Hush Delirium - The Taster LP

Art and music - those most promiscuous of bedfellows - are at it again; only this time the copulating couple are moaning just a little bit louder... And the sound's bloody well reverberating.

For this is free-love of a sonic nature. This is psychedelic, this is experimental, this is Hush Delirium.

The brainchild of abstract artist Simon Welford, Hush Delirium is a project harnessing music for artistic inspiration. Featuring (largely instrumental) submissions from the likes of Mark Gardener (Ride), Dean Garcia (SPC ECO, Curve) and Adam Franklin (Swervedriver), Welford intends to create visual works stimulated by the sounds at his disposal. With plans for international exhibitions and live performances, it's a bold project - and one not immune to setbacks. Only last week it was announced that November's inaugural event in Denmark would have to be postponed, frustrating contributors and enthusiasts alike.

But the first chapter in this yet-untold story was not to be denied a happy ending, for earlier today Hush Delirium unveiled a digital download showcasing some of the musical submissions Welford will be working with.

Boasting the understated brilliance of She (contributed by Chatham Rise), the stuttering drone of Her Vanished Grace's Cloud's 7 and a neo-garage piledriver from The Cult of Dom Keller (Ghost in My Head), this is a taster every bit as abstract as the work it's intended to inspire. It's an eclectic mix, demonstrable by the leap from sometime Stone Rose Aziz Ibrahim's ethnically-charged slide guitar (Heaven's Rain) to the programmed drums of A*Star's resonating Spider Chorus. Elswehere, Jaq Gallier provides a crackling bedrock and some sumptious dream pop on the delightful Wild is The Wind.

These are clearly early days for Hush Delirium, but already the signs are hugely exciting. With a potentially limitless pool of musicians and a visual element yet to be unleashed on the public, anticipation justifiably grows.

To get your free download of the Taster LP, or to purchase some teasing prints of Welford's artwork, head to Hush Delirium's Bandcamp page.

Naked On My Own & Dopedrone - Changeless (SPC ECO Sun Mix)

It's just three months since Nugazer last spoke to Jarek Leskiewicz, creative force behind Naked On My Own, about his innovative partnership with Martin Anderson of Dopedrone.

Key to Leskiewicz's ambitions has been to the desire to collaborate with an extensive range of artists and producers, to evolve both his own songwriting and to exchange ideas with an ever-growing collective of like-minded musicians.

The latest artist to collude is SPC ECO, whose dense reworking of Changeless pits Dean Garcia's rumbling bass over the simmering drone of Leskiewicz and Anderson's production. Mixed at Garcia's ELaB studios in London and featuring the additional, breathless vocals of Rose Berlin, Changeless is a typically dark cut, featuring elements of doom, brooding shoegaze and stabs of squalling FX.

Changeless (SPC ECO Sun  Mix) is available now for free download via Naked On My Own's Bandcamp page.

Toy - Left Myself Behind

It takes a certain degree of confidence to release a near eight-minute-long debut single, but that's exactly what London-based art rockers, TOY, have done with the dazzling Left Myself Behind.

Buoyed by the success of support slots with The Horrors and a month-long residency at London's Shacklewell Arms, TOY signal their intent with this bass-driven retro piledriver.

Already onto its 4th pressing, the single's burgeoning popularity is indicative of a band fast-growing into one of the most talked-about acts in the capital. With a live set that takes in everything from krautrock to synth-fuelled psychedelia, TOY already have the swagger - and look - of the real deal.

With aditional remixes from the likes of Death in Vegas' Richard Fearless, momentum continues to grow - and a second single won't be far behind, either. TOY release Motoring (a live favourite and emphatic set-opener) through the iconic Heavenly label on April 9th. A short UK tour follows, before preparations for the release of their much anticipated debut album.

Left Myself Behind, together with shimmering B-side, Clock Chime, can be acquired through a guilt-free, legal download here.

Washed Out - Amor Fati

Chillwave. A sub-genre and musical phenomenon with a name coined - ironically enough - by a humble music blog. 

Whether you buy into shoehorning acts into pigeon holes or not, what is apparent is that many of the artists associated with this particular tag (Chad Valley, Blackbird Blackbird and Brothertiger to name but three) are amongst the most vibrant and promising of the decade, thus far.

Leading a who's who of electronica royalty is Washed Out, the DIY project of Ernest Greene; an unemployed librarian from Perry, Georgia. With his debut album little more than 6 months old, the impact and influence Washed Out has had has been pretty remarkable. Celebrity endorsements ensued, and a great year culminated in a world tour and appearance at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival at the behest of guest curators, Battles.

And it's no surprise. Greene produces some of the most sumptuous, elegant synth-pop to emerge from the scene - as accessible on a dancefloor as it is on a starlit stroll through the country. This is the domain of deep grooves, gushing textures and aesthetic samples. It's blissful stuff, buffered by Greene's own, delicately filtered vocals.

Featured track is the glorious, sunburst dream-pop of Amor Fati - available for free download from the Sub-Pop website.

 

Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon (Team Ghost Remix)

It's incredible to think that Sarabeth Tucek only picked up a guitar when she was in her mid-20s... An acclaimed singer-songwriter, Tucek already has one album under her belt (her eponymous 2007 debut), a prestigious support slot for Bob Dylan and a songbook to make Neil Young blush.

Fêted for her soul-searching brand of alt country, Tucek is now back for more with a clutch of live dates, a new single and her eagerly anticipated second album - due in April on Sonic Cathedral.

The lead single and title-track of the album, 'Get Well Soon' is a typically absorbing slice of raw Americana - comparable with the likes of Mazzy Star and Cat Power. A fragile ballad played through a fog of vulnerability; it's as beautiful a song as you'll hear all year.

Included on the single is a quite astonishing remix of 'Get Well Soon'. A truly heart-stopping moment courtesy of Tucek's Sonic Cathedral stablemates, Team Ghost. As one might expect from the new project of Nicolas Fromageau (formerly of M83) it's a remarkable reinvention full of warped synths and squalling guitar. It's intense stuff and a blissful statement of intent from two hugely promising artists.

Like what you hear? Then have yourself a free download, courtesy of the lovely people (I would imagine) at RCRD LBL

Sarabeth Tucek's new album, Get Well Soon is released in April 4th 2011 on Sonic Cathedral.

Clams - P-NUT BUTTER irony

Japan's Clams must surely be one of shoegaze's best-kept secrets. Formed in Osaka in 2001, the band released (as far as I can ascertain) just two studio albums - their eponymously titled debut, and its 2003 follow-up, Sakura River, a small but beautifully formed mini-album.

Boasting a rare ability to blend the energy of pop with the fuzz and growl of punk, Clams stand out as one of Japan's leading lights of the dream-pop genre. One minute psychedelic, the next saccharine sweet, the group's recordings rarely offer any fillers, in what was a brief but brilliant career. But don't take my word for it. Click on the YouTube link, below, to hear their uproarious masterpiece 'P-NUT BUTTER irony' in all its glory. File under loud.

 

Rather fabulously, this track is also available for free download via those kind folks at Last FM. To obtain your copy, take your fat, greedy hands to the Clams homepage on the site.