ALL THE LATEST REVIEWS AS WE GET THEM
...magazines...websites...fans...
...short, long, good bad...
..we'll post them here...

so that you can get a few more objective views of our releases than we're likely to give you!

from Terrascope - the online descendant of that great magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope - on Hausfrauen Experiment

...OK so let's end on a real high, courtesy of the very fine Fruits De Mer Records from Waltham-on-Thames, a small but perfectly formed vinyl-only label (though mercifully for your vinyl-free reviewer they provide promo-CDs)'Volume 12: The Hausfrauen Experiment' is a 2 x 7" vinyl release courtesy of them crazy Hausfrauens, namely Tracy, Vyolette and Lisa (who hail from the UK and not, as might be supposed, from Germany). Volume 12comprises of four magnificently playful retro/futuristic synth based reinterpretations of songs by Silver Apples ('Oscillations'), Hawkwind ('Spirit of the Age'), Eno ('Baby's On Fire') and Cockney Rebel ('Sebastian'). The Eno one is, if push came to shove, my favourite but the others are all excellent as well. If you can imagine a tasteful and tasty electro-stew of Kraftwerk, Death in Vegas and the Flying Lizards imaginatively as interpreted by French and Saunders and performed by mischievous sweethearts then not only does your imagination do you credit but you’re already half way to liking this somewhat atypical release from the usually psych-fixated Fruits people. Here, then, is a precious little offering hugely deserving of your love and attention. It certainly reduced me to a grinning fool. More please.
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August_2010.htm

---

more from Terrascope - 'A Phase'

Fruits De Mer Records have offered us psychedelic listeners some treats in recent years, and now present their first full album, "A Phase We're Going Through." Their promo contains only five tracks, but no doubt the album is all as good as this quintet of lovelies. The Luck Of Eden Hall do The Monkees' 'Love Is Only Sleeping,' The Swims do July's 'My Clown,' The Chemistry Set do Del Shannon's 'Silver Birch,' and Cranium Pie do Hendrix's 'Little Wing.' All great versions, with, natch, a lot of phasing. One to acquire if you love the best decade in music, from a quintessential record label... can you see what I did there, Keith & Andy?
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August_2010.htm

---

from Rough Trade Records - flying the flag for indie music and vinyl for...well, ages - on Hausfrauen Experiment

"trawling the ever-deeper depths of the undulating oceans of obscure sound, fruits de mer's latest release pulls together a sonic potpourri of songs originally recorded by silver apples, hawkwind, brian eno and cockney rebel. the standout is 'spirit of the age', the hawkwind song taken from their robert calvert-era, 1977 album 'quark, strangeness and charm'. it transplants the space rock sparseness of the original for a space synth sparseness and a cheerier version of a throbbing gristle-style industrial vibe"

---

from Scranton's very own psychedelic sound experimenter on 'A Phase'...
www.myspace.com/psychatrone

Yes! Fruits De Mer has made one fab 12" record of mind bending psych/pop sounds with an over-all theme of "Phasing" involved. Yeah,"phasing" you know the sound that's "all too beautiful" in Itchycoo Park .....has you seeing Pictures Of Matchstick men and all sorts of psychedelic head-rush songs of the classic psych era!
Here are a fine set of new versions of songs either originally Phased,or now you'll see ,should have been phased! Also this is the first full LP platter of songs from Fruits,....and it sure is a delight. The courses come across just right....I mean ,well,the songs are set just in the right sequence to keep you entertained.

It starts with The Chemistry Set's "Silver Birch" that sets the tone straight off....fine tunes and mind blowing effects are the game here. The Geese do Point Me At The Sky,which was always one of my fave Pink Floyd rarities, ,along the way you get loads of familiar and not so familiar songs done with the wildest of styles. Permanent Clear Light does a Who song I'd never heard of,although I've been a fan for decades,it's called In The City. My friend from Scranton PA comes off all Hawkwind-ish and alien with a nice swirling,murky version of the Jefferson Airplane's "Plastic Fantastic Lover". Could Jeff G's Marshmallow Staircase really be in love with a television....it seems they might be!
An insanely wonderful version of Red Chair Fade Away (a Bee Gee's song) is brought to us by the Sidewalk Society,London Social Degree has the Zombies of the Stratosphere using the initials L S D in their title...do you think they've imbibed??? Now my fave here is the Swims with "My Clown"....of course they are friends of mine too,....but I do recall in the first talk I had about classic psych with him long ago he'd mentioned a band he loved....called July! So,no surprise there for me,...'cept I'd guess that if they do more it should be Hollies music,which Brian Langan has the hots for also(...let's hope for a future EP of that music ! Maybe....?).
The last two songs here are nice surprises,.....one is a great treatment of the Monkee's "Love is Only Sleeping" by The Luck Of Eden Hall(who I'd like to hear more from),..and a wild ,organ-based version of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Little Wing" by Cranium Pie that pleasantly brings to mind an old favorite band of mine called BONGWATER(remember them....where is Mr. Kramer when you need him BTW???).
So,if these haven't all been blasted out of stock,...which I'm sure will happen soon,....get your copy today and enjoy a nice head-rush of sound without needing all the chemicals you used to have to ingest to get "that feeling" way back when. Ummm,...or add this to you fave chemicals and really get off the ground!
Search out "fruits de mer" or "bracken Records" for easy credit card purchase...only 500 lickably coloured discs available....so jump fast if you please.

