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COTTON MATHER

Kontiki

(Rainbow Quartz)

Can I make one thing crystal clear? You won't find any Ruttles jokes here.

Sure, 'Kontiki' calls to mind 'Revolver', 'Highway 61 Revisited', 'Magic Christian Music', 'Younger Than Yesterday', 'Radio City' - these are key reference points. But that's all they are. You could belittle this record simply by playing 'spot the influence' but such conduct ill becomes any serious consideration of Cotton Mather. This is not a group to be so easily brushed aside. The standards of playing, singing, songwriting and production exhibited here are unlikely to be bettered in the near future, irrespective of the genre of music involved.

Robert Harrison is a consummate pop craftsman, passionate, quirky, witty and innovative in the same way as his heroes were. That this is no contrived pop-by-numbers job is perfectly illustrated straightaway by the manic pop-art rush of the opening " Camp Hill Rail Operator", its outro taking as much inspiration from Leigh Stephens' guitar work for Blue Cheer as from, say, Jim McGuinn's. In short, it rocks. The fuzzy experimentalism of "Private Ruth" and "Church Of Wilson" is perfectly counterbalanced by the sugar-free sweetness of "Lily Dreams On" and "You Spin My Wheels", which in turn contrasts with the pop purity of "Password" and "She's Only Cool". The 4-track production is exquisitely executed and utterly appropriate; no call for contrived lo-fi antics here. The feel of this record is crucial to its appeal; it flows with clarity and integrity throughout and overflows with the obvious warmth and enthusiasm of the participants.

You could easily find your cynicism overturned when exposed to music this good. Put down your preconceptions for one minute and take time to savour fourteen cracking tracks with not a weak moment among them; it must have been the trousers. Boom f***ing boom.

J.N.

 

SCOTT 4

WORKS PROJECT LP

(V2)

Before we get cracking, a heartfelt appeal to all you good people out there. With all due respect to Scott 4, I think we all know that the real deal as far as this confounded C & W/electronic crossover paraphernalia is concerned has to be the legendary LP by Gil Trythall and Rick Powell entitled "Country Moog" (Athena 6003, sports fans). So if anyone locates a copy, I'm at rmm@bodley.ox.ac.uk and will gladly take it off your hands.

That said, this is a fine release from a Neasden trio named after one of the great recordings of our time; not quite up to THAT standard but send me a list of 20 recordings you think are and I'll see you in the car park. "7 Days / I'll See Ya" is the only track that really grates; the fake accent and forced jauntiness serve only to annoy. Highlights are more plentiful; the first six tracks are excellent, especially the infectious "Lefturno" and the irresistible "We're Not Robots", complete with pure Phil Oakey delivery. Analog synthesizers swoon and snarl at every turn intersticed with tasteful, rhythmic acoustic guitars and beautiful string arrangements, most notably on the closing track "Ancient & Modern", an aching, moving song seeping with melody and melancholy yet never cloying. What strikes me most is the lack of a gimmicky feel about Scott 4; the way they absorb and distill their apparently disparate influences could so easily have ended up jarring but instead verges uncannily on the seamless. Production is clear and complimentary, highlighting Scott Blixen's emotive voice throughout. If they can maintain the songwriting standard shown here for the most part, Scott 4 should improve on this excellent and highly recommended disc.

Me, I'm still waiting on those "Country Moog" offers, people…

J.N.