Take a 'chance' on this Kidd

Music is all about time. The right time more often than not.

At the moment I have 'time'. It’s hasn't always been like that but circumstances sometimes throw you the freedom to think and do something different.

Time is on my side - If I could turn back time - Hit me baby one more time - This time (more than any other time)

And when time connects with ideas then things become magical. You see (well hear) there’s so much sound out there. And when our ears align with the sounds of the underground, from the garages, the box room rebels and the cupboard pioneers then  their melodies and words can lift our days and hit us right in the heart. All these genres emerging over time and rolling over one another – boundaries collapsing and sound taking over in fits and starts and change. This great body of sound pushing and moving on across centuries and cultures it's bound to have an impact.

And when you have time you make things.

And when you have time  then things can happen.

At some point last year Stuart Kidd had ‘time’ on his hands – as he puts it a ‘chance weekend’ to himself. So why not take a chance on the time that you’ve got. Which is exactly what he did. Setting himself the challenge to record an album in a weekend. Well let’s say put down the basis of a long player in a 48 hours (I can’t be exact – I wasn’t there)  The result of this is ‘Chance Weekend’ an incredibly beautiful set of songs structured through chance and risk, experimentation and play.

We all experience moments of time on our hands. Good times. Bad times. It’s what we choose to do with this time that shapes tomorrow and all that. There’s something in looking back to those moments when boredom bred creativity and the 'in between' happened. Stuart Kidd makes the music of the 'in between' from a cupboard (well not just a cupboard – but let’s stick with it as an image for his creative genius) in Scotland.  Stuart Kidd has been in my life for some ‘time’ now. I first came into contact with his incredible melodies and harmonies as part of The Wellgreen in a club in North London. Playing good time rock and roll with his partner in chime Marco Rea. And then through his bandcamp site I discovered all manner of beauty. 'Chance Weekend' is another find from this cupboard full of dreaming.  

Starting with an idea – well it has to start somewhere – to create songs using ‘chance’ materials Kidd set about creating a wonderful new long layer.  Inspired by Eno and Coryat and Dobson’s ‘The 12 Song Game’ he set about using random cards and exercises to revisit sounds, create new ones, merge ideas and sing with abandon in new ways. It’s still Kidd though – it’s still songwriting of the highest order – it’s just put together differently.

Sometimes with time on your hands you find new things to do with it.

Now this might be an odd place to bring this up but I’ve been reading a book by John Higgs again ‘The KLF Chaos and Magic and the band who burned a million pound’. It’s a wonderful book and you should read it. But within its pages is an explanation of magical thinking. ‘Chance Weekend’ has been touched by magical thinking. It really is a beautiful piece of work. I should write this review by using the techniques that Kidd used – roll a dice and add parts about harmony or write in italics and bold. But I’m going to chance it and just write whilst listening. Hopefully it will make some sense.   

Opening with ‘A picture I don’t want to paint’ with it’s nod to the laid back 'mid-eighties late night feel' production, kind of like a nightime drive tune that appears from the radio - not Chris Rea  - it’s never ever Chris Rea – but it has a sort of minor melancholic tinge coupled with odd squiggles and squeaks and straight away this is a departure from what we might be used to. The song is still full of rich harmonies blending and coming together but there’s a touch of wailing guitar in there to, it’s quite a sad opener but it works.

This is followed by ‘Little One’ a heartfelt tune to being a family. I guess once someone else comes along you shift your perspective in life and this shift in perspective has produced a wonderful song. It starts with a buzz and  simple beat mixed with a drone  my kind of pure pop – I can’t put my finger on the what it reminds of – it has this big ‘red rocks’ moment near the end – you know epic pop.  All hands aloft with lights and people on shoulders. It’s a song with a punch in the air and swaying with your  lover. Families come from this. There’s a lyric that Kidd sings so beautifully - keep us in your plans – because you know your children grow up and we all have to escape sometime but as a parent you want your children to 'keep us in mind'. It resonates with love for the unknown whilst calling past - a nod to being back somewhere in time. It's a beauty. This cupboard pop pioneer is producing some of the most wonderful sounds around at the moment and you really should give it a listen.  

