How is it time to do this again? It’s not natural. It’s not right.
I’m here to present my favourite albums from 2022.
Despite everything, I’m feeling much calmer than I was this time last year, thank you.
2022 – O How You Flew
Electronic Music
Liverpool Psych Fest Wishlist!
I recently got back from my third trip to the Liverpool Psych Fest!
You can read all about it on FCK LDN.
Well, not all about it. I didn’t write about absolutely everything, because that would have taken ages, and nobody pays me for this.
I know, you’re right. They should.
As per, I had a fantastic time, and as per, I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
And what’s more, I’m already formulating a wishlist of the acts I want them to book next year!
Here’s what I’d like to see at Liverpool Psych Fest 2017, and beyond.
Riddles & Ghosts
I “released” an album on Halloween 2015, but I was too darn busy to tell anyone about it.
It’s called RIDDLES & GHOSTS, and it’s best thought of as…
Oh, life’s too short for elevator pitches. So instead, here’s my track-by-track guide to RIDDLES & GHOSTS, the SECOND ALBUM BY LORD GLOOM.
The Best Store in America, Bar None
This is Padywacs – the best store in America, bar none.
(“Store” is an American word, meaning “shop”.)
Few would have thought that the best store in America would be found in South Lyon, a sleepy Michigan pumpkintown North West of Detroit. But having visited every single store in America, I can confirm that it doesn’t get any better than this.
Let’s take a look at what’s inside.
Farewell, Edgar Froese
Edgar Froese died on January 20, 2015. That was the day before my birthday, so I didn’t find out until the following week.
Edgar Froese was a founding member of the German electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream. Between 1967 and 2015, he was the only constant member. In that time, the band released over 100 albums, of which I’ve only heard about nine. Though I’ve quite enjoyed each, of those nine, only one has ever truly stood out for me: 1974’s Phaedra.
Phaedra is a masterpiece. I cannot begin to describe the meanings I’ve come to attach to its unearthly sounds and its slow, sad, yawning melodies. There was a six month period about 10 years ago when I would put this album on repeat at a barely audible volume just before I went to sleep. It’s therefore safe to say that the music of Phaedra may very well have soundtracked my dreams.
To wake up to its alien soundscapes, bleary eyed and heady at four in the morning, is an indescribable experience. Phaedra sounds particularly incredible when you’re cold and lonely in the dark.
So farewell, Edgar Froese. He leaves behind an immense, timeless, and peerless body of work, but for me it’s all about Phaedra, and this track in particular:
Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares. One of the most devastating pieces of music I’ve ever heard.
If that were the sum of his work, he could still be viewed as one of the finest, most influential musicians of the past century. That this song is but the visible tip of an unfathomable, ever-shifting iceberg is really quite incredible.
A live version from 2005:
Bloody hell.
Things To Do In Whitby When You’re Not Dead
After a deliciously bleak morning spent staring at the sea, we went on to explore Whitby in considerable depth.
What we found will shock you.
It won’t. It won’t shock you. But those Buzzfeed/Upworthy titles really work, and how else am I going to convince you to read on?
Lord Gloom 