Ennui / Impulse

Martin O'Cuthbert:  Serene Machines / Space Will Weave Our Destiny Esoteric Records (1978) Textbook DIY single, from the wraparound photocopied sleeve to the home recorded wobbles and wonks within. Martin O'Cuthbert composed, performed and produced this E.P, the first of many, on a record label he set up to ensure his music could be heard.  Martin saw Esoteric as 'An underground label offering an alternative to the total commercialism of the major record companies...a label which will become big in terms of imaginative music and resolute ideas, but not big in the sense of unfeeling disposable product attitude of the money orientated majors'. Mission accomplished, young man. Both sides have a great deal of sparse charm, consisting only of Farfisa Organ, Electric Piano, some drums and various sparingly used electronic effects. The overall impression is of someone trying out a new keyboard, prodding at it and twiddling the knobs and being pleasantly sur...

Bee Vamp: Valium Girls / Lucky Grills / With Barry in Bengal  Monster in Orbit Records (1981)  'Well tell me, do you ever get headaches?' One in three of all post punk bands came from Liverpool. Probably. You may not know this, but the city apparently has a rich musical heritage.  Bee Vamp  won't be getting a statue, a coach tour or a commemorative tin of shortbread biscuits any time soon, but they did leave behind two nice singles, the first of which is the quietly extraordinary  Valium Girls .   Intoxication is a standard subject for popular music in all its forms, particularly the getting high and the coming down. Fewer songs tackle domestic addiction, however, the epidemic of ordinary people in the thrall of prescription or over the counter remedies which now, apparently, affects nearly a million people in the UK alone. This song both parodies and celebrates the public’s obsession with pain killers, sounding like an art rock...