‘Exorcisms and Psychic Visions' EP by Massasauga

Out at 1800 today was the long awaited EP by Massasauga, ‘Exorcisms and Psychic Visions'  which is also a compendium of most of their recent singles: "Motorbeast" "Psychic Visions", "10-46" & "Switchblade": only last month's "Bury Me Deeper Than The Rest" (which was conceived to pass their time while the EP was being prepared) is not included.

As all four merited their own review on their individual release, it isn't easy to pass further comment on the merits of each song (please do however feel free to refresh your memory as to what I said), but combined into a group, the overall impression is pretty breath taking.

 The band throw heart, soul & the kitchen sink into each song, meaning processing & dealing with them by themselves can just about be within the human capacity. Four in a row however will place considerable demands upon your nervous system: so be warned.

Equally, if you are intending to play the full EP on speakers, you might want to prewarn your housemates & neighbours if you want to reduce the possibilities of shock, medical emergencies etc. Pets too probably need your protection. It's that powerful.

Guitars fuzz & snarl & emulate wild animals. Drums thunder. Trucks attack you. There's murder, threatening behaviour & visitations from beyond. If you want to encapsulate Massasauga in some sort of nutshell, then  ‘Exorcisms and Psychic Visions'  does a perfect job: in fact as an introduction to their way of doing things, you couldn't really wish for anything better.

You can stream the EP from the usual sources, though I'd recommend to die hard fans that going to Bandcamp might be to their advantage……..

"Holding On" by Lemon Boy and Last Man Standing

Fresh out is the latest collaboration between Lemon Boy & Last Man Standing and together with their previous release, ("Starting To Fall"), "Holding On" will be one of the tracks on their EP.

Last time out, I made the error of trying to work out which of them was responsible for which aspect of the track: not wholly successfully as it happens. Therefore on this occasion, I'll simply go for the whole as an entity and celebrate it for what it is, and not a collection of inputs: for as J R R Tolkien put it, "..he that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom".

Their compatibility, as suggested before is very productive and they certainly seem to be working towards similar musical goals: that their skill sets align and overlap to a greater extent than I originally imagined may (presumably) give rise to interesting creative discussions around "who does what" when either might plausibly do many of the writing & performing roles available, but in the end it really doesn't matter too much to the reviewer, let alone the listener.

If you've been following Lemon Boy's musical career to date, you can probably anticipate the general sound: both the delicate ambience of the substantive arrangement & the subtleties & nuances of the textural additions which you become more & more aware of as the song progresses.

The main symbol is in fact a fly, whose buzzing symbolises some sort of caustic & irritating circumstances & memories. This is contrasted with images of going to the sea in order to drown this out & find safe and tranquil mental & emotional harbour. However Luke & Chechu also offer the suggestion that however disturbing memories may be, it might be preferable to retain a little of them for strengthening oneself for challenges to come, rather than attempting to obliterate them completely & hence not process them positively: is sticking your head in the sand all that great a plan?

Complex yet realistic reasoning, the words tell of frustration, stress & turmoil which is rather set against the blissed out soundscape: and as regular readers will know, that sort of contradiction provides a tension & dynamic which I always enjoy in a composition.

Subtle & nuanced music for minds which appreciate such things.

"Watching You Fade" by Sophie Hadlum

The new Sophie Hadlum single "Watching You Fade" will be out on 15th May (though you may already have had a listen to it being played on BBC Introducing for Coventry & Warwickshire): her first since "Winter Came Around Too Fast" in December 2019. (I hope you remember her "Land of the Long White Cloud" too from ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Two'?)

In my opinion, everything I've heard from Sophie seems to have a personal basis, though none have been so overt as this new one which she tells me "…is about the most Italian grandfather imaginable, our Nonno, a tour de force fading to silence.." and how many writers could bring themselves even to attempt to cover such a story? It cannot have been at all easy & I think she has done a terrific job which will pull at the heartstrings of all those who have had similar experiences and those dreading having them too.

To make matters worse in terms of emotional demands on the artist, although Sophie has in the past, created some atmospheric instrumentals which tell their story without needing words, this one has lyrics & hence vocals: it can't have been easy for her to approach actually singing the affecting words.

It's at once, paradoxically, an easy listen & yet a very difficult listen.

