Fruits de Mer Special’s The Chemistry Set’s Elapsed Memories, Superfjord/Earthling Society’s Coltrane & Postcards From The Deep

Three packages from Fruit de Mer: The Chemistry Set’s Elapsed Memories, Superfjord/Earthling Society’s Coltrane & Postcards From The Deep

Artist: The Chemistry Set

Title: Elapsed Memories

OK, I admit that I was initially attracted to this one because the band appeared on John Peel’s show (although they never appeared in session).

What we have here is a three-track 7” limited to 700 copies worldwide with the cover able to be transformed as a fold-out poster.

Combining elements of post psychedelia and britpop, the first track, Elapsed Memories, is easy on the ear with catchy melodies. Fans of Shack should take a listen. Good choice for a single, methinks.

A Cure For The Inflicted Afflicted is shameless for stealing late-60s psyche hooks before easing back into britpop territory while the Jimi Hendrix cover, Love or Confusion, is a rolling, head tilting, Yoga-inflected, culturally couture, meditative, dreamy and slightly steamy slice of psyche ambience.

Artist: Superfjord/Earthling Society

Title: Coltrane

A brilliant idea, this. Bloody brilliant, in fact. Take Coltrane (John and Alice) and turn his/her music into a melodic piece of origami. What you’ve got hear is a split 7” that packs quite a lot of music onto those tiny grooves, Over 15 minutes, in fact. This is ‘good’ because Superfjord’s version of A Love Supreme is allowed to wander, bump into walls, trip over the foot stool, fall on the cat and roll on the floor for a bit, having twisted an ankle. You need time for all of that.

The Alicesque Journey In Satchidananda starts as if it’s already been playing for the past 24 hours. This track is all about ‘journey’. There is no climax (you have to create your own, if you’re that keen). This is about being in the moment and entering a world of psychedelic, Lewis Carroll proportions. Freaking out is a given but I gave at the door so I’m off…but I’m taking this 7” with me.

Artist: Various

Title: Postcards From The Deep

I’ve always wondered at the sanity of Fruits de Mer but now I know that they are, in fact, completely sane. It’s everyone else who needs chucking in a loony bin. Why? Because they know how to get music fans/geeks/anoraks truly excited. I mean, 10 flexi-discs, 10 matching postcards and a CD in a clambox? Come one! If it was full of John Cage-like silence, I’d be tempted.

So, what have we got here? The set includes tracks from Psychotic Reaction’s The Luck Of Eden Hall (mean and nasty), The Loons’ Celestial Empire (lots of flashing lights but little substance); The Crawlin’ Hex’s I’m a Living Sickness (mind blasting and mind contrasting, it actually reminds me of some of the better cold wave experiments of the early 80s); The Thanes’ LSD (full of gimmicks – fun, poppy, noodly and about as filling as candyfloss); The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies’ Time Machine (a quite desperate vocal from a man who has five minutes to live. It’s the urgency…); The Past Tense’s Soul Fiction (ho and, indeed, hum); Schizo Fun Addict’s Take Heart (enough atmosphere to (re?)populate Mars, tour de force my arm up my back and made me listen); Crystal Jacqueline’s You Just Gotta Know My Mind (a derivative delivery of a better song); Astalasia’s Brainticket (you really feel the need to say ‘Man’ a lot when you listen to this one. And I mean, a lot. Lovely). Fibally Icarus Peel’s The Avengers’ Theme (a bit of a laugh, nothing more).

Great batting average for a compilation, though.

Contact: www.fruitsdemerrecords.com