Reviews

 

“Reviewing a psychedelic rock album is like describing a Rorschach test while wearing a snorkel: I know what I can see but it’s a bit tricky describing it to you. This particular sonic elopement begins with a standard groove that quickly dissolves into a swirling maelstrom of Garcia-esque acid guitar, honouring one of the oldest customs of the genre where listeners should actually feel the lead guitarist’s plectrum on their faces. I can imagine the band licking the backs of Welsh tree-frogs in the studio as Owsley Stanley cheers them on from the big control room in the sky.

One of my favourite tracks, Mwynder, has a great Pink Floyd drive that shifts into a marvellous effects swirl, leaving me wondering if I’m standing on the right patch of grass overlooking Ceredigion Bay. Annwfn is another powerful vision that has the instinctive edge and contradictions of many of its psychedelic forebears. Treiglad Meddwl is as eloquent a pop song as the Welsh lyrics suggest and Chwildod yr Ucheldir had me good. As the album progresses, some of the tracks feel like unexpected guests at an already crowded party, but perhaps that’s part of the journey – a moment of disorientation before the next wave of rainbow enlightenment. Or it could just be a misstep, it’s hard to say. In the realm of psychedelia a stumble often morphs into a graceful dive.

That’s another reason why it’s tricky reviewing this genre. What could normally be criticised as bad arrangement could actually be a stroke of transgressive genius. I’m not quite sure. Once again, the subjective immersion makes it hard to take an objective stance. When I look at where I’m standing, it’s just turtles all the way down. But as I stare the big Mam Crwban in the eye, I can say that the album’s manifesto is clear: norms must be beautifully perverted (poor norms). And yes, even though I’m a bit worried, I’ll be voting for this band at the general election.

There are a few moments where the album suffers from an imbalance that’s quite common to the genre as a whole, where the flower of creativity occasionally proves too weighty for its stem, and there can be a struggle to maintain a solid foundation through a long noodle, resulting in a weird stumbling, a gravity-less and rootless collapsing. That’s not to say it can’t work as a contrast at times but if the groove is absent for too long, it leaves me feeling like a post-puff dandelion. This is a genre of rock, as preached by Hawkwind in 1973. Do penance by listening to Space Ritual 27 times.

Yet for all that, judging this album by any conventional standards would be like having a go at Salvador Dali for his inaccurate depiction of clock mechanics. Identifying its flaws is as productive as taking a penalty against Mr Blobby. I could score but it’s not my name the tripping crowd will be mumbling. It’s meant to be a soundtrack to an altered state, and in that, it succeeds admirably. The flaws can easily be overcome by simply double-dosing next time.

It sounds to me like the spiritual root of the album (when it’s given space to reveal itself) is the high Welsh moorland, where torn pages of medieval literature have been cast to the slow wind. It’s quite a haunting place that I also feel very much at home in. I’ve walked here a lot over the years and it’s nice (?) to visit again. If you can understand the native lingo there is a coherent direction, signposts to Annwfn (the Welsh otherworld) across an empty mountain-side where feelings of loss and pride are mixed with a very deep sense of belonging to places most visitors can’t even pronounce.

Is this perfect? No. It could do with a much better mix and master. But perfection in psychedelic rock is as elusive as a coherent conversation at a Flaming Lips concert. What matters is the journey, and this album provides a trip worth taking. Just don't expect to be able to find your way back when it’s over. The turtles will have eaten your breadcrumbs.”

- Gwilym Morus-Baird on Nol i Annwfn

***

“Mascot Moth’s “Mind Maze” EP takes listeners on a whimsical journey through a sonic landscape filled with experimental delights. Hailing from Mid-Wales, this collection of four far-out tracks invites the audience into a mind-bending experience from the get-go with its titular opener, “Mind Maze.” Instantly, the listener is enveloped in a laid-back atmosphere reminiscent of an underground night club, with trippy vocals and smooth flute melodies courtesy of Harrison, setting the tone for what’s to come.

The EP’s second offering, “Jyst Like Britni,” takes a playful jab at the disco genre with its disco-esque sound and jazzy undertones. Silly yet charming, this track induces chuckles and grooves alike, with quirky noises that evoke nostalgia for classic video games like Wario Ware, adding to its lighthearted appeal.

Things take a turn towards the strange and eerie with “I Want to Be 1, 2, 3,” featuring uncanny noises and hypnotic drones that plunge the listener into a psychedelic trance. Jack Hunter and Eric Heath shine here, with Heath’s mastery of the Martenot creating otherworldly sounds and Hunter’s production steering the track’s direction, ensuring it’s a captivating journey from start to finish.

