Anton Barbeau - Dogstar / Queen of Eyes 7"

 Fruits de Mer Records (winkle 51)

I bet most readers know my pal and Astral Magic collaborator Anton Barbeau by now. Anton seems to live about  equal amounts of time in Berlin and California and why not. He's almost as productive as I am with several albums a year released. His latest single has a new original "Dogstar" on side A. This is a great, hard rocking glam rock stomper that brings to mind Marc Bolan, in a good way. One of Anton's biggest heros, along with Syd Barrett, David Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Julian Cope and lots of others, I suspect. Things don't stop here, since somehow, Anton managed to get Barry "The Fish" Melton (Country Joe McDonald and the Fish) to play some loud lead guitar through his custom-built Mesa Boogie! Very impressive. This song really works. For the B side, Ant chose a more atmospheric and melodic cover by Robyn Hitchcock called "Queen of Eyes". Wonderful! This single is also limited to just 300 copies so hurry up if you want one and I think you should.

www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/dogstar.html 

www.antonbarbeau.com 

 

The Sand Pebbles - Sometimes A Great Notion / Desire Lines 7"

 Fruits de Mer Records (winkle 53)

The Sand Pebbles form Australia are one of those bands that I have to thank Fruits de Mer Records to even know about. They have been around for over 20 years and released seven albums. This new single is limited to just 300 copies which is sort of sad since it has hit potential. The three-minute A side "Sometimes a Great Notion" brings to mind The Who or something similar, a 60s vibe but with a bit more modern sound, though. The violin gives a nice extra mood. I must say I still prefer the B side taken from the previous album, though. "Desire Lines" starts off like a perfect Neu mash-up in a very motorik manner. Amazing! The vocals are quite low in the mix. There's a great break in the hypnotic beat and then they go again. Lovely little release!

www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/pebbles.html

www.facebook.com/thesandpebbles/ 

nick nicely - Mike Hall Is Calling 7"

 Fruits de Mer Records (winkle 52)

Yes! The big underground psych pop hero from the 80s, Nick is back! A brand-new limited edition 7" single is out now. Only 300 made on black vinyl! I've been a huge admirer of nick nicely for decades so it is always a big thing for me.

"Mike Hall Is Calling" is a hazy, beautiful, melodic and psychedelic song that only Nick knows how to produce. It is adventurous but pretty easy to digest in a same time. Lushful orchestration, dreamy vocals and clever sound manipulation , it's all there. What a marvellous piece! On B side, things get a lot more experimental and wild with "Wonderful Day", what the hell just happened? There's even some free jazz vibes in there, totally trippy stuff. Another excellent nick nicely single, just get it!

www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/mikehall.html

nicknicely1.bandcamp.com/music