Eric Chenaux ‘warm weather’ (eatsleeprepeat). Not strictly out for a month or so but all the same deserving of a heads up this release features two suites by the highly regarded Eric Chenaux, part of the much admired Constellation set Chenaux is something of a workaholic with a recording CV stretching back some two decades, having cut his teeth on the post rock underground with Phleg Camp - recent years have seen him expanding his sonic repertoire to incorporate lounge jazz and fried improv (think I’m right in saying that both nightjars and the reveries have been mentioned in some form or other in previous despatches), often compared with the late Derek Bailey in terms of his improvisation prowess, it’d be more true to true to say that Chenaux is a purist of the bruised ballad with the emphasis on melody being given centre of attention - his compositions creak with a strangely off set passion, spectral and seemingly threadbare they are endowed by an archaic alchemy that’s both lilting and haunting (we suggest you head without further delay to his my space page at

Yellow6 ‘merry 6mas - 2009’ (editions6). Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the sounds of Yellow 6 filtering around our head space, since 1998 or was 1999 these annual melodic Christmas cards have ventured through our letterbox and straight onto the hi-fi and in turn have become as obligatory as the festive roasted ham, tinsel and Morecambe and wise re-runs around our gaff. Initially cobbled together by way of a thanks to various people who’ve somehow helped, harassed and hindered him in some small way throughout the previous 12 months in recent years limited runs have been made available to the greater public at large. This particular volume we believe comes as a pressing of 150. Markedly different from previous issues in three respects - firstly a new label - erditions6 which I’m assuming is Mr Atwood’s own imprint, secondly the faux Crass sleeve - a nod to Jon’s teeth cutting musical past as a member of Hagar the Womb and thirdly the actual content which on this occasion features music specially written and recorded (though ultimately not used) for a forthcoming short film by Norwegian director Niclaz Erlingmark entitled ’9732’ (which should see the light of day sometime early next year). Nine tracks feature within, a treasure trove of lights lowered mood music that includes a re-draft of an old Y6 nugget ‘telescope peak‘ which first appeared on his ‘music for pleasure‘ set from 2001. A collection both thoughtful and tempered with a degree of melancholia, Atwood has proved time and time again his prowess at carving out the cavernous and the Cathedral-esque, these hurtful honeys are presented as measured and painstakingly intricate sonic sculptures, gracefully cinematic and eloquently toned each wallows and woos in equal measure shedding elements of the tender and the tearful, its restrained and reverent, perpetually poised between the monumental and the elegiac. These drifting dream coats glide to plot similar afterglow trajectories as godspeed and Gnac, looping corteges carve a serene melodic navigation that‘s subtle in its sensuality and captivating in their caress - all the time drawing the listener subdued into their unfurling solace - from the parched beauty of ‘9732 #2’ with its head bowed resigned and introspective bruising to the trembling twinkle of ‘9732 #3’ with its Fahey like pared down resonance as though relocated to the arid sunburnt landscapes of a Leone calm before the storm finale. To his palette he utilises the hollowing timbres, the pauses, the momentary lulls of silence, the pensive tension traits and the reverb opines to full effect with all playing their part to colouring Atwood’s aural portrait - none more does this touch such than on ’light #1’ whereupon from its sparsely woven initial greeting something shy emerges to thaw and blossom momentarily before timidly retiring into the shadows. All said it’s the parting ’dead voice’ that sealed the deal for us edging as it does ever so delicately in to terrains more commonly countered by Roy Montgomery and the late 80’s NZ noise / ethereal set.

Yellow6 also appears on a specially selected double disc compilation being put out by Silber entitled ’a cold slow Xmas’ - the set available as a free download via

The Hush Now ’wishing you a happy Christmas’ (self released). Having already graced our listening space with the exquisitely sugar toned perfect pop shimmy of their debut ’hoping and waiting’ - (a record which we must admit we had to do a double take with thinking it was a prime time slab of ‘Ash and Earth’ era Velvet Crush) - Boston‘s finest herald the holiday season with something rather special and desirably nuzzling. Available as a free download via

Head over immediately to

Machinefabriek ‘slovensko’ (eatsleeprepeat). A few weeks ago we received a mysterious red and white calling card - upon it our address and contact details on one side and over on the flip an email address simply stated as

Reading wise - a present we have our noses stuck in several books mentions of which you should find littered throughout no doubt with frequent annoyance in these very pages. However the one that is proving to be the most satisfying so far by some distance is Mick Middles tome ‘the Fall’. admittedly its been out for a fair while (this being the recently updated version) and ordinarily we’d have snapped this up on sight - however - so disappointed were we with Mark E Smith’s painfully erratic and inconsistent (ghost written) ‘renegade’ publication (also first published early this year) that we passed over this book in a defiant fit - shall we say - of pique. Picked up on a recent visit to our local Borders - unhappily in its death throes and something which we must admit has troubled us of late not since because we used to love this particular shop mainly for its friendliness and wide selection of imported music magazines - the likes of which will now no doubt disappear given that WH Smith’s - the obvious beneficiaries of Borders demise - will continue their drab display of magazine distribution. Anyway enough grumbling - and as said currently our favourite page turning obsession ’the fall’ sees long time friend and fan Middles stirring Smith in coherent direction and crafting for once with wit, intelligence and personal recollection an absorbing read that refreshingly comes across like a Fall book that doesn’t try to preach to you what the Fall are about, or mean or ram down your throat some ill-gotten and misunderstood pseudo socio political thesis written by some over zealous wordsmith whose obviously missed the whole point from the start. As Smith is at pains to point out the Fall are pure and simply a by product of his ’instinct’ and one would imagine whim - it’s a rare and priceless quality and something that the late John Peel grasped when he remarked of the them ’always different, always the same’. published by omnibus press.

Here’s a little moving picture action of Smith and Co doing the Big Bopper’s ‘White lightning’….