Opening with a Sgt Pepper like fanfare ‘Forget Me Not’  drifts into that beatific 60s simplicity and here come The Zombies to help him create a perfect pop storm with a banjo and a kazoo somehow making melodies conjuring the 1930s. This has a lot of Macca about it and that’s no bad thing.  There’s never an afterthought with Kidd – he puts it all into the tunes and it works. Like ‘Tomorrow Sky’, that comes next all seas and open horizons with a space filled guitar part to match. This is my favourite so far ( but I haven’t got to the end yet) There’s a swirling organ like the mighty sea rumbling beneath it and that chord progression sends you far out to watch the sun. I don’t want to say it’s country folk – but you need a jump in point so I’m saying it has echoes of country folk but inflected with the city (to keep it real maaaaan) The harmonies are thick and wonderful - the whole long player is both reflective and forward thinking. In using random procedures to create songs the process has made Kidd stray from what he knows into a tomorrow that never knows.

Next comes 'Crazy George' – which is just brilliant  it seems to be made up of found sounds and repetition. I get the feeling of early children’s television music as Kidd makes sounds from rainbows.  It’s got a touch of Van Dyke Parks, it's pastoral and evocative of other pleasant worlds. Actually this might be my favourite. And once again time is referenced so well as KiDD sings 'You can’t look back without tomorrow close at hand.' You really can't. 

Up next is ‘Sagro’ - now this actually has the Bagpuss melody as it's intro  ( or I might have locked on to a children’s television theme in my mind through my own magical thinking) it’s all Oliver Postgate and wonder. Still mining that Van Dyke Parks vibe and then shifting to drum machines and swirls. Melodies unwinding over chugging beats.  When it breaks after two minutes it’s sublime. I could listen to an album of that sound. There’s lots going on in all these songs – but it doesn’t feel that it’s thrown in – more developed even though his working method held more power over the production of this album than the more traditional process of writing a set of songs. But sometimes you have to just do something different

'Like a Bullet' is a ‘cut up’ lyrical blast an ‘Alphabet boogie woogie’ to borrow Kidd’s own technique. I have just written ‘The Beach Boys meet The Style Council uptown’. And that’s no bad thing. So I'll stick with that description for now. 

The fuzzed opening of ‘Unknown Hometown’ with its echoes of MBV guitars breaking and falling apart whilst Teenage Fanclub provide the structure is absolutely pure pop. Random and sublime. It feels like it’s in a key that’s pushed his voice somewhere else and I really like that. It’s quite a big one this one.  

We are nearing the end and there’s time for two more tunes from this wunderKidd. ‘I see crocodiles’ a drone spiritual with a touch of Bowie era ‘Low’ about it – you’ll get the reference when you listen. But then suddenly punctuated with huge harmonies as at comes to an end – we're back to hands in the air – as night falls and we fall in love. And there’s a lovely drone repetition at the end that I could listen to for hours.  

Finally wonk pop at its best is addressed in ‘Where have they gone’ With spring reverb making it seem ‘Free’ ( see what I did there?) and alive. It’s like Kidd goes glam with a touch of  Tricky thrown in the blender. A riotous manner with which to close the cupboard door on at this time. As experiments go this works for Kidd. It’s another long player of incredible tunes and words from a genuine genius of sound. He’s contributed to so much wonderful music over the years but clearly saves some of the magic for himself. With time and chance he’s woven together a truly special record.

With ‘time’ comes creativity. Kidd’s time over that weekend was well spent. Why don’t you take a chance on Kidd and listen yourself this weekend. You won’t be disappointed.

You can find the album to download or buy a limited copy here: 

https://kidd.bandcamp.com/

You can find even more wonderful things here: 
https://kiddtunes.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7jTgnIN8MDiKqHVGfvgz0k


Here is the video for ‘A picture I don’t want to paint’

Oh and check out The Barne Society they released Grin and Bear it by The Wellgreen - and that's ace too. 

We’re on a very special mission with Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab

It’s been too long – way too long baby – it’s been too long. But hey I’m back – it’s good to be back (do we reference that these days – probably not) There’s a whole heap to write- half finished posts and notes – they’ll surface over the coming months.

