One of the UK prog scene’s true underground talents, Vincent Carr’s complex acoustic work and love for pastoral soundscapes has helped create some interesting recordings over the years. On 2016’s ‘Rekindled’ he injected a very strong British folk rock vibe into some largely instrumental pieces, and on the follow up, ‘New Paeans’, he truly unleashed his inner Mike Oldfield on lengthy arrangements that blended prog, new age sounds and a hefty dose of acoustic complexity. Obviously he was working on a thousandth of Oldfield’s basic 70s budget, but the outcome certainly wasn’t in any way inferior. After that, Vince released a couple of ambient, improvised works that showed off yet another side to his talent. Those were approached with interest by a few of his biggest online champions, but were never designed for mass acceptance.
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Think I’m Going Weird: Original Artifacts From The British Psychedelic Scene 1966-1968
Since the label’s launch in the late noughties, Grapefruit Records has worked tirelessly to bring top quality reissues to fans of cult 60s and 70s sounds. Thanks to their archive digging skills, previously unaffordable vinyl albums by Skip Bifferty and Picadilly Line were no longer an extortionately priced mystery; Jeff Lynne’s early years with The Idle Race were reappraised, and dark psych combo Zior reached the ears of many people for the first time.
For all of their well loved archive releases, it’s a trilogy of psych themed box sets featuring hits, misses and rarities from 1967 (‘Lets Go Down And Blow Our Minds’), 1968 (‘Looking At The Pictures In The Sky’) and 1969 (‘Try A Little Sunshine’) that best advertises the label’s eye and ear for great reissues. With that in mind, it seems only natural that the label would raid the archives of psychedelia’s peak years for their hundredth release, and ‘Think I’m Going Weird’ is Grapefruit’s biggest and most adventurous release to date. With over 120 tracks spread across five discs, a larger format book sharing a wealth of important historical detail and rare photographs (with no obvious overlap from the previous 60s psych sets) this British take on ‘Nuggets’ is something of a jewel in the label’s crown.
Black Spiders confirm new run of live dates
Anyone who has seen Black Spiders will tell you what a great live act they are. Whether filling a very reliable support slot, or headlining a small to medium sized venue, the band bring intensive riffs and a great groove throughout. Some bands are meant to be seen live, and the Spiders’ support slots have been known to challenge various headliners in terms of energy.
Shot Down Twice share new video
Canadian rockers Shot Down Twice are set to release their self-titled EP in January 2022. In the meantime, they’ve shared a new video for ‘Talk To Me’.
Watch the new video from Scattered Hamlet
They may not be the biggest name on the rock scene, but Scattered Hamlet have been making some very chunky (and very retro) sounds for a decade. The US band mix classic hard rock, swampy attitude and big hooks to create something that sounds occasionally like a blend of the lighter end of Zakk Wylde meeting with the more melodic strains of Corrosion of Conformity or, perhaps, a throwback to the days of Roadsaw colliding with a classic rock sound.