The Trunk 25/2/2018: Liked This? Try This

We've been releasing a fair bit recently from label veterans - people and acts that have worked with us in the past and are back for more. It's a pleasant thought, really: our little project has been going for long enough to have people coming back for more. But it also gives us an opportunity to refresh our memories, and yours, of what came before. So, this time, we'll be taking a short look at some recent and upcoming BEM releases and pointing you in the direction of older material by some or all of the same people. If you're newish to the label, you may just find some gems among these... and if you're not, well, hopefully you'll enjoy the ride regardless!

If you like Where The Moonlight Snows, try...

... Unsongs!

We're not going to go on too long about this one, since we did a deep dive on it last week, but if the preview track for Where The Moonlight Snows has whetted your appetite for this kind of progressive-indie-rock-jazz-quiff-pop (their words, not mine), we really do recommend that you give Unsongs a listen. Smart, brash, and eminently singable, Unsongs is not only a great album in its own right but very characteristic of the kind of musical approach BEM hopes to champion.

Where The Moonlight Snows also features a guest spot from Daniel Zambas of BEM alumni We Are Kin - you can't hear any of his contributions yet, but, if you like sharp keyboard work, ... and I know... and Pandora are also worth a spin.

If you like A Map In Fragments, try...

... The Divine Abstract and My Tricksy Spirit!

More specifically, if you like the masterful guitar work on Tonochrome's latest album, the man behind the groove, Charlie Cawood, has worked with us twice before. The Divine Abstract is his solo project, a richly textured instrumental odyssey with a bewildering array of guests and guest instruments which I personally can't recommend highly enough. He's also played with My Tricksy Spirit on their self-titled debut, a spacey melting pot of an album where Charlie works in perfect union with a cadre of thoughtful musicians. On both these records, he plays far more than just the guitar, putting his mastery of the plucked string to very good use indeed.

If you like 'Truck', try...

... Magnet, Spooky Action, and Archive!

If you've somehow been following the label for a while without hearing the full force of The Fierce And The Dead, we are so very, very sorry. That said, maybe you've heard their new single 'Truck' and you want a little more, but you can't wait until May 18th for The Euphoric. Fear not.

Start with Magnet. It's pretty short, but these five songs are a very good taster of what the boys are all about. If you like what you here, Spooky Action, one of BEM's very first releases, is a meatier chunk of face-melting - and, rather handily, you can get both CDs together on the Spooky Action Bandcamp page for the discounted price of just £7. That's almost an hour of pure sonic power at your fingertips. And, if you're still hungry, our reissue of their first album, If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe, is still in stock.

That said, if you like your Matt Stevens a bit mellower, his solo collection Archive, a musical maze of cleverly woven guitar looping, will sort you out.

If you like Black Bag Archive Vol. 3, try...

... This, Motherland, and Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed!

Simon Godfrey must be one of BEM's hardest-working artists. Since the label's foundation, we've yet to see a year pass without him giving us something new (and he's got more scheduled for this year, so the streak may well continue). With classic pop-rock outfit Valdez, he produced this, and by this I mean This, an album of incredibly clever songwriting and equally polished performances. His solo work on Motherland is a stripped-down incarnation of that same songsmithing talent, and, if you'd prefer that talent in a more electronic setting, Shineback and Rise Up Forgotten have you covered.

And, of course, there's the recent Minotaur EP, and volumes one and two of the Black Bag Archive... if you're a fan of Simon's, you're certainly not short of material.

If you like Murder And Parliament, try...

... Happy People, Fit the Fourth, and Three Rows of Teeth!

When Tom told us he was making an instrumental album, we were a little surprised because he was so closely associated with sharp, eloquent, and thoroughly weird lyricism. If you'd like to find out what the Slatter Sound is like with vocals, you can't go far wrong with these three collections of stories dark and strange. It's ambitious. It's multilayered. At times, it's really confusing - but never annoyingly so. And it's definitely worth a listen.

Status Update

That new Mothertongue thing we were teasing last week is now available for preorder! New album Where The Moonlight Snows is out on March 23rd, a little under four weeks away. Make sure to preorder your copy soon to get instant access to the preview track, 'Earthbound', and ensure you get the album as soon as it's available.

Meanwhile, we're pleased to report that Close To Vapour is out right now, and we look forward to seeing what you all make of it!

Review Roundup

Just the one review this week: Tonochrome's A Map in Fragments popped up in the latest edition of PROG Magazine, and Sid Smith has given it a pretty stellar review - here, take a look:

Featuring a little bit of David Elephant's jumper peeking through at the bottom!

That's all for this week! I can tell you that we've got something pretty exciting planned for the next edition of The Trunk, so do keep your eyes peeled for that...