The EP culminates in “Dark Secrets,” a mesmerizing finale that traverses from a dark, ambient beginning to a soothing melody that wraps the listener in warmth. The track’s evolution mirrors the EP’s overarching theme of embracing the quirky and whimsical, ensuring a satisfying conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Overall, “Mind Maze” is a cartoonish depiction of psychedelia that offers listeners an escape from the stresses of daily life. With its charming eccentricities and childlike perspective, Mascot Moth invites audiences to recharge their batteries and rediscover the joy of innocence. This EP is a must-listen for anyone seeking a playful yet immersive musical experience.”

- Psychedelic Scene Magazine on Mind Maze.
https://psychedelicscene.com/2024/04/24/mind-maze-by-mascot-moth-ep-review/

***

"Hailing from Wales and having a connection to Strap the Button, a rather fine band I reviewed way back in time, Mascot Moth have created two rather excellent EP's that stand broadly in the Psychedelic corner but also manage to stray into various other camps at the same time. Opening salvo, “A Moth of Cloth” is a rambling tune glued together with a groovy bass line over which various other instruments do their thing, skronking, weaving melody and generally turning the tune into a delightful trip acfross your mind, the Dead meeting Gorky's somewhere sleazy. Even better, “Tell Them What You Like (They Will Never Believe You)” comes across like a woozy Hatfield and the North, some great sax noises, and rhythmic changes adding to the groove, it's all over too quickly as “Space Moth” kicks the Motorik beat back in, another sweet journey for the mind, never too cluttered or complicated for it's own good. 

Spacier and nicely lysergic, “Dusty Wings” continues the Hatfield/Canterbury comparisons, Guitar and Bass weaving together over the drums revealing a strange yet lovable track that slowly builds in tension and dynamics reminding me of Kevin Ayers, someone I also mentioned when I reviewed Strap the Button. Continuing the ambience, “Ellis Vulgaris” has touches of Gong to be found, letting its freak flag fly with glee whilst final track “Ellis Tremendum” condenses all that has gone before into seven fabulous minutes taking us back to 1973, slightly stoned and listening intently.

Even better, perhaps, is the title track from “Mind Maze” containing all the elements from the previous EP yet adding some vocals, echoed flute, and a thicker sound, the track an absolute standout from the band that will definitely make you smile. Short and Sweet, “Jyst Like Britni” has a pop groove and humorous intent, the kind of curveball that Gorky's sometimes throw at you, must be something in that Welsh water think I better nip across the border and find out. After that light pop moment things get stranger again with the abstract noises that herald the arrival of “I Want to be 1,2,3.”, a nicely spaced tune, that floats around your head before drifting of into the starry night sky,Reminds me a bit of Man, which is no bad thing at all. Finally, “Dark Secrets” rumbles and crackles out of the speakers, complete with the sound of flies, before a cosmic drone fills the room all spaced out and echo-laden, bass and drums adding a warm pulse to the track whilst rolling chords add texture, that is until it all gets turned on its head and sounds like early Floyd or Soft Machine rounding off two EP's that are both mighty fine and worth your time.”

- Terrascope on A Moth of the Cloth EP and Mind Maze.
https://terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_January_23.htm

***

“Eight new tracks from Mascot Moth on an EP that starts with a loose funky jam, punctuated by guitar and sax excursions, followed by ‘The Gulls of Giliminour’, which not surprisingly features the sounds of gulls (and waves), an evocative, reflective piece with prominent synth and bass, and wistful sax. This segues into a slightly dislocated jam with some singing before a female voice (Sioned Camlin who is also the drummer) narrates the tale of ‘Gwylliaid’ amidst a rather frenzied workout. Next come a fetching little piece driven by a bass riff that segues into increasingly grisly song about ‘Cornan the Horned Barbarian’, presumably a character from Welsh mythology. One of the longer pieces, at just over four minutes, ‘Round and Round’, not the old Panama Jug Band piece but an original about the passing of time (I think) that reminded me of early Soft Machine, concludes the EP. Mascot Math has been reviewed before on DISS and have an idiosyncratic charm that leads me to follow their exploits with interest.”

