MuhMur Radio returns after a six week (or so) hiatus. The planned annual 'Festive Four Hour Feast Of Fun' never materialised. There are reasons, but the reasons become excuses ... and I don't like excuses so I won't list them.
The programme does start with "The Tryal Of Old Christmas" by George Rayner-Law, and if it had of happened this track would have kicked off the four hour broadcast ... The piece is from a cassette called "The Tryal Of Old Christmas" on Brachliegen Tapes. George also releases under the name of Schwerpunkt.
"Brachliegen mainstay George Rayner-Law delivers his third solo release of the year, an offering of good cheer and merriment straight from Nowelis' festive sack. The Tryal Of Old Christmas is 20 minutes of saturated yuletide tapeworm wherein resonant bells from London and France peal against tectonic organ chords and degraded trial records. In defence of the lamented Nowell, GRL rallies against the scoundrels of the jury who would decide Father Christmas' fate in Joshua King's classic 1658 seasonal pamphlet 'The Examination And Tryall Of Old Father Christmas'. Written at the time of Cromwell's ban on yuletide festivities due to their popish jollification. King's text positions the figurative Old Christmas as a part of the English constitutional firmament, a timeless personification of the festive period who does not incite men to excess but rather celebration and good cheer. An ode to playe days, good cheer, plum pudding, and good olde English beer. 'The Tryal Of Old Christmas' is a yuletide celebration mounted in defence of this Old Gentleman thus egregiously abused "Let's dance and sing and make good cheer for Christmas comes but once a year". Be not like Mr. Hate-Good and enjoy a protean Christmas .".
Contact George and get the cassette here : https://brachliegentapes.bandcamp.com/merch.
Back in January 2021 Swedish duo Monokultur released their second LP "Ormens Väg". If I compiled lists like 'Top Ten Albums Of 2021", this LP would be in the top five ... but I don't do lists like that. All tracks in this broadcast are from this LP.
Hot on the tails of 2019's "Chemical Flowers" comes the new album "Axis" by Luke Younger's Helm. Released by New York based label Dais Records the album features contributions from Mark Morgan (To Live And Shave In LA) and Alex Tucker (Dead Leaves). The album comes in many colours and formats. Find copies at https://hhelmm.bandcamp.com/album/axis or contact Luke here : http://hhelmm.com
"Ensam Är Nattens Rymd Över Vita Väger" is the third part of Arv & Miljö's seasonal ambient tetralogy. (Following on from 2018's "Svensk Sommer I Still Frid" and 2019's "Himmelsvind").
11 pieces inspired by a childhood experiencing the cold winters of Gothenburg. Matthias Andersson (Arv & Miljö) creates a sound of what the world would sound like from inside a snow cave. Limited to only 513 copies, grab one from : https://discreetmusicgbg.bandcamp.com. The five pieces here are from Side A, Side B will feature in the February 3 broadcast. Keeping all things Svensk, the track by Charlott Melmenholt is from the new compilation CD "Contemporary Homemade Music From Sweden" on Discreet Music. Charlott is one half of the duo Treasury Of Puppies. The CD also includes Treasury Of Puppies alongside Blod, Leda, Amateur Hour and Arv & Miljö amongst others. Sometimes I will buy a record / release because I like the artwork or name. Cheap Imitation fall into both categories. I saw the sleeve for the 7" "Selektiv Döhvet" in the Discreet Music catalogue and knew I had to hear it. Cheap Imitation are from Gothenburg and comprise of Anders Olofson and Anne-Charlotte Rugfelt. "Selective Döhvet" is their first vinyl release following three limited tapes. Expect to hear more Cheap Imitation over the coming programmes. Contact them here : https://cheapimitation.bandcamp.com
XTC were the first band I saw live outside Lincoln. (That's not counting The Secret who were support on that night or indeed Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders who I 'accidentally' saw in a pub in Brean (Somerset) whilst on holiday in 1976). XTC released their debut "White Music" album on January 20 1978, and the tour hit Nottingham in the same month. January 20 1978 was a Friday, I remember missing school that day to take the four mile trek to Lincoln (walking along the River Witham to avoid detection) to get to Sanctuary records and buy "Never Been In A Riot" with my dinner money. 70 pence well spent.
The EP was the first on the Fast Product label. A couple of years later in 1980 A Certain Ratio released their debut album "The Graveyard & The Ballroom" on Factory. It was originally released as a cassette, seven songs a side with studio recordings from The Graveyard Studios in Prestwich (Manchester) and songs from a live performance at The Electric Ballroom (London) in 1979 where they were supporting Joy Division and The Distractions.
