Review: September Goodies from Fruits de Mer

So after a relatively quiet year, things are gathering steam over at Fruits de Mer.....as well as the incredible freebies and goodies to be found at the upcoming 'The 13th Dream of Dr Sardonicus Festival of Psychedelia', and the soon to be released 'Side Effects' boxset (which sounds incredible), September will see the release of not 1 but 4 7" singles. Covering psychedelic (Vibravoid, Nick Nicely), acid folk (Tir na nOg) and Canterbury scene prog (Magic Bus), the 4 singles have pretty much got traditional FdM territory covered.

Magic Bus are newcomers to the FdM stable but their 'Seven Wonders / Eight Miles High' single (cat.no. Regal Crabomophone Winkle 20 for you completists) will pretty much guarantee a return visit or several. 'Seven Wonders' is a self-penned pastoral prog number with some lush strings, angelic harmonies and acoustic guitar that evokes the spirit of the Canterbury scene.....if english prog is your thing then you will love this. 'Seven Wonders' is taken from their latest album 'Transmission From Sogmore's Garden'. The b-side is a cover of The Byrds 'Eight Miles High'...a brave choice....but they pull it off with some aplomb, giving the West Coast classic a English spin without losing the originals feel and atmosphere...a really lovely version!



Tir na nOg are an acid folk duo from Ireland that I'd previously known by reputation but not really heard much of their material. 'Ricochet' (Crustacean 65) came as a real revelation to me...sounding very much like a Gaelic Nick Cave with some fine acoustic guitar work, backed with a thudding bodhran and a bagpipe sounding drone, it is acid folk at its best. The b-side 'Tir na nOg' (Gaelic for 'land of eternal youth') is a live version of the track that first appeared on vinyl in 1971! It has more of a traditional folk feel about it but with some very psych sounding electric guitar. For a band that have been playing together since 1970, it sounds fresh and alive. 'Ricochet' is taken from their first LP in 40 years 'The Dark Dance'...I will be investigating further.



Nick Nicely is another artist who has been plying his trade for a good few years, in fact '49 Cigars' was a B-side of a single 'Hilly Fields' released in 1982 (later re-released by FdM). The track is a cracking slice of sixties psych, reminiscent of The Beatles circa 'Strawberry Fields', except far more left-field and with enough effects to bring it smack up to date. 'Belinda' adds a dash of West Coast US to the mix as well as some more effects resulting in a track that sounds like The Byrds on a bad trip (that's not a bad thing). A live version of '49 Cigars' is far heavier and urgent than the studio version with the guitar given more room to roam a bit. The wonderfully titled 'Lobster Dodds' is a short, spacey number with an almost trip-hop beat and, as ever with Mr Nicely, made all the more interesting with some effects and treatments. Life is never dull when Nick Nicely is about! (Crustacean 66)



Vibravoid are mainstays of the psychedelic rock scene and have produced some wonderful 'out there' spacey albums and their live shows are psychedelic in every sense of the word. For 'Stepping Stone' (Crustacean 67) they have reined in their cosmic wandering and produced 3 straightforward, by their standards, cover versions. '(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone' is a storming version of the Monkees track....a fuzzy, urgent garage punk anthem..brilliant stuff. 'Hole In My Shoe', originally by Traffic remains fairly faithful to said original (and, as a real bonus, has finally expunged the memory of that god awful version by Neil from 'The Young Ones'). Additional vocals are provided by Viola Road, an Italian jazz singer, and provide an extra dimension to the track. H.P Lovecraft's 'The White Ship' rounds off the single....a hazy, trip back to the sixties, heavy on the sitar and synth effects, that leaves you feeling slightly disorientated but also fairly blissed out. An all round fantastic single. Vibravoid are one of the most popular of FdM acts, and this 7" is only going to add to that popularity. My order's in!



All the singles are released on September 7th and can be pre-ordered via the Fruits de Mer website. I'd get in quick, they're gonna fly.