So where to begin (again)

This is about Dr Cosmo’s Tape Lab – oh and what a laboratory this is – and their forthcoming long player – Beyond the Silver Sea. All shimmers and strums – harmonies and hums.  A tale of finding the future and living there – I guess. I had received a random message from Mr Stuart Kidd – yes he of The Wellgreen fame (well they are in my house – i mean famous in my house – not that they live in my house) about new projects – new sounds and a possible  place to start a review.

So through cables and code I ended up in my soundcloud (hey, hey, you, you get off of my (sound)cloud) listening to the experiments of two wonderful musicians and their attempts to create an almighty concept album on 4-tracks of tape. The Beatles had four tracks – these guys too. See what you can do with your imagination. And as I always point out – this isn’t retro – this isn’t looking back – it’s just trusting the tape to do its job - to record the experience. Before we begin - I just need to say - they haven't put a date on its release- they're hoping to get a vinyl release soon - so here's to that. So let's talk about the 'Beyond the Silver Sea'. 

And what an experience it is – a mini rock opera –in between The Wellgreen,  running a record label The Barne Society and thumping the skins in the Roogie Boogie band – Stuart had found time to write a (a quick one) musical opus of sixities psychedelia and analogue science fiction.

So let me make sense of this positive sixties psyche and take you ‘Beyond the Silver Sea. Dr Cosmo’s Tape Lab are Joe Kane and Stu Kidd with narration and additional material by Adam Smith (because there’s a story in all of this). Now I should be wary of a concept album for the 2000s – it might all go Kanye West or Sasha Fierce (remember that) or Beady Eye (there are a concept band aren’t they?)

So this album starts with a story – a narrated tale of ‘Max’s’ endeavour to escape his restrictive life in a world where no sense reigns and escape to a place ‘beyond the silver sea’.  Instantly recalling Brian Wilson’s attempts to tell us his tale of a magic transitor radio on a side of seven inch vinyl inserted as an afterthought in the Holland album – there was a worry coursing through my veins – what with the Stanley Unwin forced surrealness of ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake’ and I tried not to recall that ‘War of the Worlds’ record – you know it was in all the Woolworths’ as a child (all the Woolworths)

But I’m here to listen But luckily for you ane me – this turned out to be a Tommy – a concept you can listen to – through and through.

And if I’m honest the story took a slight back seat at first – but slowly it began to fit – it started adding sense to the whole heap of sounds coming my way – this mish-mash of The Small Faces, Brian Wilson blended with a heavy dose of The Who and some Teenage Fanclub tuneage.  It’s an album full of twinkles and strings, harmonies and things (In Lieu of Something Better) where reverb and open chords tell of confusion and discord as Max’s attempts to ‘get out of this place’ get more confused and affected by time.

Through these backroom bedroom recordings come some wonderfully crafted tunes – recalling the Dukes of Stratosphear’s attempts to confuse and dazzle in equal measure. This could be a lost classic (an odessy and oracle we never knew about) or a confident pricking of the past and then presented as a new future.

There’s an analogue elegance between the layers of sounds and each and every play lends itself to references and nods of the knowing. I can hear the work of the mighty Ray Davies seeping into the albums seams creating psychotic reactions  in this Glasgow city – an alternative Detroit -  squelches and soothing sounds. There’s a hint of The Seeds in here too. Oh you can tell what I’m saying it references and remixes that era – those tunes through country, rock and bossa nova. Simple love songs – simple pleasures – garage psychedelia  - there’s a wonderful song called ‘Painted Birds’ – now it’s part of the narrative – a narrative of smoke filled cafes and new wave jump cuts as we hot foot it through Camden 1966 – all heavy fringes and dark eyes – tight trousers and getting high ,high, high.

So do I believe in the silver sea – do I want to escape?  There’s experimentation in this four track heaven – the sounds spring out of nowhere – a translated and transformed – there’s a moment where Chas and Dave meets Back to the Future uptown as a cockney knees up descends into Lee Perry’s spacedub in the form of ‘Pie,mash and liquor’. It’s an album torn out of time and rooted in the past yet knowingly moving on.  It has humour at its heart.  Serious songs from smiling faces – or smiling songs from serious faces?  Whichever way you want it – it works.

