o pussy footing around this month – let’s set the bar at the topper-most of the popper-most. Schnauser is not the sort of name you would normally associate with a psychedelic pop combo but then on the evidence of their second album, "The Sound of Meat" (SMILE40) this Bristol three-piece sound a thoroughly perverse and mischievous bunch. Sure the music hints at sunshine pop reminiscent of 60s British psychedelia, XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear, Todd Rundgren, Field Music and 10cc and is full of clever ideas, super harmonies and intricate (sometimes too intricate) chord and time signature changes. However the delicious twist, dear reader is in the somewhat macabre and unsettling lyrical content which betrays a dark and occasionally potty-mouthed underbelly revealing all manner of creepy-crawlies in the flowers. Tracks such as “Cosmic Ordering Service”, “Twins of Evil”, “Nobody Loves Me”, the bizarre and wonderful “World of Wimsy” and “Everything is Nice” prove that along with fabulous melodies the band possesses a sharp wit and a keen eye for the absurd. This one’s a bit of a snake in the psychedelic Eden and it appeals… a lot. www.schnauser.co.uk
www.myspace.com/schnauser

Staying in the West Country (Weymouth in Dorset to be precise) “Tea and Sympathy” (Songs & Whispers SW01) is an overview of early recordings by Garfields Birthday. Featuring mainly songs written by founding members Simon Felton and James Larning (who is no longer in the fold), the album showcases the band’s 90s UK guitar-band influences (Teenage Fanclub for example) as well as traces of a Byrds-like sound and a clear indebtedness to the “59th Street Bridge Song”. The material works best here when it rocks a wee bit and the tracks are given a bit of air, hence the gutsy “Eye to Eye” is particularly noteworthy as in fact is the rest of what was originally released as the “Ambulance EP”. The middle part of this compilation and particularly the more acoustic stuff is not quite so impressive (a bit lightweight in parts if I’m honest) yet still proves that the band has a fine ear for melody and is more than capable of crafting a decent song. In all, this is a very pleasing introduction to the accessible and tuneful music of Garfields Birthday. I hope they stick around. www.garfieldsbirthday.com

It’s always good to receive some stoner rock and this month we have two sonic helpings courtesy of German bands Samsara Blues Experiment and My Sleeping Karma. The Samsara offering, “Long Distance Trip” (World in Sound Records) is the heavier and more varied of the two, featuring an acoustic track and some sitar, as well as vocals and a reliance on some very heavy duty Hawkwind freakout and Sabbath-style uber riffage as well as paying a homage to the more primal sounding German bands from that era (and is that a trace of Maggot Brain I hear in there as well?). The undoubted highlight is the twenty minute plus closer “Double Freedom”, a veritable tour de force featuring some of the best and heaviest stoner riffing you’re likely to hear all year, but on the whole you can’t help thinking that Samsara’s “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to parading their influence means that “Long Distance Trip” sacrifices a bit of its cohesion in the process. So the question is, does Samsara Blues Experiment nail it with this one? The answer to which is probably “close, can’t remember where we put the cigar, but when there’s a big, fat ol’ spliff like this to suck on who cares”. Give it a spin.

In contrast “Tri” (Elektrohasch 141) by My Sleeping Karma is a more restrained and tightly focused affair and perhaps as result has fewer highlights to show for the band’s efforts than Samsara’s “Long Distance Trip”. In no sense can this be considered a bad album it’s just that MSK seems to plough a fairly narrow furrow to the point where it becomes difficult to differentiate between some of the tracks and a certain air of predictability sets in. In fact they could do with taking a cutting from Samsara’s tree of ambition and seeing what takes root. The fruits might then be very interesting indeed. If the CD artwork is anything to go by then those of you tempted to check out the vinyl release-could well be in for a treat.

www.worldinsound.com
www.myspace.com/samsarablues
www.electrohasch.de
www.mysleepingkarma.com

