Multiple sonic pleasures: Multiplicitas by Magic Bullet

 

Multiplicitas, the extra special double debut album by Magic Bullet, another artistic incarnation of the underground and independent music guru that is Mick Magic. This blog, too had the pleasure over the recent years of savouring and writing about Mick's long-standing travails in the underground music scene - and this is yet another epic creative venture unleashed on the rather surreal world of 2020...

The double album consists of Solidarietas and Curiositas - and they take us from something firmly rooted in experimental sound galaxies to head-bobbing high-octane progressive rock.

Solidarietas was reportedly born out of a creative wave that initially provided a shorter work for a musique concrète compilation. This hour-long experimental composition is demanding attention - which is quite different from what often-seen misconceptions about the genre state. 

It may well start with elements of ambient noise, radio broadcast fragments in Russian language, natural sounds - but, like all imaginative musique concrete, it is not background ambiental music. It is clearly a product of the digital era, this is not Varèse experimenting with rudimentary tapes... Thus, there is much more precise control in sculpting sounds - and considerably more processing possibilities that propel the listener into another world. 

In a many ways, the mindset that is required for an introspective work like Klaus Schulze's Sebastian im Traum is needed here. The overall effect, not the individual elements matter here as we are taken on a sonic journey. The processed 'raw materials' certainly seem to fuse time and space, evoking imagery from the Soviet era, moving through the cogs of some immense Pink Floydian machinery, then floating off to some alien corners of outer space...

The second disc, Curiositas brings a mighty energy injection with the opening track, M.M.A.T.T. 33 - which is a mash-up of earlier Magic Moments At Twilight Time works, mainly from Creavolution (latter having been reviewed on this blog, too). It feels remarkably fluid for a mash-up, and with a driving rhythm that will certainly recharge battery cells after the previous meditative journey.

The A.F.C. Song continues on an energetic note, and rightly so - as it is a tribute, firmly rooted in space punk, to A.F.C Wimbledon. Dance, Freak gives us an ambiental, mysterious-sounding repose with sampled and processed voices, with a return to high-octane and tight riffs that have serious head-bobbing potential. 

Stille Nacht follows as a re-interpretation of the traditional song, which will definitely surprise many. It starts as an ambiental journey, with a sonic imagery evoking winter scenes, with a dreamy, but playful, piano arriving on the scene... until a firm and eminently electronic section cranks up the energy levels. 

As Christmas, its natural setting, and the whole sacred/secular juxtaposition of things around that time of the year got a thorough(ly) prog-rock treatment, why not look at (and dive into) Easter, too?

Thankfully, the following two tracks do just that - the first of those, Jesus Is Dead (Let's Eat Chocolate!) has a charming family connection, too with the mastermind behind this double album - as it features a very young family member (undoubtedly also a great fan of, uhm, secular aspects of Easter, namely the aforementioned chocolate).

We keep the energising and forward-driving, even propelling, rhythms and riffs, with a tempo that stays with us for the Jesus Has Risen (Let's Mow The Lawn) track, too - where we have more electronics joining the arrangements, with (no pun intended, or maybe a little bit...) spirited modulations of  synthesised sounds.

The bonus track, which ends our sonic journey from experimental to high-octane prog rock realms, is Live In Session (On Tudno FM) - an edit in three parts of a recent radio appearance, with special live versions of tracks from Curiositas.

Thus, definitely not shortage in creativity and inspiration, which means that hopefully other concept albums from Magic Bullet await us in the future. In the current rather unusual, often well-and-truly mad, times it is certainly a very welcome escape from everyday surrealism.

Magic Moments At Twilight Time - Creavolution Reborn

The Music & Elsewhere label has been a veritable force in underground music for some decades now, and its recent 25-year anniversary compilation was covered on this blog, too, not so long ago.

An historic detail is that the label, prior to it having been opened up to underground music spanning four continents, was established initially to release the albums of Magic Moments At Twilight Time.

