Bunnymen Haunted By Echoes Of Das Poltergeist

Echo & the Bunnymen go space odyssey on us? That's how it is, as Will Sergeant has formed with Les Pattinson (also formerly of the Bunnymen) alongside Nick Kilroe (current Bunnyman, drums) to form Das Poltergeist (formerly just Poltergeist). The debut LP Your Mind Is A Box (Let Us Fill It With Wonder) won't be out til June (through Proper Records), but you can get the gist of what to expect from these two early cuts. See what you think.

 

Those Girls Names Are Giving Me Weird Dreams

Here is a great 7" you should all pick up. Out through Slumberland and Tough Love, this split sees one non-album track from both Irish dreamers Girls Names (whose debut record Dead To Me was a fuzzy drifting delight last year) and Weird Dreams. These tracks are like listening to Echo & the Bunnymen covering Nico and Shocking Blue songs in a parallel universe. Weird Dreams' track is especially intoxicating, I cant wait to see what they are progressing towards. A fine little soundbyte. You can grab it here.

Minks Captured Hedging Their Bets

Captured Tracks sticks to its guns on the most part, putting out guitar bands that have that floating sonorous lo fi sound as their overt staple. Yet most acts of this ilk (Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils) have a distinctive path that they follow. With debut LP By The Hedge, Brooklyn duo Minks have chosen to mine the entire field, therefore proving to be the touchstones that connect one act to the next, and showcasing the changes in the sound over the past couple of years. They are distinctly Cure-ists, as is most evident in 'Funeral Song', whilst 'Indian Ocean' cribs Dustin Payseur and his Beach Fossils schtick to sublime instrumental effect. 'Our Ritual', my favourite on here, is a warm synth laden strum along the backs streets of Echo and the Bunnymen.

This is a beautiful record - it really does float on harmlessly, putting your head back inside itself to indulge in warm daydreams. Yet I am unsure as to how long it will last. There arent enough hooks here to keep you firmly attached to the songs (although opener 'Kusmi' has enough of a shoegaze fuzz to suggest that there is beef to be added on these skeletal tracks live). Daydreams are only fleeting, after all. Just look at their recent touring schedule - a couple of months scouring the United States with Dum Dum Girls...

By The Hedge is out now.

Minks - Kusmi

Minks - Our Ritual