Continuing with the stoner theme, albeit with a far more spacey and mind-melting vibe is the very welcome return of Peruvian psychedelic rangers Serpentina Satelite with their third official release, “Mecanica Celeste” (Rocket Recordings LAUNCH038). This is how it goes. Take one pinch of acid fried turn of the 70s Krautrock, one part Hawkwind, a huge ladle of White Hills and a sonic twist of heavy metal all laced with Wooden Shjips-style barely comprehensible delayed vocals and tons of effects, and this is the sort of elixir that gets many of us out of bed in the morning these days. The six tracks are all inventive and invigorating takes on a familiar theme that somehow succeed in breathing life into what can sometimes seem a tired old genre. All deserve to be played on heavy (and I mean heavy!) rotation by all stoner/psych freaks wherever ye may be. If we gave stars for our reviews then this would deserve a galaxy load and more. Honestly there’s nothing bad to say about this, even the “metal” track at the end seems to work near-perfectly once it hits its stride about four minutes in (although the religious chanting at the end of may prove a bit of an acquired taste). Take my word for it, if this is your kind of thing then go out and buy “Mecanica Celeste”, this month’s best in breed heavy psych/stoner offering as endorsed by one very happy reviewer indeed.

www.rocketrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/serpentinasatelite

From the Windy City, The Syllable Section is essentially a solo project for one Matthew T Marquandt who sings and plays all instruments except drums. “Linear Views” comprises quirky psychedelic pop songs with a vaudeville twist throughout which Marquandt sounds like Marc Bolan impersonating John Lydon. It’s a difficult album to get into, and when you do, it is still difficult to love. It’s not that the jaunty and deceptively jolly presentation is a bit unsettling in places (we don’t mind that in the least here at Terrascope Towers) it’s just that the samey intricacy of “Linear Views” poses the same problems for me as the Animal Collective or a tolerated but slightly wearing know-all neighbour or work colleague–very smart perhaps, but the novelty of the company can be short lived once you come to the realisation that what you are listening to is just that bit too clever by half and is in danger of outstaying its welcome even at 25 minutes duration.

www.myspace.com/thesyllablesection

The Left Outsides are Mark Nicholas and Alison Cotton from London, and old friends of the Terrascope (veterans indeed of that now legendary Tea Party which saw Nick Nicely and the Bevis Frond both undertaking rare live appearances). Their second full length release, “The Shape of Things To Come” is a delicate and thoroughly excellent mixture of folk and light psychedelia, full of swooning melodies and intelligent arrangements that makes great use of the violin, which can sometimes be a bit hit and miss in popular music. The Mariachi-style strains of “The Third Light” introduce Nicholas’ sounds-a-bit-like-Gruff Rhys voice and this leads into “To Where Your Footsteps Led” which in turn introduces us to Cotton’s pure lyrical delivery. What follows is a collection of nicely constructed and hauntingly tuneful songs on which the duo shows that they are capable of a range of moods and styles. Part Pentangle, part Tindersticks, part Western soundtrack, this is a delight from end to end. www.theleftoutsides.com

Another sophomore album release, then, this time “Superfpowerfraglelis: or How I stopped Caring And Learned to Love the Drug” by Pittsburgh, PA’s The Van Allen Belt. Assembled by songwriter Ben Ferris and fronted by Tamar Kamin TVAB sounds like you might expect of Bongwater had their songs been scored on Tin Pan Alley by a conscripted team of Goffin and King. Musically it’s inventive and varied. Lyrically it’s wicked, rude, subversive and, all in all, quite a lot of fun. www.myspace.com/thevabelt

The drolly titled “How The Fallen are Mighty” (Radio Khartoum KHZ210) might suggest another cottage industry release by Arch-Punster Julian Cope but no, what we have here is a curious and oddly enjoyable album by Welsh observational comedy-pop outfit The Hepburns. The album is a bit of a comic mini-opera about the subversion of main man Matt Jones’ identity by one Norm de Plume (ouch!) in his absence and is a light –hearted romp through Divine Comedy and Viv Stanshall territory that is interesting enough even if it does very occasionally stray a little too close for comfort to the treacherous rocks of the forced humour, Saturday lunchtime radio comedy slot. Musically The Hepburns bombard us with a smorgasbord of styles - “One More Notch on the Bedpost” is a vaudevillian romp, “The Help” is upbeat yet spooky and “Man Missing” gets funky(ish) whilst “Dolores” shows that Jones might also secretly be fronting a Beautiful South tribute band. Not as musically appealing as the Schnauser album reviewed earlier in this bath, or quite as astute or biting as The Van Allen Belt, this is nonetheless a clever and diverting enough piece of work for which there is hopefully a market out there someplace (possibly Japan as the sleeve notes are in Japanese as well as English). www.radiokhartoum.com

