A highly recommended double CD capturing a compendium of artists who have played at the Fruits de Mer festivals over the years, with 2½ hours of new music. A nicely designed CD is led off by a c.10-minute track by Alain Pire from “Le Grande Voyage”, a hypnotic space rock riff featuring guitar, synth, bass, percussion and some vocals. Next is Anton Barbeau’s ‘I Demand a Dream’ (Reviewed and interviewed recently right here). Babal was a new discovery for me, and after wondering where exactly where it was going over its 12-minutes, I really loved the vibe, the far-out guitar, strident drums, and the storytelling!
There’s not enough room to mention everything but an epic track from Custard Flux, reviewed and interviewed recently on this site, comes from their album “Oxygen”, and it was lovely to hear the gifted psych troubadour Tony Durant (Fuchsia) with an early demo of ‘The Waves’. Acid Mothers Temple is a band I am only vaguely acquainted with and their ‘chant’ with a difference is taken from their “I Am Voyager 1”. London Underground and Moon Goose have both been positively reviewed on DISS and their retro grooves don’t disappoint.
Pinhdar was another surprise package for me when I recently reviewed their latest album and the atmospheric ‘Toy’ from their eponymous EP impresses. Then there is a glimpse of a Sendelica track from a forthcoming album followed by an exclusive synth driven track with an impossibly long title by Spurious Transients, invoking the spirit of Tangerine Dream and their many successors. Spygenius, a 4-piece Canterbury pop combo, influenced mainly by classic 60s/ 70s songsmiths, was another new name for me- nicely Byrds-like! It could be a modern day Byrds as well at the start of a track from The Chemistry Set’s forthcoming album.
US west coast influences subside as Sendelica offshoot The Fellowship of Hallucinatory Voyagers appear. Hull’s The Gold Needles, who appeared on a John Lennon tribute album a few years back, play one of their heavier tracks on a tricky subject, ‘Realm of the Black Dog’. Another album exclusive by The Honey Pot and an older track from The Luck of Eden Hall’s “Butterfly Revolutions” album are welcome additions. Still to come is a drawn-out version of 13th Floor Elevators ‘Slip Inside This House’ (without jug) by The Seventh Ring of Saturn a retro psych band who previously appeared on the FdM compilation “Keep off the Grass” in 2011. ‘Two Byrds’, the lead off track to The Telephones’ “Prosaic Turbulence” is a worthy addition to any psych pop compilation; it makes 3 and a bit minutes go a long way. ‘Dwam’, a track from Three Dimensional Tanx, not heard of since 2018’ “A Compulsion for Propulsion” album is a rarified combination of retro organ and guitar in garage/ psych vein with a motorik beat.
Possibly, the biggest discovery for me was Z Machine incorporating hints of Gong, Colosseum and Canterbury jazz in their engaging instrumental ‘Big Old Hen’ from their album “Merging Worlds”: The complex rhythms, tempo changes and sheer instrumental prowess of this sax-led quintet bode well for the future, an excellent ending to a fine compilation.
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