http://cllct.com/art/zombiegirlfriendhospitalattackforce

Were it possible to favourite your favourites on CLLCT, then these twin towers of weird psychedelic sunshine sublimity, would certainly be up there. It takes a lot to get me to write about anything outwith the Quixodelic circle, but some things demand to be written about, and this is one of them, so I’ll see what I can do in the short space of time I’ve got to do it.

Self-professed ‘bastard child of Brian Wilson and Peewee Herman’, Zombie Girlfriend Hospital Attack Force isn’t just a mouthful, but a rollercoaster ride of sounds and songs that will illuminate your starry nights, and carry you through the shimmering heat of day. It is impossible to know where to start with these – ‘Social Anxiety Mysticism’ considered the psychedelic masteriece, and ‘Palace of The Super Gay Rainbow’ its poppier counterpart. But side by side these could easily be mistaken for a double-album. Both are blessed with the same surreal eye for killer song titles (‘The Battle For Timewarp Castaway Epicentre’ anyone?), and taking musical chances that more often than not transcend the experimental into something that is more than capable of blowing out all the bulbs in your brain.

Personally, I started with ‘Palace…’ and from the first listen, I knew that here was something seriously special. ‘I Hope’ is an acoustic-pop track lifted from the summer of love. ‘Everyday Objects Are Vampires’ is a genius little infectious melody, attempting to sound like Blur circa ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ and not even realising that it has overshot its mark by quite some distance. ‘The Celestial Zombie’ is pure psychotic genius. ‘Church of God’ is jaw-droppingly great. Song after song, wave after wave, riff after riff, word after word… it was relentlessly entertaining stuff. I listened to ‘Palace…’ several times over a couple of weeks and kept feeling that it was the sort of patchwork pop record that could take years to fully get, but that the journey would be worth it.

Eventually I dipped my ear-toes into ‘Social Anxiety Mysticism’ and was equally impressed. The title track  was a combination of electronic extraterrestrial bleeps and campfire anthem. ‘Oh! They’re Imaginary Stars’ was just as impressive, with its Spanish synth horns, and ‘Accidentally Watching A Light’ is lo-fi psychedelic experimental rock at its very, very best.

Originality is a difficult high-wire to step along, but whoever, or whatever ZGHAF is or are, he or they show that it is possible to revisit the past through the eyes of the future and make it sound like it belongs somewhere in the now. There are only a handful of bands/musicians not affiliated with Quixodelic that I’d love to be a part of it, but this is one of them. I’ve sent a postcard to the moon because I don’t know where else to send it, just to say thanks for these two wonderful records, and I hope by the time I’ve fixed the bulbs in my brain that there are more.

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