Hauntingly beautiful in a skeletal & classical way, the mood & content will play havoc with your emotions: not least because in her grief & processing of it, Sophie delves down into the deep agonising details (clearly her senses of observation were stimulated by the emotion of the process) of her vigil as her grandfather gradually faded from his previous vigorous self (though utterly without over-idealising him: his faults are outlined too) until he was departed from this world for good. With such minutiae, the  dangers of trotting out the conventional clichés of loss are transcended & we plunge far deeper.

The song is directly addressed to its subject but as it was (I understand) composed after he had gone, one can only hope that its message reaches him wherever he may be: it's a wonderful, tender & intimate articulation of love.

Sophie suggests that the song is a little different from her "usual" music and while that certainly holds good for say her work with Shanghai Hostage and as a deeply & specifically personal piece within the context of her solo work, sonically at least it does bear similarities with its sparse atmospherics and "less is more" aesthetics: mood pieces are very much her forte.

For those who've seen Sophie with Shanghai Hostage, the MINTAKAA Collective or on her own, you'll be aware that the clarinet gets deployed regularly and "Watching You Fade" is no exception. It tells several stories possibly: her playing is generally very classical in style, complementing & dancing around the piano (there are so many spaces for it to do so) yet given the Italian dimension, one cannot help but draw comparisons with its role in Italian folk song and also (though it's probably that this is my ear and not Sophie's intention) with that of Ukraine too. Its plangent wail carries its song of pain & loss from one single room across the world to touch on many, amplified by the tasteful recording by Ian Todd which makes as good a use of the spaces between the sounds as the sounds themselves.

That is another matter of course & cuts to the heart of the matter when artists create something so obviously specific to a single individual subject (and the lyrics here can only refer to one person): does the celebration or lament become so narrow in focus that it excludes all the rest of us, or does it offer us the specificity of a single case which we can then apply to our own experiences by looking past the precise descriptions to a more universal emotional landscape? Well I am certain it does: why else would it move me in the way it has & why else would I have struggled to find the right words for this review? This is raw, emotional stuff  and intended to be so. Yet it's not exclusionary in its subjectivity: the decision by BBC Introducing for Coventry & Warwickshire to play it prior to release indicates that they feel it isn't too strong for a mainstream audience.

Few of us go onwards on our journeys accompanied by such an elegy & Sophie's Grandad is fortunate to do so. If parts are emotionally challenging to listen to, then out of respect we should nevertheless do so. This is a cry of pain & regret, with Sophie explicitly admitting "caving" herself but it's also an offering of love: less of a paradox than two sides of a coin & almost certainly a form of catharsis too.

"Look At Me" by Bar Pandora

Fresh out today from Bar Pandora is her single "Look At Me".  When I reviewed her "Dear Man" (both are destined to also appear on her upcoming EP) last month, I was pleased that I'd managed to catch up with Charlie Tophill's swiftly rising reputation & so glad that my second article has had the chance to follow so immediately on its heels.

This is another of her collaborations (in fact the first track they completed together) with Simply Dread (whose usual territory is jungle) and  her working with someone from such a very different genre very consciously & deliberately helps move her out of her own comfort zone.

Nevertheless, what you get is relatively closer to her own previous work: exquisite multi-layered cut ups whose sonic fragility acts as a gauze thin veil for the substantial issues the track takes on, rather than anything approaching pure jungle style. Within this rich & dense mosaic of words & music, just as you have to pick out the gems of content and composition, it is possible to discern what he brings to the song. And what's wrong with a track which makes you think & even better return for multiple listens to delve into its depths?

What however I must stress before diving into those depths of "Look At Me" is that its complexity of creation should not be taken as a barrier to enjoying the song. Charlie has a rare lightness of touch which leaves a track of apparent surface simplicity which can be enjoyed simply for how is sounds (though you'd be missing a lot if you stopped at that level, not to mention it might be a little disrespectful). Between them, they have also constructed a song which, though comprised of fragments & filaments, nevertheless has a holistic & integrated nature (apparently it came together particularly easily). If Charlie's input tends to be at the gossamer end of the spectrum, then perhaps Dave's (Simply Dread) anchor these from flying away, until in the latter part of the track they come fully into their own, with a pumping bass. The gradual growth in the dynamic (and volume!) also adds much to the organic integrity of the song.

This is because the song itself tells of matters of some intensity, for which Charlie's own words can alone do justice: "….the whole Bar Pandora project is about ridding yourself of all the restrictive ideas that you've got stuck on in your life. Not about being totally free from them as it's a constant work in progress, but it's about the process.