Latter project began its life as Mick Magic's solo project in 1986, then later it was gradually expanded to what was called tongue-in-cheek "a husband and wife duo from north west Surrey", and eventually the headcount grew to four.

They produced a dozen albums, and Creavolution, originally recorded between 1994 and 1995, became the band’s biggest selling title.

As the original DAT masters were still playable, under the TMR Records re-release program the material was transferred to 64 bit digital audio at Brain Dead Studios, subsequently bounced on to reel-to-reel tape for a genuine analogue remaster. EMI's London CD pressing plant has then made it see the light of day as Creavolution Reborn.

As the press release accurately puts it, the album is quite "a mix of Hawkwind meets Blondie, then throw in Giorgio Moroder synths, Clannad harmonies, a touch of flamenco, gothic hints, an operatic baritone and have fun with rock & roll".

Both the opening and closing (bonus) tracks are ear candies for the fans of space rock, with a perfect blend of electronic atmospheres introducing the energetic compositions.

The tight Moroder-esque synth patterns and electronic effects we can hear on Starship Psychotron have delicate vocals acting as counterpoint, and the combination makes the composition quite ethereal.

That eminently space rock-era beauty can be heard in The Night Fantasia, too, with always-changing analogue synth sound alchemy and the catchy, very melodic and almost celestial-sounding vocals.

Driving rhythms with energetic riffs and processed vocals on Kronophobia can take us into almost anthemic rock territory, too.

Equally well one can mention, in this far from exhaustive analysis, the track Spirit Electric - atmospheric electronic drone gives first an almost early music feel, taking us back to early Renaissance times.

This time travel is much helped by the almost whispering vocals and melodic guitars - and then, just to show off the range on the album, the track can equally effortlessly fly off into a tighter and propelling rock realm, too.

This juxtaposition of the futuristic, the here-and-now, and the musical time travel into the world of classic rock harmonies with impossible to ignore rhythms is also exemplified by tracks like Purple Eyed & Mystified.

The CD is available for only £5 including P&P in the UK (with free CD for initial copies!). The additional P&P costs for Europe: + £3.85,  USA: + £4.85 P&P. Payable in Sterling (£) any method you wish! Paypal, Bank Transfer, Cheque, P.O. or even cash.

Collection is available from the studio by appointment if you are in the London area! Full details & to order: marcbell386@btinternet.com.

25 years of United World Underground

It is a rare occasion when one can celebrate, instead of fleeting flickers of indie music promotions amongst the dominant music industry-driven ubiquitous communications, a 25-year-long consistent history of a huge underground music project.

Music & Elsewhere,  the "label for bands who put their music before the money and their souls before the world", has reached a major landmark this year - and its 25th Anniversary Collection of the United World Underground is scheduled for mid-October as a special release.

The movement, with tireless efforts and meticulous curating work by Mick Magic, has been connecting musicians from a huge variety of musical worlds. It is no surprise that the special collection features music ranging from space rock to alternative to experimental to post-punk.

Featuring 33 hours of music, a 64-page PDF booklet, bonus materials including two books, it covers music from 30 countries - the detailed contents can be seen on the special release pages. The release weekend will also have numerous give-aways, including 50 albums (and counting).

From Germany to Thailand, from England to South Africa, the collection covers independent artists from five continents, spanning 25 years of musical output.

The past and present of the United World Underground movement and the Music & Elsewhere label can be followed on its chronological webpage.

With the countdown under way, free music tasters have been posted every day and collected also on the free music page.

The countdown and the release weekend with special giveaways can be followed via the main portal.

In an increasingly "playing it safe" ultra-manufactured music industry-driven global scene, the new and often, in a good sense, disruptive vehicles of the internet era have ensured an unprecedented surge in creative output that refuses to limit itself to rigid labels.

In this novel context, which has broken all the old models and modus operandi of what one knew as the "music industry", UWU and the Music & Elsewhere label remains an international presence...