- Dimensions in Sound and Space on Specimen A
https://www.dimensions-in-sound-and-space.com/post/mascot-moth-spesimen-a-2024-bandcamp

***

"I have previously enjoyed the music of this imaginative and idiosyncratic (in a nice way) band from Llanfyllin. Their latest release is actually a combination of three EPs apparently. ‘Ellis Ascendant’ is new to my ears; loved the fuzz guitar stereo effects, and sax deliberations. ‘I Didn’t Know’ I am familiar with from their previous release, but this is a shorter version. ‘Whatever It Was’ is a marvellous addition to the Mascot Moth canon, capturing the humorous spirit of Canterbury music and the rustic spirit of a Jethro Tull; there’s flute here as well as parping and floaty sax (Rob Harrison) and a charming dreamy interlude. ‘Your Different Mind’ is kind of funky with enchanting vocal harmonies from drummer Sioned Camlin, bassist Jack Hunter and guitarist David Thomas who also plays violin and viola on the EP. Closing instrumental ‘Deviant’s Dream’ illustrates the quirky, explorative vibe of Mascot Moth; lots of guitar glissando and echo with a sturdy bass and drum undertow, with whispering flute, going out with distant sax; it could have been longer. I look forward to the future sonic adventures of this quite remarkable band.”

- Dimensions in Sound and Space on Specimen A
https://www.dimensions-in-sound-and-space.com/post/mascot-moth-confusions-and-illusions-ep-bandcamp-cd--dl-2024

***

"As Mascot Moth guitarist/vocalist David ‘Gravy’ Thomas reminds us with a knowing smile on Sunday,“Psychedelia encompasses everything… from the Beatles to doom!” His band make music with a jazzy, idiosyncratic sound, sometimes bursting into energetic funk, tribal stomp or guitar-led ambience, but always to the amazing syncopation of Sioned Camlin’s drums. Jack Hunter’s chocolate-smooth but twisted bass brings ballast to the atmospheric lament Lullaby In Giliminour, which resolves in unexpectedly sunny major chords. Joined by guitarist and harmonica player Percy ‘Pigman’ on The Inevitable David Lynch with its bluesy hook, the four all met at school in Llanfyllin, Powys 20 years ago. “We’d been playing together for a while, so we all agreed to defer university for a year to play together seriously,” Camlin remembers. “Every week we’d play at least a couple of gigs, so when we’d finished our studies, we all gradually drifted back to the village – I kind of knew we would – and now we all rehearse in the [Llanfyllin] Workhouse again.” Mascot Moth release a Welsh language album this year too.”

- Buzz Magazine on Mascot Moth, Live at the Cellar Bar, Cardigan.
https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/dr-sardonicus-winter-festival-6-2024-review/

***

“Sunday opens with the rich, expansive sound of Llanfyllin’s Mascot Moth, so deep in the jazzy grooves already, as the first notes fall, that everything becomes dreamlike, and we’re forced to surrender to the interleaving themes. Good-humoured wit and wordplay shine through the ephemera, and we remember these artists, too, have been friends since school. Tighter and looser than ever, more experimental and immersive, showcasing new material at every gig – it’s the weekly rehearsal that mines an apparently endless seam.

Jack Hunter (bass, keys, vocals) and David Thomas (guitars, vocals, keys) comment: “We sit in the round, all facing each other, and I think that makes a difference. We have a whole week of material, the ideas going around in our heads, so they’re present and alive in the subconscious – ready for when we need them! We have had a lot of new material to release – our next is out on Fri 21 Mar. It’s weird – we’ve noticed that the releases have naturally fallen on the Solstices and Equinoxes!”

Not weird at all, if you write West Coast-styled psych for whirling imps in Nol I Annwfn while embracing the strange beauty of the rarely-heard ondes Martenot in all its swimmy defocus! There had to be a shoutout for the recently departed cult director in The Inimitable David Lynch, while the brilliant You’re On Your Phone makes cyborgs of us all… well, we are, aren’t we? As drummer Sioned Camlin quips, introducing (Savour) The Flavour Of Doom, “We’ve got so much of it, we may as well enjoy it!”

- Buzz Magazine on Mascot Moth, Live at the Cellar Bar, Cardigan.
https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/dr-sardonicus-winter-festival-viii-cardigan-live-review/

***

 

Interview with Music of the Future Blog

 

What are your names? 

Sioned Camlin – Drums/Vocals
Jack Hunter – Bass/Vocals
David Thomas – Guitar/Vocals 

Occasionally with others, including Rob Harrison on flute/saxophone and Eric Heath on synths. 

What is the band’s name? 

Mascot Moth

How did you come up with the band’s name? 

The name is taken from a conjuring trick created by the magician and illusionist David Devant in 1905. In the trick a woman dressed as a moth disappears completely in full view of the audience. To this day no one knows exactly how Devant pulled the illusion off. 

