Various Artist, A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island
A creepy-but-friendly soundtrack to a lovably odd cartoon series
This 27-track compilation is due to soundtrack a forthcoming children's cartoon series from British graphic artist Pete Fowler. Indeed, the album often feels like an underground, lo-fi British version of an old Walt Disney soundtrack, as an eclectic range of artists including Luke Vibert, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and Neon Neon fame, Richard Norris and even former Specials leader Jerry Dammers contribute experimental but entirely accessible nuggets to the project's quaintly cosmic aesthetic.
Although the tracks are almost entirely instrumental, the set is full of character and childlike humor, dominated by lots of old-fashioned analog synth and titles like "Mr Sponge's Groovy Oscillations" (by Amorphous Androgynous), "Seven Thousand Pound Bee" (Cherrystones) and "Designated Wizard Practice Area" (Belbury Poly), occasionally punctuated by fairy-tale dialogue. The overall effect is like a creepy-but-friendly, hour-long bedtime story set to dark, quirky lullabies.
Top marks go to Wolf People's Peter Green-esque psych-blues, the bedsit electro of Rhys's "Wild Robots Power Up," the medieval rock of Circulus and Dud Thud's "Empty Library," a remarkable Sun Ra-influenced electronic piece which shows how far Jerry Dammers has travelled from 2-Tone. It all adds up to that rarest of things — a various artists set that feels like one atmospheric suite without becoming remotely samey. Let's hope the cartoon is as lovably odd and intriguingly atmospheric.
