Review: Rhys Bloodjoy - Love Is A Fucked Up Goddess

Eggs In Aspic really do keep going from strength to strength with their diverse and top quality releases. This time around it is something different and really rather special. Rhys Bloodjoy, who has been described as “a solo psychedelic explosion”, is a new name to me, but I have the feeling we'll all be hearing a great deal more of him. Having played several psych festivals in the north and supported the likes as Jesus & Mary Chain, Brian Jonestown Massacre & Singapore Sling, 12th May sees the release of 'Love Is A Fucked Up Goddess' on Eggs In Aspic, following his 7" and digital EP on Sister 9 Recordings...and it's a belter!

4 tracks on jade green C20 cassettes (strictly limited to 50), 'Love Is A Fucked Up Goddess' is a blast of atavistic psychedelia with lo-fi sensibilities and searingly original. 'Reflections Of A Girl' has some tribal computerised drums over which lay the discordant melody and the Rhys' vocals. It all has a distinct early eighties feel..like the Buttholes, Gaye Bykers and JAMC recording with Daniel Johnston. 'Temptress Signals and Sirenesque Frequencies' is a 'blink and you'll miss it' interlude of electronica with angelic choral vocals and lashings of feedback and drone and snippets of distorted vocals and is followed by 'Aphrodite's Mirror' - more primitive drums, drone and reverberating psych guitar over which Rhys intones in a menacing baritone. Musically it reflects a lot of the great Fuzz Club releases from Singapore Sling and Sonic Jesus etc but with a more experimental edge and a lot darker....bits of it even reminded me of Heroin In Tahiti, which obviously raised my blood pressure somewhat. 'The Day Venus Trashed Heaven' opens with a squeal of feedback (always a fine way to open a track) before some fuzzy guitar chords shake the speakers and then everything briefly disintegrates into a maelstrom of discordant electronica before coming together again with some ritualistic sounding drums and vocals....it is a real (blood)joy that has a real sound and feel of Italian Occult Psychedelia - flashes of Father Murphy, HiT and Cannibal Movie....brilliant stuff!!

'Love Is A Fucked Up Goddess' is a fantastic release...it is the product of a mind that is creative, original and musically well informed...bringing together many disparate threads of the psych world and weaving them into something damned good that sears into your brain and refuses to leave..I love this release and I truly hope to see / hear a lot more of Mr Bloodjoy...and soon please! It is up for pre-order on the Eggs In Aspic website here.