What is your genre of music? 

We play a sort of psychedelic rock with diverse influences, from prog and jazz rock to krautrock and other vibes.

Give us a little bio about you. 

We have been friends for many years, and have been playing music together for just as long. Jack and Sioned are both founding members of the psychedelic space rock band Strap The Button and Dave (also known as Gravy), was a member of the great band Call it a Clunes, and later also Strap The Button. Mascot Moth formed after Strap The Button went into an extended hiatus, and we have been performing together since 2016. Jack also played bass in the Bristol-based jazz-prog band Sweet Potato, and various other projects including Robert Redford for Bedford and The Leatherette Barn Owl. Dave toured the free improv scene in various ensembles, studied Indian classical music in Mumbai, and played in a number of Nottingham bands including Long Dead Signal and Garrison. Sioned also plays with the Welsh language protest band Twmffat, and has toured Europe as a Zydeco washboard player.

What made you go into music? 

We discovered long ago that music never lets us down. It has been a friend since childhood. Music is everywhere. We found our instruments (or did they find us?) early on, Sioned was introduced to the drums by Gwyn Maffia, legendary drummer of the Welsh music scene. Dave was inspired and encouraged to get into music by Eddy Gartry, another legend of the Mid-Wales music scene. When we were younger we were part of a thriving rural youth music scene in Mid-Wales, putting on gigs in village halls and building lasting friendships and communities. Music is synonymous with friendship. Music and songs also provide a different way of thinking through and exploring ideas, concepts, moods and feelings in a way that is not possible with conventional analytic processes (e.g. rationality). Music and altered states of consciousness have also always been connected in our minds, and there is a current in our music of attempting to express different states of consciousness. We also love to rock out, and get lost in the music!

Who are your influences? 

King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Can, Caravan, Gong, Soft Machine, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Anweledig, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, David Lynch, Angelo Badalamenti, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles, Mogwai, Gruff Rhys, Burning Spear, Bjork, Joy Division, Talking Heads, Gorky’s Zygotic Monkey, Aphex Twin, Pink Floyd, Sinead O’Connor, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Broadcast. 

Aldous Huxley, Edith Turner, Philip K. Dick, Twm Morus. 

Are you signed?

No.

You released your Album ‘No I Annwfn’, tell us more about the album and the meaning behind it. 

The album is a Welsh-language musical voyage between worlds. The title – ‘Nol i Annwfn’ – means ‘Back to Annwfn.’ ‘Annwfn’ is the ‘otherworld’ in Welsh mythic tradition, the spirit world or fairyland. Music lures us back there. The album has just been included in the longlist for the Welsh Music Prize, alongside lots of wonderful music from all over Wales, which is very exciting. You can check out the longlist here: https://wmp.cymru/2024-longlist/

Describe each track in two words. 

1. Psychedelynores – psychedelic queen. 

2. Cetyn Uchelwydd (Mistletoe Pipe) – subversive initiation. 

3. Annwfn (The Otherworld) – mysterium tremendum. 

4. Treiglad Meddwl (Mutation of Thought) – playful metamorphosis. 

5. Trwmgwsg (Heavy Sleep) – slumber jazz. 

6. Y Twll (The Hole) – the void. 

7. Mwynder – static ecstatic. 

8. Crafangau (Talons) – existential dread. 

9. Stafell Gynddylan (Gynddylan’s Room) – bardic tradition. 

10. Nol i Annwfn (Back to Annwfn) – becoming underworld. 

11. Chwildod yr Ucheldir – transcendental awe. 

12. Heddlu Dyfed Powys Police – country-lane paranoia.

What was the writing and recording process like? 

The album is made up of a mixture of improvisational tracks and more deliberately composed pieces. The tracks were mostly recorded live and spontaneously in our rehearsal room at Y Dolydd in Llanfyllin, a community arts space. We then work on the jams, refining them and adding overdubs to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. We enjoy the energy of live improvisation.

Who did you work with on the track? 

We worked with a number of collaborators on the album, including Iris Gordijn guesting with some wonderful jazz vocals and accordion, Gavin Williamson-King on synths and Eric Heath on the Ondes Martenot. We also work very closely with multi-instrumentalist Rob Harrison, from the Swansea-based band Z Machine, who has been recording and playing live with us for a couple of years now. We have also been working closely with the pop/punk artist Brian Jones from Llanfyllin, who has been designing and creating our marvellous merchandise.

Will we see a music video for any of the tracks and if so tell us more about the creative process. 

