Moshi Moshi | Crackle Feedback

Look Inside Your Heart is The Wave Pictures' second long player of 2018 and it sees the band continuing in their experimentation with - what I suppose you could call - "high concept" releases. Following on from their last album Brushes With Happiness (written and recorded in a single day) and A Season In Hull (recorded with a single microphone) this one takes things a step further: it's a drunk record.

Album

Review

Brushes With Happiness

Artist

The Wave Pictures

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

22 Jun 18

After a couple of albums of amped up garage blues The Wave Pictures return to the style of their earlier more subdued albums like If You Leave It Alone or Beer In The Breakers.

Album

Review

Wild Imagination

Artist

Sweet Baboo

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

02 Jun 17

Stephen Black has stated that this LP was originally titled Positive Recordings. The task was to make an album as a counterbalance to 2016's constant stream of doom and dread as a musical gift for his three year old son. It's probably no surprise then that the childlike innocence and playful creativity on show are the keys to the album's success.

Album

Review

Bamboo Diner In The Rain

Artist

The Wave Pictures

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

11 Nov 16

The Wave Pictures are back, after a typically short hiatus with an album that continues their metamorphosis from peculiar indie darlings to garage blues Gods. That transformation seemed to start with last year's Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon, and despite a stop-gap acoustic record being released in the interim (this year's A Season In Hull), this album digs deeper into that deep southern swampy sound.

Album

Review

Brilliant Sanity

Artist

Teleman

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

08 Apr 16

Teleman's debut album Breakfast was a catchy blast of pop, a predominately guitar based record with just enough invention to distinguish it from their previous incarnation, Pete and The Pirates. Here, with their second effort Brilliant Sanity, they finally seem comfortable enough to break out of those chains of ventures past and make an album with a superior, confident sound.

Album

Review

Grapefruit

Artist

Kiran Leonard

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

25 Mar 16

The gist Don't bother reading this, just go to the shops and buy it The music Kiran Leonard's second (I think) full length album Grapefruit is quite a thing to behold. Much has been said of this young man's genius in the press over the past few years (he seems to have been practically adopted by Marc Riley, such is his undying love for the fellow), but anyone who listens to just the first three minutes of this record will find it hard to argue against the plaudits. Grapefruit opens with "Secret Police", as perfect an opening track as I've ever encountered.

Album

Review

2013

Artist

Meilyr Jones

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

25 Mar 16

The gist Ex-Racehorses man harnesses his inner Walker/Brel/Wilson The music Rightly or wrongly, the term Britpop is still predominately used as a bashing implement, but the opening track of 2013 (the brassy single "How To Recognise A Work Of Art") is positively powered by Britpop. It's a breezy pop single, and one that we don't see the like of much these days. And here, if you are in any doubt, I'm using the term Britpop as a positive reference point (The Divine Comedy would probably be a good comparison).

Album

Review

The Boombox Ballads

Artist

Sweet Baboo

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

14 Aug 15

The gist Stephen Black gets complicated on his 5th album as Sweet Baboo The music The Boombox Ballads begins in the low-key no thrills manner that you'd expect from a Sweet Baboo record. Just Stephen Black, his softly-softly voice and a delicately plucked guitar. But about halfway through the album opener "Sometimes", a wonderfully deranged orchestra chimes in and it comes as quite a surprise. This is the first time that Black has worked with an arranger (Paul Jones) and it really adds a huge amount to Sweet Baboo's already textured sound.

Album

Review

Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon

Artist

The Wave Pictures

Label

Moshi Moshi

Release Date

16 Feb 15

The gist A complete change of pace from Wymeswold's finest The music If you just count the Moshi Moshi stuff then this is The Wave Pictures' 6th album. Last year was a bit of a rarity for the band as they didn't release a "proper" one, instead opting to self-release their reworking of Daniel Johnston's Artistic Vice and collaborate with Stanley Brinks on the Gin album. Now they're back with an LP of (mostly) new material, albeit one that drastically deviates, perhaps for the first time, from the band's tried and tested sound.