Calamateur vs.
Steve Lawson
Calamateur
Tiny Pushes Vol.2
Calamateur
The Old Fox of '45
The Gena Rowlands Band
La Merde et les Etoiles
V/A
Deep Peace
The Out_Circuit
Burn Your Scripts, Boys
Calamateur
Son of Everyone EP
Calamateur
Tiny Pushes Vol.1
The Gena Rowlands Band
(trailer) EP
Oldsolar
The Perfect Backswing EP
The
Perfect Backswing
EP
by Oldsolar (clave001)
£3
(including postage)
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Released 10th March 2003
"The Perfect Backswing EP" was officially released mid-March but its lead track, "Pick Me Up", had already sneaked its way on to the airwaves via Radio 1's "Session in Scotland". The EP also spent March 2003 in John Peel's Record Box, which we were all very chuffed about. The Oldsolar hallmarks; found sound, electronica, inventively aggressive riffs, heartbreakingly beautiful cello, frail harmonies; are all present and correct, but there's a whole new twist going on.
"...
just so damn good...beautiful." - Elevation Station
Peel's Record Box March 2003 - John Peel
"...high quality...sweet." - The List
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1.
Pick Me Up
2. Tomorrow
3. The Edge of Minnesota
4. Revisit
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Reviews
in full:
"...equally high quality
are Oldsolar, the Glasgow lo-fi outfit, 'The Perfect Backswing' EP (4/5)
sounding like Belle & Sebastian on morphine with a bag of old skool
synth bleeps that they found at the back of a cupboard. Sweet."
- The List
"Given
that this band were responsible for one of the top albums in recent years
in 'Many Visitors Have Been Gored By Buffalo' I'd looked forward to more
of the same - which was kind of a very becalmed version of Flaming Lips'
warped take on intelligent arranged pop. 'Pick Me Up' then, is a fair
surprise as Oldsolar show that they can hack a pop tune with the best
of them, this electro-driven number moving faster than this band ever
have. In fact, it has a feel of the Mull Historical Society, only better
(which goes without saying). The 'bonus' tracks on this EP are more like
the Oldsolar we know i.e.haunting, atmospheric and resolutely uncommercial."
- Stuart McHugh, Is This Music?
"In
a world fast becoming tainted by bands standing at the edge of the road
awaiting the next band wagon so they can fast jump on board I have to
say that I admire and am fascinated by what oldsolar from Glasgow are
doing. They have invented their own brand of flowing, seamless melodies
that blend together a variety of beautiful, sometimes heart breaking,
uplifting, occasionally frail indie-guitar meets ambience led balladry.
Comprising Andrew Howie, Fay Balfour, Mark Russell and Pat Fagan the Perfect
Backswing ep was released on March 10 through Autoclave records. In an
ideal world I would have had this reviewed prior to the release date but
then, it’s just so damn good that I wanted to listen and listen and
listen so that I got the review as close to ‘what I think’ it
sounded like. Pick me up has already received airplay through radio one’s
session in Scotland. It is a quirky, hook infested mix of rock and electronica-ca-ca
that jumps into your head and dances around on a little pogo stick, refusing
to leave. The chorus is insanely catchy. And there’s a driving guitar
pushing each verse to a new level. Influences seem to be drawn in my opinion
from the mull historical society across to the twisted weirdness of the
sea and cake. This is a praise-worthy song. I’ve heard it all before
and yet there’s just something so original about it. It never stays
in the same spot too long, shifting about from sound to sound like a roller
coaster. In fact it’s as though it’s been written tongue in
cheek. Someone with a wry sense of humour perhaps. Now the next track
‘tomorrow’ which, incidentally has received airplay from John
Peel twice now, irked me a little in that the guitar teetering on heart
breaking, the vocals making you think the guy could just break down and
cry any moment. The song pacing itself, never lifting off the ground.
Maintaining a perfect balance of reality. It was dare I say it, mesmerising.
Yet the distorted sound, like a record being played backwards. I didn’t
like it. It went right through the song and after a while I found myself
concentrating on it, reaching for the forward button to take me to the
next track. And the song as a whole was deservent of much more than that.
‘The Edge of Minnesota’, a haunting piano, a searing cello,
a sound that made you check over your shoulder every time you heard it.
This was an eerie blair witch of a song. ‘Revisit’, aha, using
a similar distortion sound as first heard in track two, only this time
it works. Again haunting, heart breaking. And finally, hidden track, ‘Almost
there’, it only lasted a minute but it was exactly like your life
was flashing before your very eyes. The perfect backswing ep is in no
way a record to be taken lightly. The fact that track one is very different
to the others may confuse slightly but not for long. Indeed the guys involved
in this have produced something so tender and yet at the same time so
disturbing you can do nothing but listen. There is nods to Four Tet and
Hood’s cold House. And overall this will produce hundreds of pictures
in your mind. Every single one different, and never the same one twice.
Beautiful."
- Michael Irvine, Elevation Station
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Oldsolar
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Calamateur
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The
Gena Rowlands Band
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The Out_Circuit
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Steve
Lawson
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