FOLK IVOR CUTLER
An Elpee and Two Elpees (Decca) 00m
Descended from eastern European Jews, Ivor Cutler was born in Glasgow in 1923, 100 yards from lbrox. His grandfather was a peddler of working men’s caps and his father branched out into furniture, cutlery and medicine. Young Cutler, meanwhile, sucked up the conjoined influences of Burns and the incomprehensible Hebrew being sung at his father’s progressive synagogue. Deconstructing language was everything to him. World War II service made sure that the poet, surrealist, iconoclast, humourist and, most importantly, songwriter and performer in Cutler did not come out to play until he was well into his 30s. Since then he has remained a bit of an outsider favourite, beloved of oddbods worldwide. His following (like his brand of spoken/musical poetry) is both universal and miniscule and therefore
incredibly cherishable.
Cutler’s works have for years been fairly tricky to get hold of, despite the fact
that Creation has had him as a loss making back-boiler artist for years, so it is something of a treat to have these delightful new Decca re-releases. As the literal title suggests, this contains one LP and two EPs: 1959’s Ivor Cutler of Y’Hup EP, 1961’s Who Tore My Trousers? LP and his Get Away from the Wall EP from the same year. Everything here is incomparable, irreproachable and totally unique but gems include ‘Boo Boo Bird’, ‘A Warning to the Flies’ and ‘Gruts for Tea’. If, like most sane people, you constantly border on the cantankerous and insane - this is indispensable. (Paul Dale)
POP GORILLAZ Demon Days (Parlophone) COO
FOr something that was supposed to be a ioke Gorillaz has worn remarkably well, their debut sold better than the last couple of Blur albums did. maybe that's why Damon Albarn, sorry. 2D has invested so much time and effort into it. Hooking up With Danger Mouse — he of Grey Album infamy — was a masterstroke.
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oCleor
Demon Days is more odd. complex and compelling record for his input. There's also more guests on here than a summer season at Fawlty Towers — De La Soul. Neneh Cherry. Shaun Ryder. Dennis Hopper — but at the heart of it lies a slight
and guaintly cheery record. Whether it Will seep into the bones like it's predecessor after a Summer on repeat. remains to be seen. (Mark Robertson)
INDIE
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
deepsteri 000.0
The more Cynical reader may View this collection of Jeepster EPs and singles as a record labels attempt to cash in on an early signings new found success. But
even if that‘s true. yOu can't fault Push Barman To Open O/d Wounds on musical grounds as it finds the ‘Best Scottish Band of all time' at their most magical. with tracks ranging from 1997-2001. For those who only caught the Belle and Sebastian bug after the release of Dear Catastrophe Waitress. gorge yourself on the romantic st0rytel|ing of 'Dog on Wheels'. the glorious “LaZy Line Painter Jane' and the whimsical defiance of 'l'm Waking Up to Us'. and discover exactly what youve been missmg Out on all these years. (Camilla Piai
HIP HOP
EDAN
Beauty and the Beat (L€\.V|Sl COCO.
Boston DJ, producer MC Edan Portnoy returns With his seCOnd LP. paying Iip serVice to the methods of hip hops most enduring icons but wrapping a technicoloured blanket around their styles with his own tripped-Out approach. Sampiing a barrage of psychedelic pop and rock s0urces. Ponnoy's SOund distinguishes itself immediately from the faux-gangster hip hop morass. but what really gives this Bostonian Sergeant Pepper the edge are his inspired flights of lyrical fancy. Embellished by fellow rhyme-spitters Mr Lif (Def Jux). Percee P. InSight and Dagha. Beauty and the Beat is as fresh as the da|SleS growmg in the Strawberry Fields' and
as raw and fiery as the ‘Voodoo Chile". So. whether or not y0u're experienced. prepare to be dazzled.
(Andrew Richardson)
JAZZ
LOUIS MOHOLO- MOHOLO AND STAN TRACEY Khumbula (Remember)
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Two veteran giants of the UK Jazz scene convene after a 30 year gap. and find immediate common grOLind. The eight coriipositions bear terse titles Such as ‘Links'. ‘Shapes' and 'Plurality'. and SOund largely iinprOVised. The ii‘t.s:c unfOids in Organic fasnion. with Tracey's stabbing. percussive piano lines dancing across the drummers busy poly/rhythms. Vibrant and creative. the music is a fascmating reflection of their aCCuiitulated n‘.u8ical wisdom. and the diverse range of influences that have gone into that growth. from the infeCUOUS Joy of Monolo's South African roots through to the spky abstractions of free 1822.
Kenny Mathieson;
ROCK
EELS
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations iDreamworksi 0..
Seven years in the n‘aktng. this sprawling dOuble CD collection is Mark Everett's 'personal ll‘LlSiCa! purnai'. apparently. and it's certainly a comprehensive inusmg on the meaning of life.
death, family and love. The overall atmosphere is one of lo-fi ambient melancholy. With occaSionai bursts of sugary pop and jagged blues. With the most t0uching moments appearing on the second disc. ‘I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn‘t Break Your Heart' is a wonderful country nursery rhyme gone wrong. ‘Ugly Love' is a painfully frank piano ballad and closing song “Things the Grandchildren Should Know' is pOSSiny Everett’s most beautifully honest moment yet. (Doug Johnstone)
ELECTRONICA FAOJESUS Tsetse Fly Jihad (FAOj) 000
As befits anyone under a jihad. FAOiesus are reclusive SOUls. We know nothing much about them. aSide from the facts that they reSide in Giasgow and they make pretty damn fine music. almost Justifying their bolshy claim that ‘Tsetse Fly Jihad Currently reSides on Allah's iPod'.
Ab0ut the only hint they do give us is a listing of the Vintage Synths. samplers. drum machines and laptops (and. strangely, the soiind of a 19308 medium format camera) used in the album's making. alth0ugh such details only ObSCUre its rather dreamlike timelessness. The strangely linear experiii‘entalisrr of 'My Soul Was Your SOui‘ and ‘There is Beauty“ (the latter hacking ac0ustic gunars into the m x) is clinicai but computatier warm. and m ght see the start of a challenge for Boards of Canada's crown as Scots chill-out masters. (CaVid Pollock)
ALL CDS WERE WERE REVIEWED ON A SYSTEM SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED BY LOUD 8: CLEAR
,:J--.i ’ .i-r -ll.) muff: Ciflyls’m le/JILCJ'JL'CLEILJ’. CQ.‘Ji’
72 THE LIST ‘2—26 May 203:3