Gossamer Albatross – EP
Yes, they are indeed called Gossamer Albatross. It’s a bloody silly name, but for some reason I rather like it. For an obscure bunch from Hereford, where not much has happened since they dumped Newcastle out of the FA Cup with that goal all those years ago as far as I can tell, they really are surprisingly good. There’s a touch of baroque folk pop about them, but the necessary limit on the number of musicians for a group at this sort of embryonic stage of their career keeps the sound nice and spare.
Lewis Gordon is only 18, and according to the press snippets on their MySpace page is ‘a self-proclaimed musical genius and snob’ prone to ‘giving damning criticisms of other local bands on the Hereford Music forum’. I have no idea if this is true, and although it does make the fellow seem a bit of a prat, I can’t imagine there being much to prove him wrong on the Hereford indie circuit, although I really would have no idea.
His email to me was pleasant and to the point, describing the music thus: “Our influences include Final Fantasy, Neutral Milk Hotel, Islands and lots of other ace american indie stuff.” I don’t know any of these groups particularly well, so I thought it best to just throw the names up and let you draw your own conclusions. Myself, I am reminded of the Ralfe Band, who released a similar album of floating folk pop a couple of years ago.
Gordon’s voice flirts with melodrama, lending a faintly preposterous air to the music when I first heard it. I was grabbed though, and the more I hear it the more I am enjoying it. Plucked guitar and airy strings give a similarly unreal accompaniment, which means this has quite a dreamy air about it half the time. On Held Hands the piano provides a welcome grounding, keeping the rise and fall of the rest of the music from floating off into the air. It also adds some deeper notes, which make it somehow more mysterious and gripping than some of its lighter brethren.
All in all, this would be five pounds very well spent indeed.
Gossamer Albatross – Held Hands
As I’m only posting one track by Gossamer Albatross (it’s only a four song EP) I thought I might as well pop one in from the Ralfe Band, seeing as most of you have probably never heard of them either.
The Ralfe Band – Albatross Waltz
Hereford, of course, being the home & HQ of the SAS & their ‘Best of The Best’ selection regime.
Really? So naturally a hotbed for scintillating tunes then.
Andy McNabb and The Black Ops Blues Band being a particular favourite ’round them parts. Check out their breakthrough LP You Stormed the Embassy of My Heart (With Your Stun Grenade of Love).
Fuxake.
Why me?
cos you is lovely & can leap distances most amphibians can only dream of.
on a more serious note, check out Ezra Furman & The Harpoons. There is a whole LP download available somwhere (I’ll send you the link if you haven’t got it) & I think it’s quite charming.
Clattery acoustic pop-rock (perhaps?) very reminiscent of Violent Femmes (check ut the voice) & a tad Jonathan Richman – there’s a few talking directly to the listener asides basically telling us that they are a band deserving of our ear time. Maybe. But ‘different’ enough to stand out from most of the bilge slopping my way lately.
“Peace OUT!” as most of the talentless fuckers sign off with.
The tune is really quite good, but Gossamer fucking Albatross? Truly appalling name. Memorable, though. Sounds like the name of a Pink Floyd tribute band from upstate New York.
Hello C&B old chap. Good to have you back again.
Honestly, I don’t mind the name. It has good metre, certainly, but the archness of it is something I can see grating more than just a little.
Good to be back. Work’s been a bit a bother lately, but it may be calming down a bit now. I’ve a lot of catching up to do. I’ve missed the last few Toadcasts. Not even looming deadlines could keep me from weighing in on Gossamer AlbaTOSS, however. I think they should change the name to the Herpetic Eruptions. It would carry much greater indie cred.
I’ve learned (courtesy of Wikipedia) that the Gossamer Albatross is a human-powered aeroplane recently built by a daring and innovative aviator from the United States. (Think: some loon riding a pushbike fixed to a hang-glider.)
I’m not sure if that makes the name any less poncey, though.
I do like the tune though.
Ah right. So intellectual depth as well as slight silliness. Ultimately this sort of thing depends on the person mostly. If the chap is a nice bloke, the silly name sound funny. If not, it sounds annoying.
Still, the EP is bloody excellent, which really is all that matters.