songs from a black hole...

LAKES. sean bailey has a rich history as a band-whore: GEORGE W. BUSH, VIVIAN GIRLS (late 90's - the real shit), ST. ALBANS KIDS, WASTED TRUTH, MINDSNARE (?!) etc. etc. as LAKES, bailey first channelled THE FALL and SLUGFUCKERS into his own version of synth-pop, relying on casio beats and keys to provide the background to his semi-monotone vocal expression(s). i was hooked immediately on his debut 7" and LP - raucous and catchy, he played songs that were infectious and ingeniously melodic while also at times, simultanaeously ugly and angry. his cover art also played an important role, and i found myself obsessively collecting every release on his own INVERTED CRUX label - even when i had little time for some of the music, recorded mostly to cassettes with gorgeous screen-printed covers that brought, at least to my ill-informed mind, an autistic MIRO...lines upon lines, seemingly scratched into some sort of made-up language that only he understood, but resonated with me deeply. as his releases multiplied in number, i purchased them all, and have been lucky enough to share jams and shows with him - but my interest waned slightly i must admit - we are around the same age and have inhaled a lot of the same music over the years, and i found it difficult to get past the fact that his later material recalled all-too-well his influences - namely, GARETH WILLIAMS/THIS HEAT and THE SHADOW RING. his mastery of percussion and recording though, always impressed me immeasurably, and i continued to collect everything he produced, hoping that it was just me being a picky bastard (no, you think - you're just an arsehole). thirty minutes ago, our friend wearing fluro delivered five copies of sean's new LP, 'solar flecks', and as it blasts tape distorted tunes with an eastern-tinged edge, probably shitting our neighbours upstairs again (at least it isn't TOECUTTER this time, cunt), i am convinced finally that LAKES isn't going anywhere anytime soon and that i have warmed to it completely. sean has been hinting toward this/these sound(s) for quite awhile - his 'monument of nests' tape being the most effective, but 'solar flecks' is one step further again...a subtle step, but an important one. said LP is completely immersive for a start - stark and thick as molasses, not unlike MOUTHUS in regards to production - using recording tape as an instrument instead of simply a tool to document sound. all of the previous elements he has utilised recently are here: keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar(distorted with gain), assorted percussion, tapes etc., but there is some missing ingredient added - sean speeds up and slows down the tempo frequently, adding an intensity and a palpable menace to these tunes that are already an uneasy but completely rewarding listen. the guitar tones are a lot more varied and his vocals, ever so slightly more pronounced. LAKES as a live experience is always fucking LOUD and true - his songs take on more guts, as if proclaimed from deep within a black hole...though one you want to dive into instead of avoid. 'solar flecks' is a fantastic LP, another one for my collection and a record that you should snap up if given the oppotunity. 100 copies, screen-printed cover and an insert printed on tracing paper. perfect.