BROCKEN SPECTRE

TOR52. Released June 2016.

01. Stockholm Cancelled
02. Polish Girls
03. Colour Fucker
04. Skylite Walkers
05. Skye
06. Beyond Nostalgia
07. Walking Ghosts
08. (In) Dreams

Sometime in early 2015 myself and Ste got to thinking it would be fun to form a band where we could both play loud abrasive guitars together.  This meant recruiting a new drummer and bass player, so the word got out and eventually after some wrong turns we got the right people in the right place, enter Mike on drums and Jill on bass. Songs were plucked out from The Nightowl Sings and Dead West songbook to get the fire started, it was exhilarating to hear some of these songs take on new forms and sounds, endless possibilities coming back at you from the intensity of the shared passions of four people playing hard and loud in a small room. Of course, it wasn't long before new songs appeared and gradually they took precedent and a new songbook flowered.

As the year spluttered to a close, the rehearsals became more frequent and the playing and arrangements became more adventurous and the sound took on a coiled elasticity that took in punk, shoegaze and noisy indie rock. Our ears were bleeding and on a good night the songs would fly. At around the same time we moved to a new home, a loft space above a vintage bazaar shop, which was packed with art, furniture, clothes, pop art memorabilia, records and other curious artifacts. It really did feel like home and and it provided a wonderful setting for the band and new friendships to blossom. There was talk of us doing gigs out of town, but we never seemed to pin any details down, and the talk remained just that.

So we began recording as we always do, building on the first song we had put down at my house in October called 'Skylite Walkers' a wonky, skewed jem which never quite settles down in its bursts of feedback and punchy choruses. The recording process proved to be difficult, and even though we were well rehearsed the act of being tied down to the restrictive nature of recording proved deflating and frustrating for some.

Despite this, the songs continued to show their strengths and we persevered. Over several weeks the basic tracks and overdubs took shape and with some wonderful input from Al in post production, the songs eight of them, realised their full potential, forming a cohesive but varied mini album, packed with barbed melodies, energy and loft space noise. Ste as ever provided great artwork and photography for the release, and as i listen to the opening song 'Stockholm cancelled' call to arms i am reminded of the joy we shared, and how cold winter nights were warmed by the songs we created and the friendships we shared. - Marc.