See Monkey, Do Monkey…Hear Monkey

Welsh label See Monkey Do Monkey reach across to introduce new Colorama, Houdini Dax, The Method, The Moles, The Keys…a roster to watch…and a rock solid reason for me to get my ass back over to Cardiff…

Colorama :: Box

Running the gamut from psych pop to lilting straight-ahead pop, Welsh outfit Colorama have their mission down pat. Full of hooks, melodies and references to British psych and psych underground as much as modern pop leanings, Box is impeccably built and for all it’s revivalism, thinks outside that box. A lush outing that relies on it’s hooks and melodies rather than ornamentation, Colorama dip their toes in some of the same waters as Beta Band, Super Furry Animals, Tunng, Sgt. Pepper-ish Beatles, The Kinks…a strong focus on pop, smart filler-free pop. Box is a warm and loving nod to 60s tinged psych-pop with sights set on a colored world that reaches far beyond their native Wales.

Candy Street :: Colorama :: Box {See Monkey Do Monkey, 2010}

Houdini Dax :: You Belong to Dax Darling

Vibrant pop-in-overdrive outfit out of Cardiff deliver some retro/revivalist tinged upbeat 60s pop, with a thoroughly modern take. A tad sneering and snotty without being superior or elitist, Houdini Dax inject more than enough jittery fuzzy energy into the proceedings to suck you in, and keep you in. It’s a hyper, Supergrass-style attitude and frenetic, frenzied execution. The influences and references fly fast and furious, and at times slyly, but with enough of their own identity to lift it out of the copycat bin. They’re keenly aware of tradition, and unafraid to give it a work out.

You’re a Ghoul :: Houdini Dax :: You Belong to Dax Darling {See Monkey Do Monkey, 2011}

The Method :: Dissidents & Dancers

Menacing, jittery mash-up of R&B inflected {infected?} garage psych that is a touch angular and slightly dissonant making The Method more leering natty suited fans and diehards, than brass ring grabbing revivalists. Echoey, space laden production will place them decidedly in the revivalist camp for some, but there’s an artier thread running through the record that keeps it from being stuck in time. Whiffs of post-punk {Joy Division leads to Interpol leads to…} dodge in and out, especially on tracks like Gurner’s March and closer Habitual. On the surface, it may not be appear to be as fun as a quick fix from an outfit like the Hives, but it sounds far less calculating, and with much more on its collective mind.

Clusterfuck :: The Method :: Dissidents & Dancers {See Monkey Do Monkey, 2011}

The Moles :: The Future Sounds of Ashton

Slightly snotty, totally skewed psych and space pop/rock from Bristol. Abrasive, frayed and fractured, but never splintered, The Future Sounds of Ashton has a drive and focus that you wouldn’t expect from such a diverse outing. Another review said it sounded like Syd Barrett fronting a garage band and I’m copping that and standing by it {just check the Floyd rewrite of The Combined Forces of An Atom or Frontiers of Astronome}. The Moles definitely dip their toes in older waters, but the real 60s/psych hangover is in their way of thinking and approach rather than in rote aping. From the above Floyd-ish shimmers to the boot-stomp of Fuller’s Dream to the Hurdy Gurdy-ness of Brain Garden, The Moles take a much more diverse approach than seems apparent up front, embracing far more than just a Barrett/Hitchcock eccentricity. The Future Sounds of Ashton should satisfy fans of 60s psych as well as those of more artful, modern leanings {The Mysterious End Of Friend No. 2 could be a lost Blur gem}. Whatever is in the water in Bristol, I want a huge swig. These guys obviously are full of it and putting it to outstanding use.

Three Ghosts in My House :: The Moles :: The Future Sounds of Ashton {See Monkey, Do Monkey, 2011}

The Keys :: Bitten by Wolves

Slightly shoe-gazey, garage psych rock from Cardiff, undercut with a strong rural, dreamy haze. They may be missing the ‘black’ from their name, but The Keys more than once touch on the same kind of ramshackle, stripped down swagger and swamp of the other keys, through more overtly psych colored goggles: bluesy Crackin’ Up and Everyone Loves You are good examples, mixing in some echoey chug and breathy vocals of ‘bigger’ psych-rockers, but never going to the full-bore extreme. The Keys opt for more for bounce than bombast, a confident walk rather than a mad dash. Contrast that with the lilting When You’re Young and the fizzy Teacher’s Daughter and you have an outfit, and platter, that fits in with fellow countrymen crafting well-rounded, smart, fat-free rock.

Teacher’s Daughter :: The Keys :: Bitten by Wolves {See Monkey, Do Monkey, 2011}