UK label Fruits de Mer Records had an active 2014, with plenty of releases in addition to staging some festivals in various corners of the world. They also tried out something new in 2014: They released a promo CD covering material released by artists associated with Fruits de Mer Records that have released music on other labels. People who bought a specific production released by Fruits de Mer within a certain time limit got this CD as a bonus feature, alongside a select few reviewers.
And as usual with just about anything that comes from Fruits de Mer Records, this is an enjoyable production well worth getting hold of if you have a taste for psychedelic rock. Not everything quite up to par as far as my personal taste goes, but as I’m not really a dedicated fan with a stronger affection for psychedelic material than for other types of music I’m probably on the outer perimeter of the key audience of this label and the artists associated with it anyhow. Others will treasure this disc immensely, if they can get a hold of it.
Soft Hearted Scientists opens with a careful slice of folky psych in the relaxed manner only they can create, while The Bevis Frond have chosen to contribute with a dark and grimy blkues rock affair with pscyh-tinged guitar soloing as the key ingredient for fans of psychedelic rock. Stay provides a smoother, light toned affair with pop tendencies, electronic touches and a groove ytou can actually hit the dancefloor with, while The Luck of Eden Hall have chosen the dark, gravely guitar and light toned smooth keyboards dominated Super Phantasmal Heroine, complete with excellent singalong chorus, as their track on this compilation. Grung-tinged, relatively modern psychedelic rock with a 60’s style chorus.
Nick Nicely’s chosen track ebbs and flows between sparse singer songwriter style and a layered, chaotic psychedelic crescendo, while Three Minute Tease ebb and flow between gentler acoustic minimum tendencies to majestic, psychedelic drenched arrangements on their fine piece called Tell Me. Vibravoid delivers their brand of compelling, tight psychedelic rock with firm rhythms, effects treated vocals, dark rough guitars and lighter toned cosmic keyboards, whereas Sidewalk Society have a vibrant bass motif at the core in a song that ebb and flow in intensity where acoustic guitars and keyboards complement the proceedings quite nicely. Icarus Peel has more of an eerie 60’s sounding mood going compete with sickly organ and a compelling chorus many band’s active in the 60’s would have paid to get hold of, and The Electric Stars explore a song with more of a ballad feel to it with bluesy guitar details and occasional majestic surges. Schanuser’s contribution twists and turns quite a bit, with Americana sounding details as the main recurring feature in their elegant psychedelic pop oriented affair, while Hi-Fiction Science hones in on the pastoral ballad complete with stunning female lead vocals and a subtle psychedelic conclusion for their brief and beautiful track.
Astralasia follows with an ambient, cosmic affair that gradually increase in intensity to a majestic arrangement that falls apart into a tight, Tangerine Dream sounding conclusion, before Sendelica concludes this CD with their epic length live version of their space rock oriented Spaceman Bubblergum, complete with saxophone soloing, guitar soloing, cosmic effects and a brief detour into classic Hawkwind riffs and grooves towards the end.
If you enjoy a great variety of psychedelic rock in general, or if you are generally pleased with the quality of the music usually released by Fruits de Mer Records, then this compilation CD should be a worthwhile addition to your music collection. I don’t regard it to be a great compilation myself, this isn’t a CD that will go down in history books as the classic compilation CD that should have been given a regular release, but it’s a solid collection of material from artists that each have their specific approach to the psychedelic rock universe, and some of them perhaps exploring it in a slightly different manner than when they are contributing to one of the many projects instigated by Fruits de Mer Records as well.
My rating: 74/100
