I think anyone who loves psychedelic music needs to doff their cap in the direction of Nathan ‘The Active Listener’ Ford, a fella who is doing sterling work at the moment.
For as well as running the well, second best music blog on the planet (coughs) he has also set up a virtual music label which is issuing albums via his Bandcamp page.
The standard of the nine releases have so far been incredibly high with PJ faves Beaulieu Porch and The Shadow Folk among them. Possibly the best so far is a new to me, but originally recorded a few years ago, album from a group of psychedelic electronic experimentalists called White Candles.
Pretty much all I can glean from their bio is that they have a shared love of bands like The United States of America and White Noise and of course the good old BBC Radiophonic Workshop, they come from Philadelphia and they have either had serious runs in with religious cults or more likely possess a bizarre sense of humour.
Either way the EP they recorded a few years back has been reissued to a possibly much wider audience via The Active Listener label and it really does deserve to grab them many new fans.
For although the albums is is festooned with analogue synths and oddball effects as you’d expect from a band who describes themselves as a Radiophonic Space Pop Band, they also have a keen ear for Beatles-esque melody. Listen to Tire-moi Des Mes Reves. It is a dreamy as its title and in spite of its moniker is sung in English. Not only does it have stunning melody its fade out will stick in your head for days too. My other favourite is the EP’s finale Behold The Abstract Eye which adds a quirky drum beat and hand claps to all manner of analogue synth shenanigans. Then after about a minute or so goes all prog rock with a series of ever so slightly bizarre keyboard interludes. There’s a solid tune lurking in there too. They kind of remind me of this intriguing lot too.
So make sure you keep tables The Active Listener’s Bandcamp page and download this – a great way to spend $5.
And Nathan – can we have the vinyl label next?
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