As Max’s journey takes us to The Storehouse of Fools in a quest to get away from it all with Trixie at his side (except she isn’t) this place of ramalamma boogie woogie – all denim (the band and fabric) with lasers and lights then head into the Townsend fury and Foxy Lady honky tonk of ‘Dr Chester’s Pleasures’ as we are taken to the stars. You see anything is possible when you can commit it to tape – when you can experiment – reshape – chop and mix – sprinkle this and turn out that.

So we journey ever onwards – beyond the silver sea to ‘The Stars My Destination’ all Lennon squawk and shimmer a lonely ‘other’ planet boy cry. Dr Cosmos’ Tape Lab have produced radiophonic workshop organic indie music for 2014 and beyond – it’s conceptual – it’s bombastic – it’s fantastic. A kind of subtle fairy animals (you get me?)

Finally we reach our destination. Way beyond and further. Ready for ‘The Long Sleep’ – it’s got this early baggy feel to it – sort of (World of) Twist otherness. There’s a hint of Gary Numan  cutting a duet with The Zombies rolling over and over (it may have been the time of day I listened – but that’s what I’m hearing in the chorus) All Barberella backbeat – squelches and reverses – slipping down to simple chords and harmonies falling into air and space.

 

Dreams falling into line on tape. 

Yes the whole thing is ambitious and at 44 minutes you’ve got to put the effort in – otherwise you might lose the story thread. But once that’s all seeped into the unconscious you just listen – and let the lab carry out its experiments on you.  All put down on four tracks of tape – as I said – if it works for The Beatles – then it’s going to work for anyone. And it works for this talented twosome.

You know we can find the things we want to be - beyond the silver sea.

So who wants to join me – beyond the silver sea?

As this long player is yet to be released - you can do no harm in checking out their rather fabulous soundcloud site. There's lots of songs and snippets from the album. It should be out very soon - so you can buy it then.

Go to it here

A proper taste of Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab

Here’s some information too:

Stu does- vocals, drums, glockenspiel, percussion, monotron, casiotone, acoustic guitar, lead guitar

Joe does- Vocals, tack piano, bass, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, electric harpsichord, Moog synthesiser, organ, melodica

Recorded July to November 2013 on a Tascam 424 Mk. III four-track recorder

Here's a couple of Likely Lads - Grin and hear it (see what I did there?)

Grin and bear it. A smile to fend off the ills of the world.  You get those feelings sometimes as you work through the final days of a long old haul at work – roll on the break. Chin up old man – we’ll see it through.

So here come The Wellgreen to spread their ever changing scene to the masses. It’s a new album see – another long player from the best players. Song number one – Grin and Bear It – sets the tone - like an updated Bay City Rollers with swagger (and there’s nothing wrong with that)  – you can feel yourself transported back to housing estates and blurred photographs of the family – with that boogie woogie backing – a sudden transmission from 1974 – similar to The Beach Boys rocking rocking chugging chugging roll of LA (Light Album) messed with a Wild Honey moment.  I think one the Rollers came from Prestonpans  - the other side of the Scottish tracks from these lads – and I get that sense of concrete and glam(our) melded in this stomping sure fire starter.

Like the opening to a sit-com scheduled just after The Likely Lads – there’s a flutter and smile in it all – I guess the album mines some of those Macca moments that run through With the Beatles right up to his last album – but as always - I can hear those Beach Boys chords and changes playing with my expectations – with fluid bass lines and familiar patterns - this long player feels like I already owned it – and that’s a good thing. The familiar (feel) flows through the nine songs on this lovingly crafted second album. I know my references will be obvious and not the ones that are clearly playing a part in the development of this set of super songs. (But tolerate them if you can) What I love about this album is that I can’t put my finger on the sound. As I said before – it’s the familiar. And that’s comforting.