Marcus Church used to be in Minneapolis’ the Yellow Fine before decamping to Denver and forming Marcus Church & the Levels. This twelve track offering “The Marcus Church Story” features Church on all instruments except for drums and is an assortment of mostly simple and unpretentious indie-lite ditties. Nothing special but nothing that’s likely to make you dive for the off-button either. www.myspace.com/marcuschurch

It’s time to put away the paisley shirts and kaftans and slip into those comfy black robes and cowls. Yes folks its time for the monthly Drone Zone. Having delved deep into the jiffy bag of doom your reviewer has unearthed the portentously titled – and in gothic script no less - “Deep Slow Majesty” (Black Drone BDRL002) by the unambiguously named Crepuscular. The five menacingly glacial cuts feature macabre mood music with titles such as “Descending Darkness”, “Travelling Through The Obscure Vastness”, “Ethereal Shadow” and “The Southern Throne”. As typifies the genre, nothing much happens, any changes to mood and tempo are subtle and gradual and at any time you get the feeling the whole dark edifice is about to implode under its own atmospheric weight. More restrained and, to my mind, effective than the likes of Sunn 0))) this makes me want to paint my face the pallor of clay and stand holding a mysterious object in outstretched arms whilst wreathed in dry ice. If that doesn’t get me invalided out then I don’t know what will. www.blackdrone.com
www.crepuscularweb.com.ar

A somewhat less dark affair and as much ambient/minimalist as it is drone is “Haven” (Morc Records #55) by Circle Bros - in fact a solo project by Belgian improvisational musician Wim and is released as a limited edition LP. “Haven” expands on the theme of previous Circle Bros releases and is texturally warm and oddly appealing. Wim adds muted vocal to the guitar, organ, sound collages and drones and which adds to the somewhat spectral and disembodied ambience of proceedings. Okay, this is not the stuff of legend and is unlikely to be on heavy rotation at any place anywhere near you. Nonetheless the 6 tracks on “Haven” are worth checking out and spending at least a little time in their company. I tried it, I liked it, and I intend coming back for more. www.morctapes.com

“Illuminate” (Transduction Records TDR010) is the third full-length release by Japanese instrumental quartet Lite. Rhythmically tight and with crystal clear production the eight stop-start tracks are carefully crafted “music by numbers” adding elements of spacey jazz (“Andromeda”), disco (“Tomato”) and angular staccato guitar reminiscent of the Magic Band (check out “Image Game”) and No Wave to the basic mix. Why, there’s even a hint of that Tony Basil song “Oh Mickey” in there someplace. The clinical, almost militaristic feel to some of the tracks (courtesy of some insistent drumming) lends “Illuminate” the definite air of action movie soundtrack and wouldn’t be too out of place in the new A Team film. After a couple of listens I was still a bit undecided, sensing that whilst there was plenty of both style and substance it was a wee bit too clinical, even “proggy” for it’s own good. However this is another album which benefits from repeated listens in order for the listener to get under its skin (and visa versa). Vote “HIT”.

www.transductionrecords.com www.lite-web.com

“Finds You In Love” (New Granada Records NG020) is the first full-length release in eight years by Seattle-based singer/songwriter Jen Wood and is well worth the wait. Deceptively simple melodies belie the fact that this is folk/pop of high calibre. Broadly based on the theme of love, trust and forgiveness the album is highly personal and quite sensual in places, without ever seeming self-indulgent or mawkish. It’s difficult to pick out highlights from such a strong set, but the swooning “You Are The Promise”, folksy “Zeppelin”, the gorgeous “Trust” (which sounds ever so slightly like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers in ballad mode), and “Morning Light” with its double-time drum shuffle all deserve a special mention. “Finds You in Love” puts Jen Wood firmly up there in the top division of female singer/songwriters. Let’s hope she doesn’t keep us waiting so long for the follow-up. www.newgranada.com

