Mellowgrounds

Bloody hell. This, folks, blew me away. It’s got Quality. And, Quirkiness. But it’s also got something uniquely special about it, defiantly solid, ruthlessly inventive. Kali Frogz’ Tumour House is like being served olives and fresh bread. Get a bottle of wine in before Omegaman’s Paradiso starts up, which I can describe in two words: Blue Note! It’s full of retro-quirky rare groove action, latenight stretchout, or a beery afternoon. Skizzo Franick’s Delicious Cats Food is just wonderful. Sort of like Skatalites through an Orb blender, with live-sounding instrumentation that’s incredible… tight yet fluid, and with a bass that’s phatter than yo grandmama. L St. Amour’s Dirty Love is the only track with vocals on I’ve ever been sent for psyreviews that I instantly liked. Seriously. It’s like a jazzier Beta Band, with classy and deep riffs and instruments in the background. I can’t get over these vocals: they’re good! They’re about something! Evidently this band has nothing to do with psytrance. But, ‘music’ freaks out there will love this: because it’s good. The Uber Groover Project’s Octo Dub is deeply psychedelic reggae with a strong live feel. I hope this is a live band I’m listening to… the vibe is festivally, like a jazzier Dreadzone without the annoying lyrics. Kukan Dub Lagan is up next, and this is the hole in the album for me. Everyone else seems to love this dude, but he leaves me cold. The bass and percussion on everything I’ve heard from him has this plasticy, fruityloops feel to is and this is no exception. Sorry mate: the rest of the world loves it but I find it placid and pedestrian, so Sound Of Africa (which sounds fuck all like Africa, don’t kid yourself) gets skipped. Beatlab:digital feat, Piri do well with Computer Meltdown (sounding like a dub track recorded by the HAL-9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey) and then with Turning Point (which sounds like Orbital reformed to make quality ambient dub, except on Planet Dog records). Zager’s I Believe You Johnny Walker is both very sketchy, a beat that’s used on something by massive attack with a bunch of very odd noises over the top. Cerebral and amusing – quality stuff. Omegaman pops back with Jazz Thing, sounding a little like soft-porn soundtrack (not that psyreviews ever watches porn, right ladies?). It has a shameless feelgood r&b vibe about it: but sitting here, staring out the window at the snow falling thick and fast on my van outside, it’s the perfect soundtrack. Fucking great music. Zager pops back for It Started With Chords, which lads me to believe that this guy is a very talented, but strange, human being. Think freeform (as in, truly psychedelic) jazz music over a drum pattern that might have had something to do with Squarepusher if he lived somewhere warmer than England. It’s also one of the best pieces of music I have heard in quite some time. Abdalek’s Se Sufi closes the album with, alright, a hint of shanty-chill. There’s a tabla, the message in the lyrics is all about tolerance and unity, and – well, excuse me for sounding all organic and vegan, but it fucking works. I mean, it really fucking works. This album is simply astounding. Honestly: I haven’t ever come across an album as fiendishly and immoveably full of character, dense with musical enjoyment, solidly quirky and genuinely fresh in fucking years.