSC, a pretty frequent user. That narrows it down. I think I know where my money is......

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

So, here is the cover...

View attachment 60607

Not as bad as my mind had conjured up. Still unsettling though.
Think I can guess from the first half who sent that cd. A pretty good selection of tracks and some veryobscure stuff. There is only one choice for me.

 

[Guinness Boy]

So, here is the cover...

View attachment 60607

Am I the only person on this thread who has looked at that three times and seen Vic N Bob rather than Tony N Ian?

 

[tinycowboy]

Am I the only person on this thread who has looked at that three times and seen Vic N Bob rather than Tony N Ian?

Tony looks like he is saying "Ah-haaaa!", so it's Bob and Alan for me.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Tony looking like Keith Harris.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Review, part 2 of 2

11. The Count of Chateau Noir – Mr. Fox
A hammer horror film in aural form. Howling wolves, to brooding music, to whispered lyrics the like of “bones and skin and flesh and blood and girls strung up on butchers’ hooks”, “close your eyes, block out the cries, as he takes a young girl’s life”. http://afterthecarnival.com

12. Hausfrau – Night Tides
More brooding. Lovely voice. Would like this more, but for the ever-present whiny siren tone, in the background. Definitely worthy of further investigation, though. http://www.last.fm/music/Hausfrau

13. Mallard the Wonderdog – One off the Wrist
A bright, cheerful indie guitar track, about w4nking. “He was a w4nker but he had a good heart. He was w4nking to a work of art”, “She was the most deserving of being paid tribute to”. http://www.last.fm/music/Mallard+the+Wonderdog Fun, but probably not going to make it to the in-car system, for fear of distracting giggling from the back, and major disapproval from the passenger seat.

14. The Chromatics – I can’t Keep Running
Drumbeats, a synth, tympani and a pretty girl with a laid back vocal. Don’t mind if I do.



15. The Postmarks – No one said this would be easy
The stand out track of the whole CD. The intro is a sweeping affair, reminiscent of a French 1960’s film. The breathy, sexy vocal builds on the theme. The result is a thing of beauty – almost matching The School’s ‘Its Not the Same’ – an absolute classic of this type of song. I have just bought a complete CD for my wife’s Christmas stocking – she’ll adore this.

This Amazon review is close to the mark: “I love the sound... Tim Yehezkely has this very, very quiet voice that just makes you think the tune is a dream floating in through the open window (and makes you fall in love, really).”

And this blog, absolutely nails it: http://www.1songday.com/2012/06/the-postmarks-no-one-said-this-would-be-easy/ “…featuring a female, Nico-esque vocalist named Tim Yehezkely hailing from Tel Aviv, The Postmarks combo up the super-lush string orchestrations of John Barry with some tidy, thoughtful songwriting. The result? It’s sweeping, grand and orchestral but also strangely intimate”

16. Still Corners – Strange Pleasures
A similar vein to the previous. Not up to the same level, but very nice, nonetheless. They could be taken from the soundtrack of the same film. http://stillcorners.tumblr.com/

17. Micro Cheval – Subculture Dictature
Perky, light, electronica, with another sexy (French) vocal. Very nice http://microcheval.bandcamp.com/

18. L UD O – Boy
‘unsigned Brighton based female singer-songwriter..’ My Santa is certainly spreading his net of obscurity. To great effect. Girl’s got talent. http://ludomusic.bandcamp.com/

19 – 22. Blue Hawaii – Get Happy
The only act on the CD named after an Elvis film. More high quality gentle electronica.

23. Inflatable Dead Horse – Christmas at the Institute
Relaxed, Elliot-Smith-esque number. With added triangle. Classy finish.

24. (unlisted)
The CD ends with a ten second recording, which in keeping with the terrific cover, turns out to be THIS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chkhOYBdgro&feature=player_embedded

I’ve been very, very lucky with my allocated Santa. Its been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so very much [MENTION=19864]Flex Your Head[/MENTION]

 

[Flex Your Head]

I’ve been very, very lucky with my allocated Santa. Its been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so very much [MENTION=19864]Flex Your Head[/MENTION]

I so so SOOO wish it was me, but I have the artistic talent of a 4 year old and hardly recognise any of the artists on the disc. It does sound like an absolute cracker though.

Try again [MENTION=3566]hans kraay fan club[/MENTION]

 

[tinycowboy]

I so so SOOO wish it was me, but I have the artistic talent of a 4 year old and hardly recognise any of the artists on the disc. It does sound like an absolute cracker though.

Try again [MENTION=3566]hans kraay fan club[/MENTION]

My hint would be: who is ideally placed to identify up and coming Brighton-based artists?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I so so SOOO wish it was me, but I have the artistic talent of a 4 year old and hardly recognise any of the artists on the disc. It does sound like an absolute cracker though.

Try again [MENTION=3566]hans kraay fan club[/MENTION]

My hint would be: who is ideally placed to identify up and coming Brighton-based artists?

FFS.

I printed off the list of participants, and he was the very first person I put two big ?? next to. But then he went and gave a bloody thumbsup to the picture I posted of the CD cover, so I crossed him out, thinking that meant it ruled him out!

Many thanks, in that case [MENTION=14921]spring hall convert[/MENTION]

 

[Guinness Boy]

I have the artistic talent of a 4 year old

Ditto. At least there are two Santa's admitting it.

 

[tinycowboy]

FFS.

I printed off the list of participants, and he was the very first person I put two big ?? next to. But then he went and gave a bloody thumbsup to the picture I posted of the CD cover, so I crossed him out, thinking that meant it ruled him out!

Many thanks, in that case [MENTION=14921]spring hall convert[/MENTION]

Double bluff - trust no-one. These CDs are serious stuff. If it's not SHC, someone's played a blinder.