Staying on the West Coast of America but in a very different jar of tadpoles, Mushroom is a musicians’ collective from the San Francisco Bay Area whose membership includes the likes of Josh Pollock and Erik Pearson, who may be familiar to fans of Gong through their various collaborations with Daevid Allen. “Naked, Stoned and Stabbed” (4Zero Records) is a mostly acoustic and ambient affair, blending both Western and Eastern hemisphere influences with a strange assortment of instrumentation including Latin and African percussion, sitar, celesta and vibraharp. The impressive roster of contributing artistes and the odd and varied instruments made this one of the most eagerly anticipated of this month’s batch of Rumbles and, by and large, it doesn’t disappoint. The opening number “Infatuation” sits us squarely around the hippie camp fire from which comforting flames we never really move too far. “Jerry Rubin: He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother” sounds like the Third Ear Band (no bad thing as far as these two ears are concerned) and is the best of the first few songs here. The mood becomes more upbeat five tracks in with the straight out of a “spirit of ‘69” freak jam known as “Take Off Your Face and Recover From That Trip You’ve Been On” with Hammond-like keyboards and psychedelic guitar from the Melton/Kaukonan handbook, while the Afro-Latin percussion lends it a Santana at Woodstock feel. This is one of the outstanding tracks here together with the lengthy eastern improvisation, “Tariq Ali”, the spectral, slightly jazzy “Indulgence” and the only vocal track and the one that closes proceedings, a fine take on Kevin Ayers’ “Singing A Song In The Morning” which even features a narrative vocal in the style of Kevin’s “Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes” and could easily be the man himself. Aside from these choice cuts, “Naked, Stoned and Stabbed” is an intriguing and enjoyable enough collection of tunes, and picks up an extra mark for some oddball song names the length of Tyrannosaurus Rex LP titles. Quite what guitarist Sean Smith (see July Rumbles) thinks of the hopefully affectionate “tribute” to him on track 4 would be interesting to know. If you’re reading this Sean, why not drop us a line let us know. There must be a story in there somewhere. www.4zerorecords.co.uk www.royalpotatofamily.com

There are some albums you just know you’re going to enjoy the moment you’ve heard the first twenty or so seconds. Goodness knows this is such a rare occurrence so step right up Busses and take a well deserved bow! The self-titled, self-released album by this three-piece from Philadelphia, whilst clearly indebted to the likes of Pavement/The Jicks and Television, has an indelible and quirky identity of its own, fusing psychedelia, post-punk, indie, jazz and good ol’ rock influences into a damned fine if at times disquieting sound at the fore of which are the expressive and at times barely controlled vocals of guitarist Dave Brett. And yet there is a distinct if somewhat twisted sense of melody in evidence here as well, underlining the fact that Busses are no mere noise merchants but are clearly capable of producing intelligent, well crafted and angular tunes that will baffle and delight with each mood and time change. That opening number I referred to at the head of this review is called “Foundation Myth” and is followed by six more tunes of light and shade inventiveness. “Stationary” could be mistaken for an outtake from “Forever Changes” with its deceptively summery jazz vibe which lasts just until the storm clouds break; “House Fire” parades the Pavement influences and Brett’s caterwaul to fine effect as it twists and turns and bounces off walls, while “Safe Vacation Destinations” exudes a rather sinister menace infused with a near-eastern vibe before those angular, jack-knife rhythms kicking in and whilst Brett sounds more Terry Hall than Perry Farrell there are pleasing echoes of the latter’s Jane’s Addiction here. “Methods and Procedures” starts oh-so-slowly - a lilting, drowsy, almost slight track. A mid-set lull, or the album’s first disposable track perhaps? Nah! Nothing doing buddy, as this eventually kicks in righteously enough adding horns and wah-wah guitar to the mix. Hell in places it sounds like it’s morphing into a show tune or even a parody of Gabriel era-Genesis. And yet it works. Shake that one out of your ears and check out the light yet lysergic sounding reggae of “Guarded and Safe”. A short track and for once the band’s musical ADHD doesn’t have chance to muscle in. “Time/Place” is a soulful psych-lite show-closer that builds to a frenzy and sounds like another deliciously perverse coupling of Arthur Lee and Jane’s Addiction. Criminally short and frightfully good this debut comes thoroughly recommended and is well worth tracking down. The boys have nailed it. www.myspace.com/bussesbussesbusses
http://bussesinternet.com/

