Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

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Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:04 am

I've not posted many albums recently but I'll give this one a go because it's truly superb and deserves to be heard.
Soundway Records wrote:Formed in 2015, Vanishing Twin came together to make an exploratory record that marries oblique English pop with a palette of arkestral sounds. Having previously released a string of conceptual cassettes under the name Orlando, founder Cathy Lucas named the group after her vanishing twin, an identical sister absorbed in utero, when they were both still a cluster of cells.

Enlisting the help of producer Malcolm Catto (Heliocentrics, DJ Shadow, The Gaslamp Killer) the band began work at his London studio, Quatermass Sound Lab, last spring. Recording the basis for eight tracks, they blended structure and improvisation in pop songs that describe a personal mythology through the adventures of Lucas’ vanished twin. Drawing on sounds outside of the usual pop vocabulary, the group used forgotten drum machines, home-made electronics, vibraphones, tablas, and harp to invoke the esoteric psychedelia of lost soundtracks, radiophonic experiments and minimal music orchestras. In a studio that Catto built for maximum atmosphere and minimum interfere, and crammed with obscure vintage equipment, he brought his own distinctive sonics to the table, informed by outsider jazz, Italian library music and ethnographic field recordings.

The band has previously been championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson and the Quietus. They played widely in 2015 presenting an immersive show that is equal parts crafted sound and improvised delirium. Vanishing Twin is made up of singer Cathy Lucas (Innerspace Orchestra), drummer Valentina Magaletti (Raime, Tomaga, Uuuu, Neon Neon), bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin, Floating Points), library music head Phil M.F.U. (Man From Uranus, Broadcast) on strange sounds, and film maker and visual artist Elliott Arndt on flute and percussion.
At it's heart it's delicious and beautifully sung tropical retro futurist pop but the real genius is how they manage to laminate this with incredible ensemble playing, lush Arkestral twists and turns, luminous Radiophonics, a fine net cast over 60' 's and early 70's Italian scores and library music,fortifying it with a teaspoon of Don Cherry, a jigger of Brazilia, a pin prick of Sheila Chandra and a delicious sense of swing.

Cathy Lucas has such a great voice; cool, creamy, peppermint but the real excitement here comes from the ensemble play and the fantastic arrangements.

If you like Broadcast, The United States of America, Stereolab, The Soundcarriers, Le Super Homard, Wendy and Bonnie, Jane Weaver, High Llamas, and the Ghost Box regions, you'll love this and perhaps you'll love it even if you don't like them.

Youtube Stream; Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Bandcamp; Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Order direct; Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Or stroke your toad to this video Vanishing Twin - Vanishing Twin Syndrome (Official Video)

notes; the drumming on this record is exceptional and it's worth checking out Valentina Magaletti work with her group Tomaga, as well as her drumming with the likes of Raime, Moin and The Oscillation.

The producer drums and produces in The Heliocentric's who I also really like.

Image

:-*

D
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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by FrankRay » Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:34 am

All you have to do is mention the united states of america and i'm in.... sounds great. Nice sleeve, too.
First songs sounds more than a bit like sweetness and light by lush, by chance or design. Which is also cool, imo.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:38 am

FrankRay wrote:All you have to do is mention the united states of america and i'm in.... sounds great. Nice sleeve, too.
First songs sounds more than a bit like sweetness and light by lush, by chance or design. Which is also cool, imo.
When I first put the first song on it reminded me of Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by Jaguar018 » Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:36 am

Listening now. 8)

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by Slow-Pop » Tue Oct 04, 2016 12:40 pm

I'm on board with this record, it's been in the rotation since receiving it a couple weeks ago. Like you noted, the influences are there, but it's such a well put together record that it feels like canon.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Wed Oct 05, 2016 12:11 am

Slow-Pop wrote:I'm on board with this record, it's been in the rotation since receiving it a couple weeks ago. Like you noted, the influences are there, but it's such a well put together record that it feels like canon.
Perfectly put, I've only had mine for a few days since it was left at the post office while we were away but I love this record, they just nailed it. I had expectations based on the Orlando cassettes but this seems on a different level.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Sat Oct 08, 2016 3:56 am

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by panoramic » Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:38 am

really into this one dude, nice
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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:40 am

Btw I probably mentioned That Vanishing Twin previously traded as Orlando, I've certainly mentioned the two Orlando cassettes on Ramtapes and one of them has now been given a Vinyl release. It's a split with the really rather wonderful Tomaga who feature Orlando and Vanishing Twin drummer Valentina Magaletti and who put out a really great album this year called The Shape of the Dancerwhich I recommend highly and also drummed on the Raime elpee.

So; Abst02 - ORLANDO / TOMAGA "Playtime: Music For Videogames" Lp Juno also have it but it's dearer, though I've not checked how the post works so it might be cheaper for UK people and you might not get a DL with it. Mine isn't here yet so I can't tell you.

EDIT; no card if bought from a shop.

If you just want the digital (and don't want to pay 1000e :P , you can buy it here.

cool live video of the lead track; Theme for a Telepathic Amphibian

D
Last edited by shadowplay on Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by mijmog » Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:10 am

Vanishing Twin are bloody amazing, for once a genuine use of the term "psych". Been listening to them non-stop recently. I always wanted the Soundcarriers to be weirder and harder and this is the record that does.

Isn't there a former member of Zongamin amongst there lineup too? I miss them.

Nice to see some love on here.

Edit: re-read the OP, Zongamin has been mentioned already

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:59 am

mijmog wrote:Vanishing Twin are bloody amazing, for once a genuine use of the term "psych". Been listening to them non-stop recently.
Aye that's a brilliant record, that just seems to get 'it'. There's a lot of bluffers giving the the retrofuturist psyche thing a go but few hit the mark so hard. They seem excellent musicians while not feeling any great need to show it off all the time.

You might like Lake Ruth, though they are more a soundtrack for driving your spirit Giulietta spider down the Route Napoleon.

This is a great wee seven inch; The Inconsolable Jean​-​Claude I imagine folk who like Jacco Gardner might be into this.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by mezcalhead » Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:34 am

Just now hearing some of the links from the original post for the first time .. what great stuff! I'm always looking for more music to throw down that Mars Audiac Quintet-shaped hole in my life.
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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by dinkytown » Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:06 am

Def one of my favorites from the year. Beyond Stereolab and Shadowplay's references, this makes me think strongly of Moonshake and Pram, which is a very good thing.

The label, Soundway, is can't miss for pretty much everything they put out. Their Cumbia comps are fantastic, and the Ondatropica stuff is a great update on that sound.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:24 am

^^^

Pram is a good shout, Eggs is quite like something off The Moving Frontier and the title track's scampering rhythm is quite Pram.

I'd love a new Pram album.

Btw Cathy's Innerspace Orchestra cover of Manfred Mann is with Tom Furse pretty good; Innerspace Orchestra - One Way Glass.

They also did a really good Shirley Collins cover on Shirley Inspired comp, possibly the best thing on it. Orlando and Tom Furse - My False True Love.

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Re: Vanishing Twin - Choose Your Own Adventure

Post by shadowplay » Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:16 am

mijmog wrote:Vanishing Twin are bloody amazing, for once a genuine use of the term "psych". Been listening to them non-stop recently.
Million Dollar Mermaid off the dream by numbers EP is picture perfect rose and cardamom scented psyche. Fully mystic magick, that makes most folk waving the psyche flag look about as psychedelic as Adele.

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