A Formal Sigh - Looking At Walls

A Formal Sigh - Looking At Walls (1981)

More shadowy post-punk shenanigans. This time from Liverpool outfit A Formal Sigh. No wonder we've never heard of them: they're called "A Formal Sigh" that's the worst fucking band name in history! Not even doing a John Peel session could save them from their name. They never ended up making a record during the lifetime (1980-82) of the band, even though they were being touted as the next big Liverpudlian thing for a while. Looking At Walls is top post-154 gloomy guitar goodness. That ominous early eighties sound!

Fade To Black - Soundtrack

Fade To Black - Soundtrack (1984)

Absolutely infectious post-punk with all the goth-y/synth-y vibes. Reminds me of something great I just can't quite put my finger on right now...maybe like what The Feelies would have sounded like, if instead of being VU obsessed, they were Californian deathrock wannabes. I like to imagine there's at least thousand unknown and neglected tunes from the 80s just like this lying around waiting to be discovered by my eardrums. What a great sound this bunch of San Franciscan hair had. Energetic and quite anthemic.

Rewind! 

David Lynch & Dean Hurley - Slow 30's Room

David Lynch & Dean Hurley - Slow 30's Room (2017)

Where the world's of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Mark Fisher, haunty-ology and The Caretaker further intertwine.

Angelo Badalamenti - The Fireman (2017)

Also from Twin Peaks: The Return Part 8 which was the cinematic event of the last twenty years even though it was on the telly. Despite Badalamanti tunes being scarce during the eighteen hours of Twin Peaks: The Return, one of his best ever compositions was actually commissioned for Part 8. It's unbelievable to think Lynch only procured four new Badalamenti compositions for this epic 2017 telly-visual saga, when for the first two seasons of Twin Peaks, Angelo made over six and a half hours of music. Perhaps he was indisposed! I don't actually know the story behind why such a small amount of Angelo's music was recorded for the show. Anyway The Fireman is primo cosmic, epic and emotional organ musick.

The World Spins · Julee Cruise

Haley's Comet's come and gone...

...Falling through this night alone

*A supreme pop culture moment...well several really: Inclusion on the Floating Into The Night The LP, Twin Peaks Episode 14 and Twin Peaks: The Return Part 17.

Laura Palmer's screams echoing throughout the woods endlessly. 

Angelo Badalamenti - Dark Space Low

The final piece of music in Twin Peaks ever. 

Carrie Page, Laura Palmer doppelgänger and/or Laura Palmer.

MOON WIRING CLUB ~ SCATTERBRAIN 9

It's Christmas season that means one exciting thing: There's a new Moon Wiring Club album.  

This is some hallucinogenic shit. A psychedelic musique concrète dub miasma, Scatterbrain 9 is like the perfect soundtrack for 2023's dysphoric overload. It feels like the noxiousness of the relentless psychological warfare placed upon us by our overlords has permeated this once playfully spooky project giving it a different type of nefariousness this time. A deleterious force has contaminated this once enchanted village, in the most glorious way of course. Delirious. 

No one in the 21st century has the synergy of sound & vision honed to such an impeccably specific degree that Moon Wiring Club does. Ian Hodgson's Moon Wiring Club is an aesthetic triumph

Chasin' the Voodoo · Al Di Meola

Al Di Meola - Chasin' the Voodoo (1978)

Congas. Congas. Congas. More drivin' Al Di. This time it's a cinematic cosmic car chase to track down the voodoo. 

Billy Cobham - Solarization

Billy Cobham - Solarization: Solarization / Second Phase / Crescent Sun / Voyage / Solarization - Recapitulation (1974)

Oh boy here we go for another lively, mind melting and visceral fusion journey. This is avant-garde, it's psychedelic, it's jazz, it's symphonic, it's easy listening, it's fast-funky heavy rock and it's ultimately great fun. All of the things and more including flugelhorn, marimbas and congas. 

This was so on, nothing could stop the alchemy of synergy. 

Peak audacity. 

Stanley Clarke - Life Suite

Stanley Clarke - Life Suite (1974)

Clarke starts out the gate on the final track of his self-titled LP by bringing all the dark drama with an incredible brass and string arrangement! Then Tony Williams puts on his best ever drum clinic, absolutely supreme drummage with added percussive goodness from Airto Moreira. How much fun are Clarke and Williams having. On the keys it's synth star Jan Hammer. Stanley's bass tone in the final movement (post-7:07 mark) is just phenomenal as he plays a heavy captivating hook. This is rare and emotional bass playing. I mean how many bassists can you say that about. The best part though, might be the stellar guitar heroics supplied by the underrated Bill Conners. Like all the best fusion this out-progs the most progg-iest of proggers and like all the best art it transcends any constraints you wish to place upon it. 

Something else. 

Al Di Meola - Race With The Devil On a Spanish Highway

Al Di Meola - Race With The Devil On a Spanish Highway (1977)

Strap in for some funky freeway fretwork fireworks.

Peak rockin' fusion!

"Oh Al Di is it you or me who are the elegant gypsy?"