It is certainly a possibility. 

Do you have any live shows coming up? 

We are, at the time of writing, about to embark on our first summer tour, consisting of five dates, four of which are festivals! We will be at Kozfest on the Daevid Allen Cosmic Stage on Friday 26th July, Landed Festival on the Khaos Stage on Sunday 28th, Green Gathering on the Floating Lotus Stage on Saturday 3rd August, and at the 20th Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival of Psychedelia at the Cellar Bar in Cardigan on Sunday 4th August. To round it all off we will be at CWRW in Carmarthen on Friday 23rd August, supporting Karma Sheen.

Let us know where we can get tickets if so. 

Festival websites. 

What else can we expect in 2024? 

We are looking forward to having the opportunity to return to our moth cocoon for some creative pupation after our busy summer of festivals. We have several songs that are quite gig-hardened by now, that are ready to be recorded, as well as some new compositions that will likely comprise our next album. We hope that we might get some more radio play, and spread our mothy wings further.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years? 

Nestled deeper into the undergrowth. Still jamming and having the opportunity to play good gigs with good bands. 

What quote or saying do you always stick by? 

“More concept, less album.”

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget? 

Ceremonial herbs. Flask. Instruments. Moth garb. Turmeric tea. 

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you? 

Yes: https://www.instagram.com/mascotmoth/

https://musicotfuture.com/2024/07/30/a-psychedelic-rock-with-diverse-influence-we-got-chatting-with-mascot-moth-all-about-thier-brand-new-album-no-i-annwfn-and-the-creative-process-read-it-here/

"Strap The Button are a Welsh six-piece that operate in the same stratosphere as Hawkwind and "Set The Controls For The Sun" era Pink Floyd. Signed up by the independent Good Name For A Race Horse record label, these space-rockers, who are all barely out of their teens, have been known to play 25 minute noise sets using just about any instrument they can get their hands on. They are also fond of strange album titles such as their previous effort "What Kind Of Rat Bastard Psychotic Would Play That Song Now At This Moment" shows. They have once been ,quite hilariously, described as sounding like "Animal Collective backing Tony Hadley as he undergoes a nervous breakdown". "Going To Jib Choons..." continues the strange album title theme, and only enhances the image of this band as space-rockers. It features 8 long tracks interspersed with 8 sound collages, that actually work quite well in controlling the flow of the album. Titles such as "Machines" and "Electroacoustic Experiment" give you an idea of what is going on in the shorter pieces. Opening track, "GNFaR CD001" starts with a repetitive guitar riff, with the band slowly building up, creating a dense and hypnotic sound. The track takes off with this spell-binding build up and then unleashes into a furious jam around the 3-minute mark. After the short "Machines", "Casualty Of The Remesis Trilogy" kicks off with a Godspeed You Black Emperor type build up and excellent use of viola. The guitars here sound quite mysterious and the build up is very tense. However, the band unleash again, much like the album opener, and spiral into a jam session. This time, though, it's cut short, leaving you wishing they had explored the intense groove more. Next up is "Countryphile", one of the more song-based of the short tracks. It's quite nice with a loose acoustic guitar and spoken word and fire engine samples. Its a brief respite, from the furious jam sessions of the previous tracks and glides quite nicely into the next song. Strap The Button definately have an amazing talent of creating hypnotic grooves, especially when they are channelled and become cohesive. By the time you reach "Full Moon Effect", you begin to understand what this band is all about and begin to anticipate each climax from their slow-burning build-ups. However, this is most unlike the thousands of instrumental acts who use layer upon layer of delayed and distorted guitar in a deriviative quiet/loud formula. This band are too talented to use such a watered down approach, and instead prefer off-kilter rythmns, frenzied guitars and spiralling violins, that creates a tense sound that gradually gets heavier until it explodes. The band also portray plenty of diversity, especially on "Mystery Song", which sounds like early Pink Floyd covering "The Pink Panther" theme tune. It features a creeping bassline and sweeping drums that evokes images of the crime caper. "Gravy's Song" is more restrained, starting off with very skillful and pleasing plucked guitar work. The melody soon develops and reminds me of Peter Green's "Man Of The World". On the excellent "Dom's Song", recruiting a violin player has paid dividends for Strap The Button. This track has a more standard post-rock approach, but the band cannot help themselves and launch into psychedelic guitar frenzy, that is becoming the trademark of their sound. "Paperclipbeard The Pirate" is the stand out track of the album (not just because of its fabulous title). There is a strong Hawkwind aura again here. They seem to have 1000's of ideas, sometimes they don't quite work, but when they do it is a joy to behold Strap The Button are a seriously talented and certainly innovative young group. They seem to be influenced by a scene that was about decades before they were born, yet have a perfect understanding of its structures, textures and spirit. "Going To Jib Choons..." doesn't strike immediately, for a start there is too much going on to absorb in one sitting. Instead, I found putting the album on in the background worked a treat. As when you actually sit down and concentrate on it you start to recognise and enjoy what is on offer, especially the more delicate instrumentation. This is, by far, one of the most ambitious and progressive releases I've heard all year. The Arctic Monkeys may have won the Mercury Music Prize last week and may be getting all the plaudits, but these youngsters have much more talent and ideas in my book. They have restored my faith in the future of British music with this release. I would not be surprised if this ended up in my top 10 albums of the year come December. Strap The Button's star certainly burns brightly in the stratosphere tonight."

- Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to jib to Like Innit)

 

"Strap The Button are a seriously talented and certainly innovative young group. They seem to be influenced by a scene that was around decades before they were born, yet have a perfect understanding of its structures, textures and spirit. Going To Jib Choons... doesn't strike immediately, for a start there is too much going on to absorb in one sitting. This is, by far, one of the most ambitious, progressive and craziest releases to come out of these shores in some time and is made all the more remarkable by the band’s youth."

- Sonic Frontiers on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"A fully realised and richly imaginative disc, full of hypnotic instrumentals, squalls of noise and cut-up vocals, reminding me of The Serpents and containing a track called “243 seconds of elvis followed by a scream” which suggest the whole album could be viewed as a collection of sound effects for a bizarre amateur production of a movie about Tom Parker, but probably isn’t. Either way this is a gem of an album well worth the trouble of tracking down." 

- Terrascope on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"With grooves based on prog rock, a little bit of Kraut sound collage, and some folk and post-rock, “Going to Jib..” swirls with so many rich images, musically that it sounds like it was made by a band that has been around for years and is ready for their big risk. This is fun and cinematic, like an instrumental soundtrack to a film you are never sure you are supposed to be scared or exhilarated while listening. Here, you can do both...Ambitious is the only word to describe these kids. They think in epic terms, have handy the whole history of experimental music at their fingertips, and, given their age, have so many years to expand on what is already a compelling sound. 9/10."

- Foxy Digitalis on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"Opening track 'GNFaR Cd001' leads us in gently. A quiet organ slowly melts in as the rumble of sound edges ever closer. The guitars are subtle with a quiet bass line 'sulking in' reminding me a little of Pink Floyd around 'Dark Side Of The Moon'. It's either hit or miss with post rock, boring & bland or expansive & mind expanding. Seems Strap The Button play the latter hand. Second track 'Machines' is a collage of sound, bringing the scraping of un-oiled hinges with the chugging of engines. Think the suspense of a Submarine film thriller. 'Casualty' is not a reworking of the TV series theme tune, it's rather a jazzy little number that takes the Sonic Youth sound al la Jim O'Rourke mixing it with Xylophones & building drums. Guitars pluck out a moody soundtrack, very cinematic. Strap The Button take their music & skew it into a film world. Each track has immense detail, leaving the listener captivated or at least bemused to the point of wanting to fully understand their music. Songs like 'Paperclipbeard The Pirate' show a sort of Steve Malkmus style workout, but before it can be too much a musical narrative it takes a trip through Syd Barrett's psychedelic world. Strap The Button go from Jazzy to avant-garde within the space of a song. Their song lengths are sensible & nothing is overblown or pompously arranged. They are one with their music & make challenging music for listeners who think outside the box. Recommended."

- The Plastic Ashtray on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"As we are so often reminded, there is no money in music any more, and as we are also reminded, it is blogs like Doklands that are part of the problem, not the solution. I try to do things fairly, taking things down when requested without complaint, and never posting full albums. For the first few years, I even had a policy of never featuring a track from an album that I'd already taken something from before, but you try keeping that up for a few years and see how desperate you get. One response to the problem with money is that music should sound frugal. If that's what music is nowadays, how about it actually start sounding like it? I know the usual response to economic depression is to go for glitz and glamour, but when was the usual thing ever the right thing? It's time for bands like Strap The Button to step forward and take their rightful place on the cultural stage. Bring out the distant, muffled drums. Bring out the high strummed guitars with their loose steel strigs. Bring out the untuned violins. Bring them together and let them lollop about in a experimental rock instrumental fashion. Strap The Button are possessed of a wholly admirable cheapness, and well they might after a nearly a decade with little recognition and a string of failed record labels. All the time they are making wonderful sounds, you also get the impression they are making do. And you know what? If they're anything like as awkward and wilfully obtuse as I think they are, they wouldn't have it any other way. And what evidence to I have for such a claim? Only that Full Moon Effect is taken from the 2006 album Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib Like Innit). Get a copy and make it the soundtrack to your daily commute"

- Cyberinsekt on Full Mooon Effect.