I bought the cassette compilation "Skunk'd Gunk" for the Nolls track. I had never heard of the other contributors (mainly American projects) and discovered this to be one of my favourite compilations last year. The cassette is on the D.I.H.D. label. Based in Lambertsville New Jersey (USA) and run by members of the Human Adult Band. Big Blood are a four piece from Maine. Syko Friend is the project of Los Angeles based artist Sophie Rose Weil who also records under the moniker of Bitch Lady Twat. Copies of the tape are available from the label : http://www.dihd.net, I don't know if there's any European distribution. There will be no represses so grab one whilst you can. Nolls will be heard on the next broadcast.
"And Shall We Drink The New Wine" was released to coincide with September's US tour by Drekka and Onewayness. It's a CDR limited to 14 copies. I recently was in touch with Adam Holquist (AKA Onewayness) who mailed me some sounds and this was part of the package.
At last there is a decent secondhand record shop close by to where I live .. well, Exeter .. about 23 miles away. Hussar Records in the district of Pinhoe is well worth a visit if you're ever down Devon way. It was there I picked up the double compilation album "Driving Me Backwards" on Dead Man's Curve.
The album is a sampler of what was being released by the label in 1987. The Portion Control track is from this album. Dead Man's Curve was run by Dave Henderson, Dave was a journalist who worked for 'Sounds' back in the 1980's and compiled the influential 'Wild Planet' column which was translated onto vinyl via the "Elephant Table Album" and "Three Minute Symphony" both on X Tract. The album also features Smegma, Last Few Days, Home & Garden, Thinking Plague and Kill Ugly Pop amongst others. The Howard Stelzer track is from the CD "Your Own Working Class Will Bury You (Suburban Observances Volume Four)" on Humanhood Recordings. Volume 1 was released by UK's Chocolate Monk and volume three by US label Tribe Tapes, as far as I know volume two has yet to appear. You can ask Howard why here : https://cassettetapesuperstar.wordpress.com
Over the Christmas holiday something happened to this computer and I lost the use of the MuhMur Radio MixCloud page, and when I tried to reactivate it wouldn't let me. Those who know me know that I am quite a luddite when it comes to computers and it's language. So, the easiest way around the problem was to start a MuhMur Radio Mixcloud page under my wife's name. So the broadcasts can now be found here : https://www.mixcloud.com/tamsin-jane-cammack/muhmur-radio-broadcast-january-20-2022/ Please spread the word and follow MuhMur Radio ... and please write or comment on what you hear.
Playlist :
01: George Rayner-Law : "The Tryal Of Old Christmas" (Brachliegen Tapes) 2021.
02: Monokultur : "Decennium" (Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox) 2021.
03: Helm : "Moskito" (Dais Records) 2021.
04: Helm : "Crash" (Dais Records) 2021.
05: Helm : "Repellant" (Dais Records) 2021.
06: Arv & Miljö : "Intro / Träd Som Frigörs Från Lövverk" (Discreet Music) 2021.
07: Arv & Miljö : "In I Vinternatten" (Discreet Music) 2021.
08: Arv & Miljö : "Kristallfragment" (Discreet Music) 2021.
09: Arv & Miljö : "Hoppas Du Får Det Bra I Jul" (Discreet Music) 2021.
10: Arv & Miljö : "Nothing Else Matters" (Discreet Music) 2021.
11: Charlott Melmenholt : "Unica Zürn Flyer Över Hannover" (Discreet Music) 2021.
12: Cheap Imitation : "Selektiv Döhet" (Vips & Vape) 2021.
13: XTC : "I'm Bugged" (Virgin Records) 1978.
14: The Mekons : "32 Weeks" (Fast Product) 1978.
15: A Certain Ratio : "Crippled Child" (Factory Records) 1980.
16: A Certain Ratio : "Choir" (Factory Records) 1980.
17: Big Blood : "It's Alright (Pt 1)" (D.I.H.D.) 2021.
18: Syko Friend : "Knock" (D.I.H.D.) 2021.
19: Drekka & Onewayness : "And Shall We Drink The New Wine" (Not On Label) 2021.
20: Portion Control : "Coming For You Baby" (Dead Man's Curve) 1987.
21: Monokultur : "Demokrati" (Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox) 2021.
22: Monokultur : "Ormens Väg" (Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox) 2021.
23: Howard Stelzer : "Not Subject To Inner Rottings And Etcetera" (Humanhood Recordings) 2021.
There are changes afoot at SoundArt Radio and this year (the tenth year of MuhMur Radio) will run from January through to June and then take a few weeks break before returning in September to carry on broadcasting through to December 2022. Hopefully in the summer there will be some MuhMur Radio 'specials' broadcast as well as some live events and performances ... it's all in the planning stage but I will announce details here ...
Thanks (as always) to Chris Booth at SoundArt Radio for making it all happen, the next programme will be broadcast on February 3rd with a 20:00 GMT kick-off time, with an 'On This Day' featuring Swiss punks Liliput.
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