Cherished vinyl only label Fruits de Mer launch five excellent new releases from artists who all uniquely reinterpret 60s and 70s tracks making them all vibrant and sparkling for 2014.
Crystal Jacqueline and The Honey Pot present six UK and US psych favourites (plus a fitting Icarus Peel original) into a double 7” concept package. Riches include a guitar laden version Floyd’s ‘Remember A Day’, deconstructed ‘White Rabbit’, ambitious interpretation of Mighty Baby’s ‘Egyptian Tomb’, lovely presentation of Curved Air’s ‘Puppets’, plus a stripped take of ‘I Had Too Much To Dream’.
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Schizo Fun Addict’s single deliciously flip two cult film tracks. There’s a retake of the theme from Italian late 70s horror ‘Suspira’ retaining its dark core but with a modern prog spin. ‘In The Long Run’ from 1970’s ‘Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls’ conversely has a commercial edge (well commercial when vinyl led the way) with a hooky chorus and left field easy feel not unlike Saint Etienne.
One of my favourite bands on the scene are Schnauser with their own special brand of off-kilter pop. They are equally at home with progressive sounds and perfectly recapture and reinvent two prog works. ‘Astral Traveller’ from Yes’s ‘Time and a Word’ show the inventive side of the era. ‘As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still’ originally by Soft Machine (from Soft Machine Volume Two) starts close to the original before cutting loose in a psych-prog haze.
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Us and Them continue to quietly dazzle the listener following a number of excellent releases. This time round they give a gorgeous retelling of Sandy Denny’s ‘By The Time It Gets Dark’ and a charming recut of Donovan’s twist of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’. They finish by demonstrating that their own tracks are just as good with the enchanting ‘Do I Know You’. More please!
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When I tapped this next promo into the computer it asked me if it was The Tremeloes. No wonder, as this next band share much of their sound with Alan Blakley and the gang late 60s experimentations. The recently reactivated Bronco Bullfrog perfectly encapsulate pop-psych with two vital originals. ‘Time Waits For Norman’ is a marvelous suburban character study of another local eccentric a la ‘Barnabus Swain’ whilst ‘Rocking Horse Mender’ echoes Kaleidoscope’s wonderful ‘Mr Small The Watch Repairer’. You know you’re in safe hands with their version of ‘Listen To The Sky’ by The Sands. Like the best reinterpretations it retains the essence of the original but sprinkles enough fairy dust to make it indispensable all on its own.
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Another diverse, inventive, eccentric and marvellous set of vinyl platters from Fruits de Mer. As usual, they’re extremely limited so be sure to head on over.
Thsnk you for.covering Fruits de Mer releases! Here is a link to the official video for In The Long Run by Schizo Fun Addict!
https://vimeo.com/86079699