---

John Kearney (ex-editor Twist & Shout) on 'A Phase'

WOW!!!...that’s all I can say after giving 'A Phase We’re Going Through' a spin! London Social Degree on vinyl, the sonic attack, clarity and brilliance shine through.
Plastic Fantastic Lover is one of my favourite Jefferson Airplane songs and The Marshmallow Staircase's version did not disappoint.
I didn't know the Bee Gees could write something with rock character like Red Chair, Fade Away. I haven't heard the original and it doesn't matter as the Sidewalk Society has added some psych balls to the otherwise pleasant and smiling Gibb brothers.
It's a coincidence that I was listening to Caleb Quaye's Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad this week but this version by The Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder (by the way, another great name for a band!) knocks the original right out of the park. A home run!
Another track I hadn't paid attention to is Love Is Only Sleeping by The Monkees (although I have all their recorded output) and again you've pulled it off or should I say The Luck Of Eden Hall has pulled it off.
What better way to end the LP with Cranium Pie's Little Wing. The mix of keyboards and guitar is amazing; Hendrix may rise from his grave in amazement.

What can I say - Fruits De Mer is simply THE best record label of the 21st Century.
The idea of having mostly unknown 60s gems coupled with modern technology and mixed with luv gives me hope that the record industry still has some talented musicians out there performing classic yet mostly obscure music. Fruits De Mer is seafood for the mind; yesterday's music today.

 

---

Terrascope Online on 'What Colour Is Pink?'

Respect without obedience, that’s what Vibravoid shows on their new “What Colour Is Pink?” 7” vinyl EP, a part of Fruits de Mer ongoing series of “new versions of classic psychedelic, progressive rock, acid-folk and krautrock”. Coming from Dusseldorf Vibravoid maybe should feel their krautrock heritage, and if – as I see it – early Pink Floyd maybe was the first krautrock band ever, so maybe there’s a connection. Choosing three pieces from Pink Floyds epic 2nd LP “A Saucerful of Secrets” from 1968 on this “Pink” EP, Vibravoid are doing us nothing but a great favour by showing how up to date that old, inventive music still is. And by giving the distorted organ a bigger place in the sound picture amongst rhythm instruments, vibra-synths and spacey sounds they even point out the krautish connection I’m after. The three tracks presented are ‘Set the Control for the Heart of the Sun’, ‘Let There be More Light’ and ‘Saucerful of Secrets’. They are maybe not versions too far from the originals except they are a bit shorter, but yet extremely inspiring. I saw Pink Floyd live in November 1970 with two of these three tracks on the set list, amongst a lot of others, of course. I would love to see this band live as well.
www.terrascope.co.uk

---

Impose Magazine on 'What Colour Is Pink?'

Due to our tardiness, we're giving you a bonus review absolutely free this week, and it comes in the paisley-hued guise of Vibravoid's What Colour is Pink? EP on Fruits de Mer. As if the title weren't a dead give-away, this single features three Pink Floyd covers done in the band's trademark deviant, heavily-grooving krautrock style, placing them somewhere between Carnaby Street '69, Berlin circa '74 and errr, Birmingham last week. On the A-Side, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" adds loads of ghastly echo and twirping FX to the original's brainmelting dynamics, and while it's definitely a head-trip, it's difficult say if they improve upon it or not; they are pulling from the Floyd canon, which isn't an easy task in the first place. On the flipside, their organ-heavy wig-out version of "A Saucerful of Secrets" is extraterrestrially great, as are the massively-effected grooves they pump into Roger Waters' "Let There be More Light". There's no doubting that they do justice to the songs here, and they're more than adept from a technical perspective, but overall, it makes us wish they'd take on the Bread catalog and show their true chops by psychedelicizing a batch of otherwise ho-hum tunes. Sold out from the label, but try Norman Records who might still have a couple copies on the shelves. >
http://www.imposemagazine.com/features/lemon-dots-mv-ee