Jon Brooks - How to Get To Spring

[shadowplay]

The new Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle, The King of Woolworths, Clesse, Hintermass, The Pattern Forms, Belbury Circle etc) elpee How to Get to Spring is IMO the perfect antidote to Covid confinement fever. It opens a magical door into a secret garden of shimmering springtime and you'll soon find signs of sprouting in the bluebells of your mind.

Tasting notes; Virginia Astley, Boards of Canada, Air (exsanguinated of polonecked irony), Maurice Deebank, 80's Chappell 'Atmospheric' Library Records, The Penguin Café Orchestra (at their most soporific), Durutti Column, July Skies etc.

As usual for Clay Pipe Music Frances Castle has delighted me with another beautiful sleeve design cementing it's position as the most beautifully curated of labels.

Press One


Press Two


They were all sold out at source but i had a quick look and found a pre order up at Bleep, Monorail and Norman and notice of imminent stock on Juno, though these are for the second pressing (pressing one was delayed because Greedbag were closed due to Covid and I only got mine yesterday) and I've decided to get one of these too because I'm a sad completist (I even bought the flipping cassette ).

And this was to be the place where I posted a stream for you to listen to...but alas fuck no and this post is probably now a waste of everybody's time...there isn't one to be found, just a single track and a 30 seconds taster of the title track.

Jon Brooks - Fonn

Jon Brooks - How to Get to Spring (clip)

Anyway that's one and a bit more tracks than I heard when I bought it.

D

[Embenny]

Thanks for posting this. I just listened to the one-and-a-bit songs you posted while drinking a cup of matcha and looking out the window at the snow that's falling (because, Canada). You were absolutely right that it conjures an image of imminent springtime. Exactly what I need right now.

[Larry Mal]

I like it, I'm into it. Thanks.

[shadowplay]

That's nice to hear from both of you. I meant to add there's a digital to buy but I can't tell you how much it costs because I've already redeemed the download card and it just says 'you own this' where the prices should be.

Anyone wanting a deeper read might be interested in ]this transcription of a radio interview I just found via Jon's twitter about How to Get to Spring's inspirations and the coming re-issue of his classic (well classic in my neuk of the woods) Shapwick album.

D

[Larry Mal]

Seven pounds.

Probably like ten dollars or so American, not sure about Canadian... we've got a real international situation here with the three people that listened to this music!

[carron]

Great, a perfectly introspective medicine for the times. Ironically it is a rainy day here in Southern California. I like its sense of escapism.

[NickD]

The Juno was a preorder for the first pressing I think. Anyway, they have it in stock now for anyone who wants to buy - I just did.

[Jaguar018]

They aren't shipping internationally, but I got the download code from Frances after a quick email. She's the best. Quick to respond on Twitter as well.

[shadowplay]

Btw if this a piqued anyone's interest in exploring Clay Pipe this is a good place to start.

Caught By The River has an extract from the chapter on Clay Pipe in Ian Preece’s upcoming book Listening to the Wind: Encounters with 21st Century Independent Record Labels, published next month by Omnibus Press.

As way of an introduction to those who may not have heard the music on Clay Pipe here is a playlist of Clay Pipe releases. Included are unheard tracks from albums due to be released this summer; Gilroy Mere's Adlestrop and David Boulter's Great Yarmouth.


00:00 - Jon Brooks - Please Drive Carefully - From the LP Shapwick
03:57 - Tyneham House - Bletchingly - From the 10" Tyneham House
05:12 - Gilroy Mere - Age of the Train - From the forthcoming LP Adlestrop
10:16 - The Hardy Tree - Looking Down on London - From the LP Through Passages of Time
13:35 - David Boulter - Looking for Trudy - From the forthcoming LP Great Yarmouth
16:51 - Jon Brooks - Fonn - From the LP How to Get to Spring
21:55 - Vic Mars - Last Days of the Great House - From the LP Inner Roads Outer Paths
26:09 - Gilroy Mere - Christ's Hospital - From the forthcoming LP Adlestrop
29:04 - Alison Cotton - House of the Famous Poet (Edit) - From the 10" House of the Famous Poet
32:10 - Retep Folo - Galactic Flare - From the LP Galactic Sounds
34:22 - D Rothon - The Years Fell Away - From the LP Nightscapes
38:41 - Vic Mars - Villages, Hamlets and Fetes - From the LP - The land and the Garden
41:46 - David Boulter - The Milk Bar - From the forthcoming LP Great Yarmouth
43:54 - The Hardy Tree - After the Rain - From the flexi disc/comic book EP Stagdale
46:48 - Plinth - A1 51°43'.23 N 05°40'.10 W - From the LP Music for Smalls Lighthouse

The Beginners Guide to Clay Pipe Music (stream on Mixcloud)

D

[Telliot]

I dig Jon Brooks’ stuff. Some of it reminds me of the b-side of David Sylvian’s Gone to Earth, without the mystic spin. The Clay Pipe Music YouTube channel has some nice videos for some of their artists, very graphic and soothing. I particularly like the one for Brooks’ Pond i. It’s hard to tell if these are officially done by the artists, or commissioned by CPM. David, do you know the answer to this? I ask because there are similarly styled videos labeled Stagdale and Flocc on their page that seem like promotional material.

[OffYourFace]

That Fonn song sounds incredible through my home studio monitors. Thanks for sharing David!

[antisymmetric]

^Fonn is also sounding lovely through my freshly re-capped '80s Pioneer amp.

Thanks for sharing!

[shadowplay]

I dig Jon Brooks’ stuff. Some of it reminds me of the b-side of David Sylvian’s Gone to Earth, without the mystic spin. The Clay Pipe Music YouTube channel has some nice videos for some of their artists, very graphic and soothing. I particularly like the one for Brooks’ Pond i. It’s hard to tell if these are officially done by the artists, or commissioned by CPM. David, do you know the answer to this? I ask because there are similarly styled videos labeled Stagdale and Flocc on their page that seem like promotional material.

I’m pretty sure Frances Castle does them herself, at least I think I remember reading it.

Consider me happy OSG folk seem to be into this, I think Jon is a real talent and i can’t wait for the next Advisory Circle elpee.

D

[shadowplay]

I dig Jon Brooks’ stuff. Some of it reminds me of the b-side of David Sylvian’s Gone to Earth, without the mystic spin.

Funnily as a side step from that I’ve always felt that Japan’s The Width of Room (on the Gentlemen Tke Polaroids 12”) is like an Advisory Circle track.

D

[Tafarel]

Sorry, late to the game as always. This is great stuff. Thank you for bringing it to my notice.

I appreciate the fact that their website allows one to download WAV files.