Best band name this month goes to those Foxymorons featuring the Texas/Tennessee pairing of David Dewese and Jerry James augmented by sundry hired hands. Their new release, “Bible Stories” (Foxyphoton Records #002) is none two shabby, either, chock full of catchy tunes and great hooks that makes you think they’ve been around for an eternity. Eclectic and stylish pop this most certainly is and nicely arranged too, as the boys alternate vocal duties although I know not who’s is who. One has a cracked vocal delivery that lends itself to the slightly quirkier songs such as the excellent “Skinny Cow Blues” and the harder “Say It Aloud”,  the other a more straight ahead, high register voice that tends to grace the more conventionally melodic songs like “Out of Control” and “Sick of California”. It hardly matters who is who, there’s so much good stuff on offer and probably something for almost everyone (unless perhaps you’re still locked in the Drone Zone). Fans of Big Star and Wilco would do well to check these guys out, and will probably enjoy the occasional forays into Pavement/Dinosaur Jr territory as well. www.foxymorons.com

Another offering of tight, melodic pop/rock comes courtesy of Canadian quartet Two Hours Traffic. “Territory” (Bumstead Records BUM092). Seemingly influenced by late 70s/early80s American power-pop and AOR this is stuffed with good tunes that takes me back to the era of tight jeans, skinny ties, spiky hair and proto-mullets. Pick of the bunch are the driving opener “Noisemaker”, “Drop Alcohol”, the acoustic “The Lost Boys” penultimate track, “Happiness Burns” and punchy bonus track (one of four) “Nighthawks”. It’s all very accomplished and, in its own way, quite slick and whilst it may be atypical of what we get sent here at Terrascope and may not be to everyone’s taste (indeed some of this is not my cup of tea either) there’s no denying the boys have talent and do what they do well. Commercial success surely beckons. File under “accessible Americana”. www.twohourstraffic.com

And now for something quite special…Fuzzy Lights are a five-piece fronted by life partners Xavier and Rachel Watkins from Cambridgeshire who peddle a sort of gothic folk drenched in psychedelic guitar, violin, harmonium and what sounds suspiciously like a Theramin, a combination that at times evokes the better 1960s TV theme and a creepier “Tales of the Unexpected” punctuated by understated vocals. What Fuzzy Lights tend to do best on “Twin Feathers” (Little Red Rabbit Records LRR020) is the calm and storm epic, eerie and quite beautiful introspection interspersed with heavy wig-outs, such as on the enchanting and exhilarating “Fallen Trees” the unsettling “Through Water” and slow burning centrepiece “Shipwrecks”. As peerless as these might seem, however, the supreme accolade has to go to the almost impossibly sad-yet-gorgeous “Lucinda”, as sublime a three and half minutes of music as you’re ever likely to want to experience. No calm, no storm just aching beauty. Comparisons with the likes of Dirty Three are inevitable and yet there’s so much more to Fuzzy Lights’ music that it seems almost glib to badge them as a sound alike no matter how flattering. This is big music of almost cinematic proportions in places and what I’d pay to see them perform at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Melancholy, moving and, for the most part, quite magnificent. www.fuzzylights.com www.littleredrabbit.co.uk

Meanwhile over in another dimension altogether… Trakwerx have seen fit to grace us with three DVDs of silent films with original scores by modern artists signed to the Trakwerx label, providing wildly varying musical interpretations from experimental electronica, alternative classical, folk/Americana and even hip-hop. Some work better than others, but almost without exception, all are better than the guy playing a piano in the orchestra pit.

Many readers will be familiar with original Tarzan of the Apes film. Of course it stinks - writer Edgar Rice Burroughs was reportedly unhappy with the casting of the lead man and the introduction of additional material, thereby setting something of a template not only for a raft of film, TV and radio spin offs but the love/hate relationship between writers, actors directors and film studios for the next 90 years. But then that hardly matters and anyway this is a music site, so on with the score, which happens to be by Jackson Del Rey, Trakwerx main man. Somehow it works better than the film – jungle drums, creepy and ethereal minimalism, jungle drums AND creepy and ethereal minimalism and some proggy electronica and neo-classical swoon soundscapes, all of which succeed in making the film more watchable (even, whisper it, enjoyable) than it might otherwise have been. Even though Tarzan looks like a cross between AC/DC’s Brian Johnston (in his Geordie days) TV chef Valentine Warner and Marty Feldman on steroids, whilst Jane quite frankly looks a bit dippy.