 

"Dripping with many disparate and seemingly incompatible influences, Going To Jib Choons…. was always going to be pretentious and scrappy. But art-school pratting about aside, there is much here to suggest that Strap The Button ought definitely to carry on with their sonic experimentation. Playful and serious in equal measure, the band possesses a seemingly boundless ambition, and the moments where that ambition is successfully channelled demonstrate huge potential. Going To Jib Choons…swings wildly between the experimental and the derivative - a sizeable section of the album draws a little too heavily upon the work of Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch. Yet Strap The Button are one of those bands who threaten to release a great record any minute now, and, given their tender ages, they’ve plenty of time to be getting on with it."

- Tasty Fanzine on Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"Strange vibrations from this Welsh group who combine elements of Zappa-esque sound montage, kraut rock and the surrealistic humor of The Residents. For the most part, Strap the Button is truly unclassifiable, though some common points of reference, in addition to those just mentioned, might include Faust, Neu, Etron Fou and Captain Beefheart. Both of these CDs are wildly eclectic, perhaps because Strap the Button fuses musical genres in such an arbitrary way that it's difficult to get an accurate fix on just where the group's allegiance lies. The group uses a myriad of samples and loops in combination with synthesizers, various keyboards, guitar, bass and drums in order to produce a rather unorthodox aural experience, though the sonic cacophony of both Faust and The Residents comes about as close to an accurate analogy as you'll get when trying to describe Strap the Button.

The extended tracks on What Kind of Rat Bastard Psychotic…? show the group at their most experimental, while Going to Jib Choons… (and, no, I have no idea what a Jib or a Choon is) features, comparatively speaking, shorter and more "song-oriented" material, some of which could almost be described as quasi-pop, though with a decidedly punky edge at times. "Machines," for instance, from Going to Jib Choons… sounds like an impromptu meeting of Kraftwerk and Throbbing Gristle at a Dusseldorf oil refinery. On the other hand, "Stay Still, I'll Get the Camera" (also from Going to Jib Choons…) could've been a track on Wire's Chairs Missing or Pink Flag. Several of the longer pieces on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psychotic…? are collages of sound and noise and seem to be the true métier of this group. "The Fully Grown Giant Otter Cannot Be Killed," one of the disc's stand out tracks, merges electronics and frenetic guitar into what might aptly be called ambient punk. The same can be said for several of the other songs on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psycotic…? Neither CD is particularly easy to digest, but both have surprises and rewards for the patient listener who's willing to hear with an open ear."

- Aural Innovations on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psychotic Would Play That Song Right Now at This Moment? and Going to Jib Choons (Choons for Going to Jib to Like Innit).

 

"A cornucopia of tribal drone, dustbins hurled through windows/flashes of sunlight on water/torch song/ burning tyres/ lounge madness, which will keep you guessing from start to finish, and to these ears contains the playful spirit of Kevin Ayers’ early albums."

- Terrascope on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psychotic Would Play That Song Right Now at This Moment? 

 

"These "songs" are basically mini-epic art projects. STB can connect with a few minutes' worth of vocals in a Black Heart Procession manner, and then, zoom, they're gone - off on a journey to Cygnus B or somewhere, in kosmische musik regalia. On "The Fully Green Giant Cannot Be Killed," a 9 minute exploration of metronomic rhythms and starship bleeps and blips, STB seem to be laying down an epic tale about... something."

- Culture Bunker on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psychotic Would Play That Song Right Now at This Moment? 

 

"Sounds like a journey to the center of a 4- or at most 8-track...“Weener Has Sailed to Sea” begins this CD-R with a creeping, droning dirge, while “Gusset Bastard Grip” is comparatively spry. Bonky percussion gives way to glittery-sounding guitar and Bryan-Ferry-style crooning that gets progressively more unhinged as the song goes on. “The Fully Grown Giant Otter Cannot Be Killed” gets back inside outer space, as an extended, repeated guitar figure lays down for a proggy keyboard-led break which itself is overwhelmed by noise, only to be replaced by a propulsive riff freakout. This isn’t seeking to crush me or swarm me as some psych freakout noise is; there’s a progression in mind here. “Mwynder” is more a concept noise piece based on 2001: A Space Odyssey until about halfway through, when a rubbery bass line begins chasing its tail, egging on the suddenly aggro, un-Karoli-like guitars. “One Point Six Eight” is part of the same whirl, with some downshifts to medium intensity before flaming out. Strap the Button is on to something in its exploration of less typical psych/Kraut currents, in much the same way that, say, Donkey was a few years ago. Here’s to more then."