"Look At Me" is a track that's very much about that baggage-shedding process too. It's about the experience of growing up female and how that tangles you up in ways that you have to unpick later….I think back to my years growing up and realise that it was such a powerful invisible force in my life - the involuntary sense of commodity that comes with being in a female body. Particularly as a musician and performer, I'd get feedback on how I look as often as (sometimes more than) the music. So you develop an acute sense of self-awareness that can be creatively paralysing. And this song is an exploration of that - how you defy it, lean into it, hide behind it and tangle yourself up in it. That's why the song has so many layers of sound and voice going on at points, complementing and contradicting each other. Self-censorship is a complicated business."

Quite how much of this I would have been able to work out for myself over the times I've played it to date, who can say: but not very much for sure, so I'm grateful to Charlie for the input.

You can enjoy the work of Bar Pandora, you can be moved by it too. It'll get you thinking as well: both about appreciating Charlie's own experiences as reflected in the songs and extrapolating them to your particular story. There will never be a full concordance naturally, but for most people, even regardless of gender (and it seems gender issues are central to some aspects of the song), there will be overlap & recognition. And that's what it is really about isn't it: empathy for the lives of others regardless of how close they come to your own. A sense of inclusion for precisely the same reason but also a realisation that despite potential myriad differences, there will be points where worlds collide & understanding then requires respect. Beyond that, what Charlie is advocating is the need to apply similar techniques to those needed in pluralities to the singular & practise forms of self love and the capacity to offer oneself the compassion that you might find easier to show to another. Reflection is a really powerful beneficial tool but it can just as easily be a weapon to turn upon the user: learning its management is something perhaps that "Look At Me" is trying to help us with.

"Eye For An Eye" by Electrik Custard

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It's been well over a year since Electrik Custard shocked us with "LOUD" (a collaboration with Mina Minné which also featured on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Six') but on May 17^th, its follow up "Eye For An Eye" arrives both a single and a taster for their new album to be entitled ‘Dyslexic Mustard' (both on Leamington's Beat Rebel Records label).

And that is really just part of the story.

I've often written of the perfectionism of Custass Finnegan/Ethan Shipley/Mr Binx the chief creative force behind the band & though having heard several superb tracks he has been crafting over the years, I often despaired that he'd ever consider any of them finished nor fit to release.

Factor in his penchant for creating tracks on the road in his mobile studio (often with little access to power) and a life threatening injury & you can imagine my delight (and surprise) at both "LOUD" and the news of some more of his music finally seeing the light of day.

Many of his songs (that I have heard) were purely created by this talented multi-instrumentalist but this musician of extremes is just as capable of many collaborations as he is of being totally self sufficient. In this case, the album definitely inclines towards the former: he has sent me a list of twenty three other artists who play on the album… and which I'll share with you in my review for that release.

In the meantime, "Eye For An Eye" deserves attention of its own. It will come out on the third anniversary of the knife attack on the artist, which I briefly mentioned above & as you might imagine, is a strongly anti knife song.

This is a tricky area. There have been other songs with similar messages & who in their right mind could argue against any of them? That said, all of them, to various degrees are preaching to the converted. Most of their listeners are very unlikely to stab others & while sympathetic to victims, do not need to modify their own behaviours. On the other hand, how can a song persuade anyone who might do such a thing to think again? There are so many deeply rooted reasons & factors involved in why knife crime exists & which are being addressed in so many ways that the contribution of any song to helping this is not always easy to see.

I think "Eye For An Eye" is as good a song on the subject as I've heard. Electrik Custard avoid the obvious preaching or simplistic polite requests to their target audience: I can't see what effect either might have & I suspect the band don't either.

It would be tantamount to accusing the band of cynicism or even disingenuity to suggest that the sound they have gone for as intended to carry the message best to those they particularly want to address: in fact the track is classic Electrik Custard and so perfectly authentic to who they have always been: a ska infused base to allow rapping to perch on top. It is however from the sadder end of the genre and the brass stabs carry with them both reproach & tears this time round. Nevertheless, the sound is well suited for the purpose in hand, utilising the connection they have always had to street culture without any need to fake anything. This start should enable some connection from the off.

The words of course are the key & they pull no punches. Issues are not danced around but confronted and not just the simple ones of "stabbing people isn't a nice thing to do" but the realities of the environments where the problem is most embedded. Most obviously, as the title suggests, it attacks the notion which underpins revenge & honour stabbings: that the cycle of violence which this feeds can only end up at one conclusion & therefore breaking the cycle & not seeking the "eye for the eye" is the bigger call.

