download: Helicobbler
Listen to Same Mistake and Catch Us:
This record has been floating around on CLLCT for a couple of months now, so you may have already had the pleasure of hearing it. Me, I waited for a bit of breathing space before feeding it into my ears. I wanted to wait for a gap so as I could give it my full attention, really because I felt like it deserved nothing less. Of course I’d already heard the excellent and lyrically complex ‘Ilium Bromide’ on DG7, and been completely knocked out by the simply beautiful uke song ‘Psycholicopter’ on DG8 that once and for all proved that you don’t always have to deliver something cutesy and confessional with that particular instrument. Both tracks suggested that whenever a full-length recording from Impaled Peach finally emerged, that the songwriting and musical textures were going to require more than a passing listen to properly dig it.
As it is though, this 20-minute 8-song EP is less a full-length release and more a collection of original compositions, some for collaboration projects, others sung for the fun of it, gathered together and released in a hurry, and it actually can be easily dug from little more than a quick spin through it. There are textures and depth, some exceptional production techniques, simple pop harmonies, words sung with verve and harmony, and more key changes than the most burgled house in your neighbourhood. In a nutshell, there is something pretty much for everyone… pop-psych fanatics looking for a quick fix, lo-fi folk enthusiasts wanting to hear what is possible if you put enough into it, even poets with a secret thing for slide guitars and Beach Boys layered indie rock and roll.
Try and count the influences behind these songs and you’ll be there for a long, long time. Elephant 6 bands like The Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Of Montreal are just the obvious ones. If there’s one thing that Edward Alan Bartholomew (the guy behind the name) does exceptionally well, then it’s sucking up the sounds and styles and techniques of his favourite musical ancestors, digesting them together upon the bedroom floor, and spitting them back out in a seamless fusion that sounds quite like many things you have heard before, but not exactly like any of them. Tracks like the aforementioned ‘Psycholicopter’, or the really immense ‘Same Mistake/Catch Us’ (arguably one of my favourite songs so far in 2010) are the sort of tracks you catch yourself singing hours later. Pretty much everything you could want from several records is somehow crammed into this collection – distorted driving guitars, vinyl crackles, intricate riffs, unpredictable songs in other languages that effortlessly change in tempo without warning. On the surface you might be looking at eight songs, but actually you might be getting as many as twenty wrapped in verses and choruses and carefully crafted shifts that very rarely sound anything like their counterparts.
On ‘Helicobbler’, Ed himself said ‘I was originally planning on using most of these for a longer release, but the project has lost momentum and these songs have gradually become their own thing. I also have newer ideas to pursue and wanted to get these out of the way for a fresh start.’ To hear snippets from the newer ideas, as well as some genuinely great cover versions, and to get an insight into the making of some of the songs featured here, you can spend a few productive hours over at:
It might have taken me a couple of months to finally get round to listening to ‘Helicobbler’, but then I always knew that once I did I’d be listening to these songs for as long as my ears continue to work and my appetite for melodic DIY sound adventures persists. Next time we get something from Impaled Peach I’ll be digging out my sleeping bag to spend a night on the virtual pavement with my download finger at the ready. Marks out of ten? Who gives a flying fuck about marks out of ten? This record is a little glimpse of something that might very well be genius – whatever number you want to throw at it.
Ed’s own notes on the songs:
Heels Over Head
An of Montreal fueled night turned into a groggy, lethargic morning and a wake up call from the landlord.
Head Over Heels
A foot fetish? In response to complaints about Neutral Milk Hotel’s distortion.
l’Orangerie
A place I’ve only visited with Google Maps.
Same Mistake / Catch Us
Two songs heavily influenced by Olivia Tremor Control, together at last in the same key.
Ilium Bromide
A compound produced when Paris steals Menelaus’ wife. Features at least four key changes.
Orange Thirst
Originally devised for the Colors album. Features Sam Wallinga on accordion and some prose I wrote about orange juice in high school.
Same Mistake Again
The Olivia Tremor Control influence is more recognizable here (Fireplace, Shaving Spiders).
Psycholicopter
About a girl I talked to on the phone a few times a few years ago. First song written on ukulele.
What perfect, beautifully arranged pop songs.
I agree. It’s frighteningly well put together.
It’s even more frightening when you see how basic the equipment he used is. A good ear is so much more important than the best equipment, and this record is a perfect example should somebody ever need one.