It appears that a whole month has gone by. Here are a few notable things that have cheered me up and cheered me on in recent weeks.
What's that, you say? The splendid Dark Outside label is releasing BLACK ARROW and ETHER/ORBIT together on a special dual colour cassette?
That's right! Tapes will be limited to 100 copies, so make sure you set your alarm for launch and bookmark on Bandcamp ready for blast off tomorrow, Friday 14th January, at 6pm (Greenwich/Galloway Mean Time). You can also get an additional nudge via the mailing list, which is a good idea, as they often sell out quickly.
I've been sending demos and oddities to The Dark Outside broadcasts for a number of years now and I always look forward to listening and taking part, so this is a really wonderful way to commemorate that. A little bird (possibly near a transmitter) told me that The Dark Outside celebrates its 10th birthday this year as well, so if you're partial to generating or absorbing noise, field recordings and music of a dreamlike nature, then keep a look out for a possible broadcast later in the year.
Speaking of commemorating things, BLACK ARROW made an appearance on this list of Stewart Lee's Cultural Year, commemorating a year of things listened to on a music-specific physical device. Good stuff. Keeping the turntable warm.
Well, back to it. These synth won't play themselves! Or will they? MIDI is a magical thing.
P. S. The thumbnail image of Angela Lansbury holding a cassette was found via the very enjoyable Museum Of Portable Sound page.
From High Down to Huygens, it's been exciting (not to mention a nice surprise) to see the new collaboration between Electronic Sound magazine and globe-spanning field recording project Cities and Memory. The new issue features an interview with Cities and Memory founder, Stuart Fowkes, along with a few picks from previous releases and I'm really pleased to say that Huygens is one of them (along with the original sound source for additional context)! The bundle edition comes with an excellent double CD compilation too.
You can pick up a copy here, via Bleep, Magalleria, Norman Records and Underground Solu'shn or read more over at the Cities and Memory website.
When everything has felt firmly glued to the spot (and the sofa at certain points), I'd like to say thank you to everyone who joined me for a trip into space, with a special nod to Wavegirl, Simon and The Joint radio show (already well into 2021) for their kind end-of-year words and airplay. It's been really lovely and encouraging to read.
Best EP of 2020:
— Simon Pott (@isinvisible) December 31, 2020
Roberta Fidora - Black Arrow
This is a work of stunning beauty from beginning to end, coupled with the artwork... wow!
I really can't wait to see what Roberta has in store for next year. pic.twitter.com/Nkjqt908vM
I'll conclude by saying that this year has been akin to digital mudlarking; trying to find little curiosities or pieces of treasure buried within something that looks pretty grim. Here are two such treasures I've enjoyed reading this year. One from the beacon that is The Creative Independent and the other from Huck Magazine, interviewing Ian MacKaye. Wishing you a Happy/Better New Year.
No boiled eggs or turkeys here. The Delia and Wendy-inspired Retrophonica (which includes my track Like Clockwork) is number 10 in Electronic Sound's top compilations of the year! Brian Eno's on there too, which is nice.
In case you missed it (or I did), I was delighted to talk to the audio production platform SoundGym about budgie heads, flamingos and also non-bird-related matters, like how I like to work through songs and recounting my time imitating PJ Harvey at college. The bird is the word (and also a bit of a nerd) here.
Great to see The Wire Magazine and a closer listen digging in to the Cities & Memory #SpaceIsThePlace project. If you’d like to do the same, you can listen via Bandcamp.
Exciting to see the Cities & Memory #SpaceIsThePlace project receiving support from The Guardian, The Quietus, Bluedot Festival and even the European Space Agency. The long-running field recording project brought together artists from all over the world to rework sounds from space in celebration of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and I contributed a track called ‘Huygens’ which uses an alien weather signal as its foundation.
The picture above is a small disc that was left behind from the Apollo 11 mission to the moon containing messages and sounds of goodwill from Earth. It has a fascinating story which you can read about here.
With conversations forming around algorithmic bias and the skewed payment models of larger streaming services, what viable alternatives are on offer for musicians and listeners?
Journalist and filmmaker Hazel Sheffield explores one such option, Resonate, which also includes a few of my thoughts on sustainability, streaming and inviting audiences to participate, rather than consume. Read it via The Independent.
I've just seen that it's National Pet Day, which is a great day to be a good boy.
Milo the chihuahua features in the new video for ‘The Stars, Like Dust’ and The Most Radicalist wrote an excellent little review for an excellent little dog.
Really enjoyed talking to @styleofsound about the nature of silence, horror synths and a few of my favourite Isle of Wight haunts. Have a read.
Thanks to @yesnomusic for letting me blast off about nostalgia gone awry in the night sky.
Eye/I can name that tuna in one! It's The Stars, Like Dust, rounded up among this week's music video picks from The Devil Has The Best Tuna.
Beaming more "ominous organs" and sombre space dust out of your screen, thanks to Fifteen.Gallery.
Those stars at DOPECAUSEWESAID have made The Stars, Like Dust their video of the week and I'm over the moon! ⭐
Galactic gratitude to Mark from Electronic North for this astronomically good review of The Stars, Like Dust. Still taken by @zomtographer.
Thanks to Eleanor from One More Open Heart music blog for getting lost in space with us. Read what she had to say about new video The Stars, Like Dust here.
Well, Dr. Dog is pleased as a puppet to be a super world indie dog. Read what SWIT had to say about his mission into space.
A giant star-sized thanks to Breaking More Waves blog for waxing lyrical on waxing moons and ambient antimatter. Nice mention of The Dark Outside too.
Read it here.
Above is one of the original album cover ideas for Gilded Cage by photographer and visual collaborator @zomtographer after a day spent building, cladding and furnishing a retro living room set, long before pink carpets and orange curtains became the dominant decor.
On the subject of which, I recently answered a few questions for the brilliant We Are Cult about small town peculiarities on film and wood cladding. Those with strong opinions on tombstones and ugly crying are also in for a treat. ⚰️
Waving off 2017 with the album faves of Breaking More Waves. A sea of thanks to Robin for placing Gilded Cage at number 15 and sea/see you in 2018.
As well as being a super world indie tune, ’In Your Neighbourhood’ has made Dope Cause We Said’s end of year playlist! Go here to lend it your ears.
Nice picture of a building found on this person’s Twitter.
I spoke to the wonderful We Are Cult about confidence, Blancmange, grunting and, err, metal detectors. Read the full interview here.
For desert island doom, Simpsons characters as musical references and a sad tale about my dashed hopes of becoming a sign painter, head over to More Than The Music to read the questions that I answered for their Fast Five feature.
The picture is from Flashbak. It’s like looking in a mirror.
Way up in the digital sky, a puppet band, a watchful eye.
Watch ‘In Your Neighbourhood’ on HighClouds now.