Jas Shaw (simian mobile disco) – 8 Aural Delicacies

There are some tracks that have a bit of a pavlovian effect on me because they are the first track on an album that makes you feel a certain way. Cast In Lemon and Sand may be the shortest track on the Heathered Pearls record but it’s a great way to tell your ears that the next hour will feel good.

Nothing on Cortini’s recent Risvelgio album could be accused of being glossy sounding but Lotta is the point on the record where you most feel like your speakers, or possibly your ears, might have melted. A long melody hides under a fizzing haze of distortion, in a good way. I’m a little bitter that I missed him play at Cafe Oto recently but let’s not let fomo spoil things.

Oddly pretty despite it’s shrill, atonal nature. Like so much of the music I’ve been enjoying recently this makes no sense at all until all the people who were gonna go home have gone home.

I’m not going to lie, this is pretty fisty. Sleep Archive somehow always manages to get the loopy psychedelia thing to happen without getting all wafty – this gets straight on with it. Not so much ‘no nonsense’ as ‘no waiting for nonsense’.

Early ’90s late night business, that still manages to seem like it’s hanging in space despite a pretty busy and constantly changing 909 drum track.

This is absolutely gorgeous. Sweeping and almost orchestral but swerving any of the grandiose connotations that that might drag with it. This is a great record to remind people that notes are ok too. I also always forget that there’s a weird monologue on it too, even just now re-listening to it again I did a double take when it came in.

I don’t know anything about the insanely named Skee Mask apart from I really, really like the music so I just looked up what Larus Canus means. I always assumed it was a constellation or something but no, it’s the proper name for a Common Gull. This track is anything but common, it’s got a kind of swooping dreaminess and for a while after I bought this I would get in a bit of a mood if I didn’t get a chance to play it.

It’s kind of a forgone conclusion that something on Stroboscopic is always worth checking out but this is really something apart. Somehow Lucy manages to sketch out a narrative though almost 12 minutes of undulating textured noise, it’s constantly engaging and I always feel like I’m shortchanging the people who are in if I mix out of this ‘early’ because enough of the crowd look like they have lost the thread. Also, if you need a wee mid set, take your sweet time.