#10 Stereolab - Refractions in the Plastic Pulse Remix 12"

The Refractions in the Plastic Pulse 12" was supposedly somewhat limited, so I got hold of a copy despite my natural suspicion of remixes. I enjoyed side 2, a remix of Contronatura that is so mellow that it includes the sounds of someone snoring (or perhaps that was just my dog). It's one of their finer songs, and this is an intersesting diversion from the original.

Side 1 is the real shocker. Autechre has created the 'Feebate Mix', so called as I imagine they had to return their fee for having turned in such a horrible mess. I'm all in favour of remixers creating something wildly different from the original, deconstructing it, or making an utter racket, but this is just awful. The vocals have been sped up to sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks (the 12" plays at 33, so it wasn't on the wrong speed) and then there's all kinds of abrasive noise chucked into the mix like Jim Foetus clearing an old studio of his. I love a bit of noise, but this is just hugely annoying. It should have been pressed in edition of one & thrown at full force at Autechre, hopefully severing their mixing digits.

#9 - Oxes LP

The whole 'Math Rock' (a term some say was coined by Courtney Love) genre has evolved into something incredibly formulaic (pun intended). Wikipedia tells us that Math Rock "is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), odd time signatures, angular melodies, and extended, often dissonant chords." Their albums are also full of 'amusing' song titles for instrumental tracks. I find it all a bit tiresome these days, but occsionally find time to put one of the earlier examples of the genre.

 

The Oxes were a classic Maths Rock band, but with a sense of humour and a meaty sound. I actually prefer their second album 'Oxxxes', which is catchier and more assurred, but this is the one randomly grabbed off the shelf. They were a band I wished I'd seen live. At the very least, they would stand on large boxes, towering above the audience, but I'd have loved to have seen this ludicrous piece of rock theatre - "In late 2004, the group began doing an encore that consisted only of a reenactment of the opening scene for 2001:A Space Odyssey, introduced by the drummer as a one-act play and a new direction for the band. The two black boxes where stacked longways to resemble the monolith in the film, and Miller and Freeland began a free jazz rendition of Also sprach Zarathustra.  Fowler would slowly reemerge from an inconspicuous place in the venue, completely naked, bearing an object resembling or meant to symbolize a large bone. As the musical climax arrived, he would become increasingly enraged, much like the ape in the film, and eventually tear down the monolith and run off on all fours."

 

 

#8 Rough Trade Shops/Green Man Festival Psych Folk 10"

10" single featuring Doves, Pete Greenwood, Sam Amidon, and Sleepy Sun.

This 2010 Green Man festival tie-in (it came free with the Rough Trade Shops: Psych Folk 10 CD if you bought it at the festival) somehow made it home relatively unscathed after being bought in the inevitable pouring rain, and enduring a few days in a progressively muddy tent. As I write, this was the last festival I've been to after not managing to go to a single festival in the UK in over a decade where the heavens haven't opened. I somehow even managed to get utterly drenched at an indoor festival - while waiting for the doors to open at Supersonic a few years back, it pissed it down on the queue, with nobody wearing wet weather gear. Ramping up the price each year, way ahead of inflation in the style of the Royal Mail, railway & electricity companies has soured my relationship with British festivals in general too.

Onto the EP itself, the first thing you notice that the wacky tricksters have pressed one side at 33 and the other at 45. Cue mutterings of "oh, for fuck's sake" from 100% of people who spin this disc. On the 33 side, we have The Doves, who I've studiously avoided for their entire career purely on the basis of their name which sets new standards in blandness. Unfair, I know, but tough - they have plenty of fans already and don't need me. I noticed that they name checked Sebadoh at one point, but that wasn't enough to seek out a listen to their music. Now driven to listen to the Doves for the first time, I find they produce a sort of ambient background music, though this could be the result of the remixer (Chris Watson). Next time I make a film about people gazing across bleak marshlands at silhouettes of birds, I'll know who to call about making a soundtrack.

Pete Greenwood opens up the 45 side. I had to go back at listen to his song again, as I'd completely forgotten what the song sounded like by the time I came to write this, but was heartened to find it was a pleasant acoustic number that was actually quite catchy. Sam Amidon's track 'Way do, Lily' is next and I know it well as it's off his 'I See The Sign' LP, which was my favourite album of whatever year it came out in, so I actually would have preferred a rarer tune. Sleepy then comes along sounding like Hendrix's Star-Spangled Banner, goes all folky, and then cranks up the guitars again. It's really rather good. I shall seek more of them.