There’s a whole heap of style – delivered with wit and honesty across this second album. Less sprawling than the final parts of their first. The songs sit well together – it’s a player – you know those days when you’d put a record on – play side one – turn it over and play side two. It has that feel – even down to the CD print (it looks like a record – you see’ll that when you buy it – and you will buy it – come on its Christmas for fuck’s sake – treat a friend – they’ll be your friend for life)

And the second song’s a smasher too – still with the feeling of flares and scuffed  shoes comes Sunday – not quite Monday – but I don’t like Mondays – shall I tell you why – it’s because I like Sunday – here’s the simple soundtrack written in glam high notes and pauses. Saying that, it has a feel of The Who’s  A Quick One – observational and sing-a-long . Quickly followed by gig staple Ants – hemmed into a Merseybeat sound – with sudden stops and descends – Ants scurries around the mind and sticks there – like the wee bastards in the houses. I don’t mean the The Wellgreen are wee bastards - just in case you mis-read me – I also picture them as red ants in the song ( another throwback to my seventies youth) And so to further the journey comes Train Song like a Simon and Garfunkel (with a hint of Freddie of the Dreamers – it’s the simplicity of that Casio beat) coupled with arpeggios courtesy of the MT100. With Marco and Stu lamenting that they just weren’t  born at the right time. Well they were. Because it means we have this music now and not in the past as nostalgia – it sits right here in 2013 as a testament to the fact that they can just write songs that aren’t affected and processed in a bombastic manner to knock the feeling right out of them.

I’ve said it before  - the fragility of The Wellgreen is there in the space and harmony. Which leads aptly into Counting  all these moments - one for the road – in the middle of the album - this isn’t looking back - this is the result of writing beautiful songs in homes late at night and into early mornings – it’s dancing with your partner through the days. It’s looking into eyes and falling in love – its casual glances and shared looks - it’s heartfelt and honest.

Then up pops Remember opening with a Zombies flourish and Hal Blaine snare rolls – coupled with those simple – yet always effective harmonies from Stu and Marco. Oh and how we wish for a harmony in the modern world. I was talking with a friend sometime ago and we were discussing how every boy band of the modern age ( you can define that) has failed to recognise that harmonies are what made the Beatles great – and now they just belt their parts in the same key and inflect everything in the same old fucking  manner (Ladies and gentlemen I give you Take That – I mean come on Gary – have a listen to The Wellgreen) Now with The Wellgreen there’s a measure to the mix  - sound complimenting sound – this is music made to be  played on the radio – you know -  the big radio – all over the country – harmonies like this sound wonderful through small speakers.

As you can see – I’m going track by track – I don’t usually but I wanted to put something down about each one. Because I said before without the writing how would we know – so next up is Impossible Love – mining those country roots all Gene Clark going solo  with The Fanclub for his backing band. It’s melting harmonies time and somewhere in there is a touch of Mike Nesmith going it alone.  I guess the whole album has this emerging seventies sound – a nod to what the sixties produced but taking it somewhere else and of course updating for the now.  Saying that, Summer Rain with its Bacharach moments and the return of the Everly Brothers should be sound tracking an eighties teen coming of age flick. Sublime. There’s music for every decade.

Leading to the finale of On Our Own, this heartfelt tribute to just being in love – you know the feeling – we’ll take the world on – together – just you and me. It has a Wings feel to it – now I’m no Wings fan – I couldn’t name another song other than the hits – but it’s the structure and the tone – lovely. Soaring stuff. 

So The Barne Society have done it again – this ever growing collection of beautiful tunes, wordsmithery and risk all packaged in their unique way. I’m glad The Wellgreen have a new album out. And it is an album. All killer – no filler. So to put it in a most simple way – it’s good that Stu and Marco find time to sing – to write – to record - to release it -  because it pleases other people.

It makes me grin. It will you too. 

This is Summer Rain 'off the new album' in Glasgow - with added guitar

There's also a stream of the whole Barne Society Christmas shindig - but I can't find the link again - so google The Wellgreen, The Barne Society or go to soundcloud and find The Wellgreen, or Marco Rea or Stuart Kidd - basically click stuff and listen - you know it's worth it. (I'll sort the links soon)