Desert Ships - Control

5th November marks the digital release of 'Control', the new single from London-based, Desert Ships. Lifted from recent album 'Doll Skin Flag', 'Control' highlights just how rich a vein of form the band are presently in as resonant guitars duel with trademark harmonies to produce a technicolour slice of psych-pop.

Produced by Mark Gardener (Ride, Hush Delirium) and featuring the lush accompaniment of The Heritage Orchestra, 'Control' is an bold statement of intent and one that indicates the confidence both the band and those around them have in their music - Gardener himself describing the album as "full of gems" and 'Control', in particular, as "a corker".

A fixture on the local live circuit and boasting Europe-wide touring slots with The Prodigy and Band of Skulls, Desert Ships return to the Capital once more to promote 'Control' at a free launch party in Hoxton's Macbeth on Wednesday 7th November.



To discover more about Desert Ships, visit their Facebook page, official website or stream & download their music from Bandcamp.

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.

Mark Gardener (Ride) - Chrome Waves / Twisterella Live

Following a screening of Anyone Can Play Guitar - Jon Spira's touching and often humorous documentary chronicling the rise of the Oxford music scene - one of the city's favourite sons, Mark Gardener, took to the stage on Tuesday to perform highlights from a remarkable back catalogue.

Sporting a look that borrowed more from 1930s organised crime than the shoegaze counterculture of yore, the former Ride front-man condensed a career-spanning set into 30 minutes of acoustic indulgence.

Taking time out from current project, Hush Delirium, Gardener was in reflective mood, performing tracks from his 2005 solo album These Beautiful Ghosts, as well as favourites from Nowhere and Carnival of Light. But the highlight of the evening came as Gardener acknowledged the anniversary of 1992's hugely influential Going Blank Again. Now into its 20th year of release, the album marked Ride's commercial (though not universally, critical) zenith, peaking at number 5 in the UK album charts.

Here are two tracks from that very album, performed live: Chrome Waves and Twisterella.