Andy Fung on Drums,Guitar and Lead Vocals,
John Pullman on Bass Guitar,
Andy Taylor on Lead Guitar and Drums,
Ann Summerhayes ..s,Stylophone and Harmonies and
James Charlton on Guitar and Stylophone
Influences
Pavement, Ween, Beach Boys, Deerhoof, MC Mabon, Beefheart, My Bloody Valentine, SFA, Teenage Fanclub, Papa M, Elliot Smith, Joe Meek, Sparklehorse, Violent Femmes, Steve Albini, Slint, Tortoise, Sonic Youth, Can,Acid Mothers Temple, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Daniel Johnston, Love, Syd Barrett, Pixies, The Shadows, tbc.....
Stuff Brian Wilson into a split screen camper van with some retro valve amps, a first edition stylophone, Beefheart’s ’Clear Spot’ on the stereo and head for the welsh surf breaks with cymbient. You would be forgiven for thinking that their first album : The Drive Home’ was recorded on the west coast rather than 3 studios around Cardiff and Bristol.
Early Cymbient performances involved song writer Andy Fung playing angular guitar over home grown 4 track recordings in art spaces. This then evolved into a band and the first album.
Being all visual artists, the band see its music as an extension of their own art practice, we strive to record regular albums and play out. Work is done at home and at friends studios. The follow up to ’the drive home’, as yet untitled, is very near completion! The first track laying sessions were done at Toy Box studios in Bristol, Frank Static’s Ty Drwg Studio in Cardfiff and Beda Rd Plaza, Cardiff. Then dealt with at andy taylor’s ’mind thee eod’ studio. The finished masters have now been compiled and are exciting, because this album has been about 2 years in the making.
There is quite a lot of variety here hopefully. From lavish psychedelia to valve crunching riffs to structured beauty. Due to the making of it in stages at different studios, the album has a sonic depth that possibly elluded the first album a little. Due to the rich backing tracks and lush harmonies this album is an even more detailed journey than the first. It is out on mon 21st jan. available from www.cymbient.co.uk, spillers records, Cardiff and will be available via amazon towards the end of febuary. Hope you like it!
* we have 2 remixes up by dj_spleenbaby >> both of tracks from the as yet unreleased - read unfinished - cassette ep (it'll be out on shape when it is)
Just a quick note to say that "through the trees" has been added to the subLAD MySpace player - it's the first track on my forthcoming album, entitled "where the land meets the sky".
We have also put up a preview of the whole album on the n5MD website:
Wowee Zowee! What a fab line-up we have for No.10 on THURSDAY 26TH FEBRUARY, check it out! NOW UPSTAIRS AT THE BUFFALO BAR, Windsor Place, Cardiff - 8pm till Late - £4.00 *** Drink offers include £2 a pint and £2 for a spirit + mixer ***
HAIL! THE PLANES [Alternative / Experimental / Folk] "Hail! The Planes began in October 2007 when four friends got together and made a folky racket in a small room above an estate agents"
STRANGE NEWS FROM ANOTHER STAR [Alternative / Blues / Rock] "Like the White Stripes fisting Elvis Costello"
THE FUZZ BIRDS [Indie / Pop / Folk Rock] "The intense humming of evil and a very fucked up bi-lingual Fleetwood Mac"
SILENCE AT SEA [Alternative / Folk Rock / Indie] "Sappy folk music with sweet lady-singing, plinky plonky guitar and robot drums"
...plus DJ's for a good old dance!
Get the weekend started early ;~) Luv, [Thee alternative - EVERY month!]
THIS TUESDAY! For fans of Velvet Underground / Suicide / Jesus & Mary Chain
"Quite simply, Alight Of Night is one of the most breathtaking records these ears have been partial to in a long while, and even if Crystal Stilts never make another record, their legacy is assured. " - Drowned In Sound - 9/10
Meilir Melody driven songs with experimental elements & strange instrumentation. Meilir's debut 'mini album' BYDD WYCH is due for release in April 2009. www. myspace. com/meilirmusic
Mwsog Intricate arrangements for voice, strings, percussion and electronica. www. myspace. com/mwsog
Andy Hickie After "working his soul dry" to buy a camper van, Andy's master plan is well into effect to keep on moving, searching for enlightenment and inspiration along the way... For the past year and a half he has followed the trail blazed by troubadours like Martin Carthy and Bert Jansch, travelling around the major cities and towns of Ireland, England and Wales, gigging, busking, collecting stories and sharing his songs and music the old fashioned way. www. myspace. com/andyhickie
Heal The Last Stand Advocates of hope and joy, Heal the Last Stand sing life-affirming songs from the heart and soul. Since their inception less than a year ago, they have enjoyed a summer full of festival appearances including the legendary, Glastonbury Festival, and even supported Cerys Matthews, in front of a capacity crowd at Llangollen Fringe Festival. Expect euphoric harmonies and profound sentiments, without a trace of heartache, pain or sorrow anywhere in sight. www. myspace. com/healthelaststand
TIMBRE OBSCURA #6 - 1 Hour of great music to warm the cockles on these cold winter nights!