- Foxy Digitalis on What Kind of Rat-Bastard Psychotic Would Play That Song Right Now at This Moment? 

"Bristolian twenty-somethings Sweet Potato release Mash - a perverted rock album of note. Lolloping, strangely propulsive rhythms underpin impressively enormous riffs and the operatic vocals of Stephen Baker, creating a record that has its fair share of headbanging moments, but retains a jazz sensibility throughout. Although decidely less pastoral, Mash brings to mind the Canterbury Scene in the way it toys effortlessly with generic conventions, yet manages to produce something considerably greater than the sum of its already impressive parts. ‘We’ll Think’ starts out all Twin Peaks paranoia before erupting into a bizarre, deconstructed Beefheartian take on metal (complete with squelchy synths); ‘Slow Priest Turns the Mummers On’ combines handclaps with duelling sax and clarinet improvisations whilst Poor Old Abe’ takes off where Black Sabbath finished with ‘Fairies Wear Boots’. Yet despite this variety, the record is highly successful in defining an instantly recognisable sound. For fans of Gentle Giant, Faith no More, Captain Beefheart, Lords, Soft Machine and Egg."

- Records on Ribs on Mash. 

 

"The first track of this album can be misleading as it starts like a Nu Metal track, impression that's caused mainly by Steven Baker's voice that sounds similar to Serj Tankian. I have to confess that I like SOAD and Tankian solo works, so this is not an issue at all for me. "Leaky Margin" is a good song, only the rest of the album is of a different kind. "Poor Old Abe" starts with good bass chords. The song develops smoothly. It reminds me to the Math band "From Monument To Masses", but I hear a little touch of jazz, mainly in the guitar. This track is hypnotic and the bass in evidence contributes a lot with its rhythmic. There's an exciting crescendo from minute 3 to minute 5, then the bass recovers its role for an instrumental sequence with mute singing. Excellent track. Two minutes before the end a drum solo appears and introduces a totally different thing with the bass still as main instrument supporting a screaming voice through a megaphone. "Mediocracy" is opened by a dissonant guitar chord and two clarinets more dissonant than the guitar. Very dark and atmospheric. It makes me think to Art Zoid. "Hidden Variables" has a Canterbury feeling. To describe this track I can mention the early Soft Machine. This is another excellent track on which also the vocalist and his background vocals perform very well. The signature is strange and unusual. I can't decide if it's just a 5/4. Apparently it's something more complex. Also this track grows in an exciting chaotic crescendo. "We'll think" has a free jazz start driven by clarinet and bass. Odd signature, guitar and vocals plus the choir of the other band members make swing and the chorus makes a nice contrast with distorted guitar and screamed vocals. At about minute 4 the other instruments add a bit of chaos over the jazz base hold by drums and bass. In the final the song changes drastically. The jazz is replaced by a very hard section which leads to the sudden final. "Slow Priest Turns The Mummers On" makes me think to Area and Stormy Six. The clarinet plays like it's a jazz standard while the other instruments make something different and very dark. Five minutes of jazz madness closed by claps. Less than one minute is the duration of "Mashed" which is written so to remind the TV serie. (M*A*S*H*E*D*). It seems just a quick shot taken during studio rehearsals. "Die Hard 5" sees again bass and vocals in foreground for another song which reminds again to SOAD but with a sort of chorus that's totally progressive. Various signature changes (almost all of them odd) play a repetitive theme that's like a mantra which stops suddenly after 4 minutes. An interlude and a new bass base arrives., then the track is developed to a chaotic free jazz excercise in the vein of Area, corroborated by an excellent drums riff and a short coda which reprises the initial theme. "Four Pollocks Into a Bop" is un-describable with words, but it's pure jazz. It reminds me to Cecil Taylor and to concrete music. Baker's singing, with the necessary distinctions, has something of Demetrio Stratos, especially in the low pitches. What started like Nu Metal reveals to be a free-jazz adventure. Not an easy album but it can surely appeal JR/F and RIO fans. Excellent album."

- Prog Archives on Mash.