Darkside Paper Trails

As Darkside, electronic composer Nicolas Jaar and multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington unite their individual strengths, but also take their combined powers to new places neither could travel to on their own. The band's 2013 debut full-length Psychic was a sprawling exploration of contrasts, moving through winding paths of genre experiments and production twists that should have clashed but instead gelled into a massive, undulating entity somewhere between sci-fi soundtrack and a full-tilt experimental rock record. Second album Spiral was made after the duo took a lengthy break to pursue their solo outlets, much of it coming together during a week-long marathon writing session. It's every bit as shapeshifting and epic as Psychic was, but less reliant on moments of softer ambience or drawn-out atmospherics…

Bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick (Portico Quartet) launches new collaborative project with saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands).

The Vapour Trails, a UK band left by the father/son team of Kevin and Scott Robertson, released two excellent records in the past few years, the most recent being 2020’s Golden Sunshine. Just when I thought they were going to be taking a break (but really glad they didn’t) out comes a new 7-song EP! Apparently it was only going to a 4 songs but the band added a few extras and it’s just as strong as the band’s other material. They haven’t messed with the formula (if you could call it a formula) with loads of jangly guitars melded with ace harmonies that brings their 60’s influences right up to the present. “Tommy’s Tune” and the title track are the 1-2 punch that open the record and are both terrific cuts, among the band’s best really and there’s a few more (including a remix of “Strange’ and a Kinks-y number called “Autumn and Spring”). I won’t delve into all of the songs (‘cos where’s the fun in that?!) but suffice it to say it’s strong collection top to bottom. Pop music the way it was meant to be done.

Formed in 1969 in the lace city of Nottingham, England - Paper Lace were just one of hundreds of bands looking for the big time. Their big break came in 1974, when after winning the nationwide talent show "Opportunity Knocks", they were spotted by the songwriting team of Mitch Murray & Peter Callander. The first single "Billy - Don't Be A Hero" topped the U.K. charts for 3 weeks in March 1974. The follow up single,"The Night Chicago Died" hit the number one slot on both the U.S.& Canadian charts [#3 in the U.K]. An album - " Paper Lace and Other Bits of Material" followed. The 3rd. single release "The Black Eyed Boys" narrowly missed the U.K. top 10 [#11]. In 1978 Paper Lace had a top 20 version of "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" in conjunction with local football team Nottingham Forest F.C.

Contains the albums All That Noise (CD 1) plus alternate versions, mixes, instrumentals, demos, bonus unreleased live tracks, and an interview recorded in 1990 (CD 2), Melomania (CD 3), the Mayhem to Meditate EP & (dub) remixes (CD 4), the Lunar Surf EP & the Jukebox at Munsters 45, the previously unreleased lost third album & demos (CD 5).

The Bugs were a U.K. garage rock revival band who seemingly existed just long enough to make one album, 1987's Darkside, and then vanish. While this is something less than a tragedy, a listen to Darkside (which rather unexpectedly was reissued on CD in 2006) proves this band was significantly better than the average European garage-pysch merchants of the era. The disc's sleeve features no credits, and Ace/Big Beat play coy about the group's membership in their bio, which means this may or may not be some semi-supergroup of '60s-obsessed U.K. rockers, but whoever these folks were, they bring the fuzztone energy with plenty of style and an impressive reserve of energy. Darkside is full of guitars stalking a netherworld between fuzz and jangle while diving in and out of a deep sea of echo and reverb, with the singer matching the six-string chaos with glorious howling and full-bodied vocal mania…

The English veteran’s album tally reaches 20 with this release, and appropriately it’s one of his finest, an exquisitely played distillation of standards from both sides of the Atlantic, with a brace of originals for ballast. Well-worn favourites like Rufford Park Poachers and Blues Run the Game are presented in polished form, with Simpson’s virtuoso guitar and banjo tailored and layered by producer Andy Bell, plus classy guest accompaniments. Highlights include a cavernous version of Emily Portman’s Bones and Feathers, while Maps is a glance back at a 1950s childhood and Ridgeway evokes England’s ancient past. A master musician on top of his game.