Singles & EPs Round Up - July 21st, 2022

John Swanke - From The Muddy Banks Of The Nooksack (Rain Country Music)

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Even the field recordings accompanying these solo guitar pieces from Swanke suggest you should spend less time staring at your phone and go hiking & fishing, whilst Swanke somewhat lysergically tells six string tales of a simpler life & unspoilt wide open spaces, nodding at nature's mind blowing complexities and cosmic interconnectedness as he goes.

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The Secret Beach - God IS (Victory Pool)

In a disarmingly matter of fact manner, The Secret Beach places our increasingly forsaken Lord and saviour into a very modern landscape over a simple but effective acoustic folk guitar bed so as not to distract from the compelling lyrical content. I have to admit to not being a massive vocal fan but this is a tale I urge you to listen to.

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Cruisic - Pacific 707 (Flower)

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There are certain classic early rave tracks that are borderline sacred and which there is no good reason (cheap popularity gaining substandard remixes by creatively challenged modern producers especially) to touch. 808 State's Pacific 707 is one. BUT I have to say Cruisic have smashed it out of the park, keeping the essence and dropping the tempo to a crawl on the A-Side and only going and dropping a swinging nu-jazz version on the flip. Even though they were on thin ice this is a most worthy cover version.

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Ola Szmidt - EP3 (Accidental)

Szmidt had an immediate career leg up working with Fourtet on her debut release, but has since refused to play the popularity game & instead been ploughing her idiosyncratic furrow in the music shadows, & to be honest it's mostly not been my cup of tea, but her new release is an ambient vocal gem, allowing the experimental music faint of heart a peek at her ​undoubted talents.

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