It also has in its sights the notion of what it means to be a person, an individual, and thence the much misunderstood idea of "respect". The message here is clearly about rising above the position of complete autonomy with little responsibility towards others & your community & to understand how to interact decently with others.

The vocals/rapping is insistent and it's a credit to Custass that his production allows the words to be clearly heard above the usual Custard cacophony of clashing sounds: the relative slowness of the beat also serves to permit the vocalists to get their lyrics out so we can get them.

It's good to have fresh Custard & this song is amongst the finest they have produced (though I deplore the incident which gave birth to it) and as for the prospect of a whole album…..

Look out too for the video which helps amplify the message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjXsf3T6WiQ

Introducing Septic & the Tanks

One band whose name seems on many lips at the moment is the wonderfully named Septic & the Tanks. In order to keep this magazine as near to the cutting edge as possible, I was eager to catch up with them as their star is rising on a steep trajectory right now: based entirely on live performances as they have not yet released any recorded work.

Firstly, I asked them, who in fact is Septic & who are their Tanks? How did they come together?

"We have Robin Synnott on vocals, Lucy Kenny on banjo, Sarah Croom on bass, James Croom on guitar and Sophie Williams on drums. I would say we formed in the Spring of 2021, forming together as a means to learn our respective instruments and challenge ourselves personally.

Other than James we were all new players to our respective instruments. Lucy had been left her Dad's old banjo when he passed away and wanted to put it to good use, and Sophie and Sarah were very interested in picking up their own instruments and learning to play after having just been fans of live music for years.

We weren't having much luck in terms of song structures and when Robin came in on vocals we started to find our flow a lot more. It's a dream come true to be in a band with people who are not only your best friends, but who are full of creativity and ideas. We have a lot of fun learning together and I'm proud of us.."

 Anything you'd like to share on your eye catching name?

"We honestly just thought it was funny. There were a few band names we moved through at the beginning such as Turboshandy, and I (Sophie) was quite into the idea of Pollen at the time, but I think Septic and the Tanks has become a bit more of an identity recently.

Later on we found out about Lee Dorrian's Septic Tank band and although we don't sound anything like Napalm Death or that whole scene it is nice to have a similar band name to historical Coventry music and musicians."

I see you describe yourselves as "banjo punk fusion" so any amplification of this would be interesting….

"I would say we're a very fun mix between punk and grunge, with a banjo twist. We are currently talking about introducing all sorts of instruments into the mix to keep things a bit wild."

Do you have specific inspirations in terms of other musicians?

"We tend to have quite different music tastes really as people but bandwise we like The Linda Lindas, Bikini Kill, The Misfits, The Pixies, Hole, The Distillers, Nirvana, and L7."

What sort of ambitions have you for the band?

"Have as much fun and positive experiences as we can. We're all for safe spaces for people to have fun without any fear or judgment too, and we're hoping to put something out there to help ensure this and to help safeguard people at gigs."

What activities do you have planned? Where & when can our readers hear you?

"We'll be playing Covtember at The Tin this coming September, and we've got gigs to be announced for June, July and August too. Hopefully recording an EP this summer too. Nothing is available for anyone to listen to yet beyond the odd phone recording, so that's why you've got to get out and experience us in person!"

How do you think the local music scene will shape up post-pandemic?

"Over lockdown a lot of Cov bands have split up, which is always sad to hear but it's interesting to see what will come out of the city now. There's a space for fresh music to come forward which I think will be very interesting.

Otherwise, it's a mix really isn't it. The pandemic might make certain elements of being in a gigging band more difficult, but it also will see more people taking advantage of events where they can and trying to make the most of gigs where they can."

Have you any suggestions or recommendations for our readers please: either local or non-local musicians they may or may not know?

"Yes!!! Paradise of the Titans, Grail Guard, anything that Boudica put on, Lady Tracy."

So there you have it: a really interesting, exciting & unique band already with philosophies and takes on life and music which certainly appeal to me & I am sure will to many others. The best thing of all is that this is a band who already have figured out who they are, yet whose true glories are mapped out ahead of them. I'm sure that once we get into the world of recording, bringing in the further exotic instrumentation and once their name gets recognised even further afield, they'll be namechecked by vastly more people & if you heard of them first here, then so much the better.

You can also catch Septic & the Tanks at the Tin on 4th June when they'll be playing a live set along with a screening of Derek Jarman's 1978 classic "Jubilee", one of whose stars, Jordan, sadly passed away last month.

Tickets from: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/action-rayz-present-jubilee-film-the-tin-at-the-coal-tickets/12091115