Next up is The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Robert Wiene’s classic 1920 film, full of dark imagery and surrealist set design. This is a dark old tale of murder, mystery and madness involving a sinister old doctor and a somnambulist played out to a score by London duo Cult With No Name who have been described as the “anti-coldplay” and who provide a fittingly evocative soundtrack involving solo piano, conventional songs with vocals, warm ambience and unsettling distortion. It shouldn’t work, it sometimes doesn’t, but it’s entertaining enough

Last and best in this offering from the silent era is Lightwerx: George Melies a collection of 15 short films by the groundbreaking French film director George Melies. Filmed between 1898 and 1909 this delightful collection reveals just how much of an innovator of special effects Melies was – they are full of his trademark stop-tick, multiple exposures, time lapse photography and dissolve. There’s even a bit of early cinematic colour on the epic “Voyage A Travers L’Impossible” These are the sort of shorts older readers may remember being broadcast on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the days before music videos, and are in turn funny, magical, creepy and even a bit scary in places. Most are a delight to watch and the soundtracks are invariably fitting, featuring excellent scores by the likes of Del Ray, Jo Gabriel, Gods of Electricity (weird one, that), 17 Pygmies and Kulfi. You wouldn’t buy this for the music alone but if like me you’ve been put off silent films by the soundtracks or simply the silence, then this may well reward the curious. www.trakwerx.com

 Well you wait months for DVDs and then all of a sudden four turn up at once, the fourth one being Lost Kisses: My Life a collection of 10 stories in slow-mo cartoons featuring an unnamed, anti-hero stick drawing courtesy of the fertile mind of Silber Media’s Brian John Mitchell. These are stories of loss, confusion and self-loathing deliberately thinly disguised by self-deprecating humour and introspective pseudo self-analysis. Stickman muses on poor life choices, failed relationships, weakness, addiction, mental health issues and the ultimate checkout. In the background there is trademark Silber-drone, sometimes barely perceptible, often see sawing up and down just three or four notes and invariably serving to underpin or perhaps create the mood of these pieces. Do you laugh with Stickman or at him? Do you empathise with him or do you just shout at the screen “ha, you’re really Brian John Mitchell and I claim my £10 prize”? Or else do you just sit out five of these stories, smile, nod knowingly and reach for the off button. Well it is past my bed time and, like Stickman, I guess I’m not getting any younger (sigh!). Worth dipping into. www.silbermedia.com

Finally for this month, Phil McMullen dips his toes into the pool and picks out a couple for your aural delight:

There was a time when we were inundated here at the Terrascope with singer-songwriter albums with a folky, psychedelic pop edge to them, the vast majority of which I confess passed me by although the cream of them (and here the Kitchen Cynics and Todd Dillingham spring to mind immediately) inevitably rose to the top and stayed there. Several claimed inspiration and allegiance to the Bevis Frond; some more obviously than others, it’s fair to say.

It’s been a while, but the Wiltshire-based Blake makes the wait bearable at least. Admirers of the Frond’s earliest bedroom recordings, with squeaky Farfisa bleat, fuzzy guitars and crash-bang drums will find much to admire on his album ‘By the Banks of the A350’, particularly numbers such as ‘Almost Blue’ and ‘I Believe in You’. The opening ‘Soul Agent Pt 1’ sounds for all the world like an outtake from the Fred Bison Five’s ‘Beatroots’ collection, whilst later on in the collection ‘Soul Agent Pt 2’ (arguably the standout number on here) could sit alongside the material on Bevis Frond’s ‘Auntie Winnie’ album quite comfortably.

My favourite moments though are where the guitar explores a more down-home, rural-rock sound not a million miles removed from the likes of 70s acts such as Bronco and Gypsy - ‘Come to Me’ and ‘Goodbye Cruel Pop World’ are perhaps the best examples of this, with the former showing tell-tale signs of being influenced Julian ‘Blake’ Pugsley’s alter-ego as a member of a Beatles covers band, although apparently he’s John rather than Paul.  Contact: www.thisisblake.com

Gareth Hardwick’s ‘Of the Sea and Shore’ (CD from Low Point of Nottingham, England www.low-point.com) shimmers, shudders and glistens like warm snowflakes across two cyclical electronic compositions inspired, as the title suggests, by the moon and the tides. Textures are added through snatches of radio static, field recordings and the breath of a harmonium. The overall effect is like exploring the landscape through a series of grainy sepia-toned photographs. I like it. A lot.   

Rumbles for October was brought to you by Ian Fraser and Phil McMullen. Direction as always by Simon Lewis. Artwork and layout, such as it is, by Phil McMullen ©Terrascope Online October 2010