The Canadian Britcyclers finally get their much-deserved worldwide distribution of the previously self-released Nine Songs album.
This one contains the mentioned nine songs, plus the three bonuses from the mentioned release, and also adding four more, newly recorded tunes. At first, you’ll maybe find yourself wondering what do they mean by “all very hoopla”, but after you hear this album, you’ll know that this is it, very much, whatever that means.
You’ve probably already read about the band’s Beatles reminiscing, but it’s a lot more actually, also recalling some other bands of the time, also borrowing some of the Liverpudlians’ ideas. If you cannot afford the British Nuggets box, this is a perfect starting point, cuz with this CD, you get something that’s close enough to the “sixteez Brit-psych sampler”.
Often, the sound has that noisy, freakbeat vibe of The Creation’s How Does It Feel … so, according to that, it all starts with the mentioned, appropriately titled, All Very Hoopla!, with it’s almost-shoegazing take on the “revolver” sound-shots, followed by the Hendrix guitar-riff of Urban Meanderings, “MOVEin’” through the popsyke verses, right into the more contemporary sound-“oasis” in the chorus.
There’s also an authentic, funny-sounding name in the title of Mr. Laughabee Circus, which was a common thing in the Britpsych concepts, and it sounds just like Syd would’ve sounded “tomorrow”.
The song Floater, with the line that goes “Floating in a dream, in a psychedelic scene…”, creates the ‘Butterflies’ own identity, gathering all the influences into one ultimate “telepathic” item.
The bonuses from Nine Songs are acoustic/cello arrangements that include the great cover of the kaleidoscopic-folk sound of the British troubadour Donovan (Epistle To Dippy), and an imaginary Davies/Bowie collaboration called Yearbook.
As for the extra-reissue- bonuses, A Final Word and Sunshine Radio are classic ’65/’66 Lennonisms that out-Cotton the Mather, Radio Darlings is a bit less quirky Syd-leaden ‘Floyd, and Elixir, starts with an opening that “shapes the things” up, before it starts to “move” towards the freakbeating sound provided by it’s thundering bass line.
Oh, and this may be important to some of you, the CD artwork is the orange/yellow one from Columbia‘s sixties releases so, sit back in your sofa and float away on the telepathic soundscape.
[Released by Rainbow Quartz 2003]
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