Feat. Melvis & The Papercuts + Orwell + The Soft Disaster & more inc. great new tracks from Jess Bryant, Pulco & Jon Little
1. Ain't No Pleasing You - Melvis & The Papercuts 2. Septembre - Orwell 3. Dusk - Jess Bryant 4. Camino de Vuelta - Pleasant Dreams 5. Stop Imagining - Mike Futcher/Yogic Dread 6. Necessarily - Jon Forrest Little 7. Hearts Like Gunwounds - Melvis & The Papercuts 8. Arcadia - The Soft Disaster 9. Shoo-Ba-Di-Doo Dancing Song - The Low Fi Terrorist 10. Railway Car - Old Lost John 11. Dove - Terry Emm 12. The Tale Of Billy D. Horsey - Pulco 13. Picket Line - Panic Attract 14. Sun Holiday - Orwell 15. Summer - The Soft Disaster 16. They're Calling - Setting Sun 17. A Song For us - Captain Kidd The Pirate 18. Robin - Soy Un Caballo 19. Wearing Down Well - Pulco
Oh my Lord! What a cracking line-up we have for No.9 on THURSDAY 15TH JANUARY, check it out! NOW UPSTAIRS AT THE BUFFALO BAR, Windsor Place, Cardiff - 8pm till Late! - £4.00 *** Drink offers include £2 a pint and £2 for a spirit + mixer ***
CHRISTOPHER REES [Blues / Soul / Country] "Intense and absolutely mesmerizing" Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1)
CONVOI EXCEPTIONNEL [Minimalist / Rock / Hip Hop] "Convoi Exceptionnel are a Welsh rock and hiphop duo from the mean streets of Aberystwyth. Despite now living 300 miles apart and armed with only an SM58, a Mac and a twenty pound guitar from Argos they've managed to knock up some tunes for your enjoyment and get played on national radio"
DRAW ME STORIES [Alternative / Folk Rock / Indie] "A dark and raw yet perfectly polished and professional performance that will surely lead to bigger things...No doubt helped along by the fact lead singer Carl Hodgetts has the kind of Ian Curtis/ Paul Banks voice that makes girls go weak at knees!"
VALLEY LINES [Electronica / Dub / Psychedelic] "Valley Lines is the main musical project of Cardiff based electronic producer and sound artist Christian Gates, his musical output shifts from simplistic electro to densely layered electronica, often incorporating sound recordings from the natural environment with complex beats and synthesised noise"
...plus DJ's for a good old dance!
Get the weekend started early ;~) Luv, [Thee alternative - EVERY month!]
This year Meltdown is proud to offer you 2 completely contrasting seasonal specials!
Sun Dec 14th Mr & Mrs Clark present a Christmas Cabba Hey! Milgis Lounge Bar, City Rd, Cardiff. FREE! Exorcise the ghosts of everything that’s excruciating about Xmas. A surreal, funny journey into all our festive fears featuring the globally renowned performance duo, the magic of the Milgis YURT, plus Satellite City star Boyd Clack and more surprise special guests. “like Terry and June on crack”. Amy Stackhouse www. mrandmrsclark. co. uk
Sat Dec 20th Meltdown & Secret Garden Christmas Cavalacade A snow-Globe of sumptuous seasonal shennanigans in aid of award winning mental health charity Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan brought to you by two of Cardiff's most adventurous promoters - Meltdown and Secret Garden Soundsystem and including a a 20-piece jazz/ska wall-of-horns, sassy cabaret, top DJs, a seductively bizarre Mancunian collision of hip-hop, folk and scat, and Santa.
Acts include: Gideon Conn, Wonderbrass, Radio 1’s DJ Huw Stephens, Lilywhitesass Dancers, Kareoke Carols with the Helium Choir, and much more. All in a splendid new 350 capacity venue: The Globe, Albany Rd, Roath, Cardiff. £8. All the fun of the annual Secret Garden Xmas Bash with added Meltdownery.
This latest edition features some excellent music from Wales and features Alun Tan Lan, Gwildor, Gwilym Morus and new releases from the excellent Welsh label Peski: Texas Radio Band and Jakokoyak.
It is the Spencer McGarry Season Album Launch this Wednesday in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff (I play Bass in this band)
I, Sweet Baboo, am then playing in Northampton this Saturday, then in Caernarfon (North Wales) week Friday and Llanfrothen (North Wales) a week Staurday
If this doesn't break your computer please spread the vibes of love and tell your friends.
Another eclectic mix of new, lesser known yet damn right brilliant music:
1. Bad Dreams Pt 1 - Ruth Minnikin 2. Alice - Aura Distorter 3. You Belong To Me - The Sound Of Bailey 4. Long Distance Walls - The Keys 5. Everywhere Is Somewhere - Doug Hoekstra 6. Corvus Frugilegus - Dolly Dolly 7. Stairs - Ruth Minnikin 8. Posgate - Dolly Dolly 9. Beware The Catman - Adam Leonard 10. Scouting - Church Camp 11. Sid James - Redlip (Adam Leonard/Pulco) 12. Illuminortis - Aura Distorter 13. Life & Death Of A Deep Sea Diver - Adam Leonard 14. Song Mill - Ruth Minnikin 15. Postgate 2nd Movement- Dolly Dolly
Oh, wich i had a gigantic firecracker to send up in the sky at night - it would reach high enough in the stratosphere for you to spot it even from your position on earth - that would be smashing, ay? :-) However - we have to think about global heating & such so, -"No can do" i'm afraid - but you can have this as a vivid picture for your mins eye & tell yourself: YES! "That's that crazy dropout dude who wannna show me he's apreceation for being he's new spacey mate" -Now that's something else!
No.10
Online Now!
