Into Music Review: Even More New Music October 2024
Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we will begin. Into Creative are back with our third instalment this month alone of tip top tuneage so have a read through and listen to these great albums and songs by amazing artists…
Artist: Ian Donaldson
Album: Dreams From Tenement Land
Label: Last Night From Glasgow
Ian Donaldson was one of Scotland’s first-wave punks with his band Skroo, formed in the very earliest days of 1977. Those credentials would follow on to his next band H2O, who would achieve chart success with the extremely classy I Dream To Sleep. That single’s top 20 placing is no surprise as it was (and still is) a wonderful, dark and moody highlight upon release in 1983 and one that David Bowie himself would have been proud to put out at that time. The song’s centrepiece was its powerful yet understated vocals (Alan Horne and Paul Quinn must have been listening) and it is that same, rich voice which elevate the new album, Dreams From Tenement Land. It is also worth mentioning the importance of both of those earlier bands as this is a biographical work which explores much of Donaldson’s musical experiences growing up in Glasgow.
This is a far rockier affair than H2O but contains much of the same dark Glam influence of early Lou Reed and Bowie. At times it veers into elements of The Doors (the extended and wonderful Whose Heaven), Scott Walker, The Ramones and even the moody electro of Songs of Faith and Devotion era Depeche Mode, with nods to Kraftwerk. Dreams From Tenement Land is not just romantic doom however; at its heart it is about the experience of youthful highs and lows, so understandably also explores the joyful teen-pop of early T-Rex and The Sweet.
Don’t be fooled though, it’s not mere nostalgia, fundamentally this album is underpinned by well crafted, evocative pop writing and it’s this, alongside the fantastic voice which make for an incredibly strong work rather than any homage to the past.
To order the album, head to the LNFG website here.
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Artist: Marco Rossi
Album: Since Returning From The Moon
Label: Last Night From Glasgow
This release from Marco Rossi is a wondrous gift for people interested in any of the following descriptions of late 60s into late 70s pop: ‘clever’, ‘eccentric’, ‘complex’ and ‘melodic’. In many instances, all four descriptions are applicable to just a single track on this album.
Imagine finding the most amazing private-press psych/early prog LP hidden away for decades at the back of a junk-shop, the type which would now be labelled a lost masterpiece and command a four figure sum and be discussed feverishly on internet forums. Well, this is exactly like finding such a gem. The breadth of creativity is quite staggering throughout, from pastoral toy-town psych pop to intricately refined arrangements, textures and unusual but smart time-signatures.
The songwriting is fantastic and the playing, especially the fine guitar work, is suitably uber-cool, unique and wondrous. If you’re a fan of extremely rare late 60s UK underground pop, psych and prog, with a healthy dose of smart post-punk then do yourself a favour and listen to this astonishing record.
Into Creative caught up with Marco to ask how the album came about:
Marco Rossi: In every sense, it was something I needed to write and record to protect my own sanity in the face of Br*xit and every other manifestation of the government’s ugliness, criminality and cynicism, allied to the fact that there was never any punishment for their misdeeds and utterances… instead of which people were waving their little flags in approval. Every single day, the mean-spirited irrationality of all this genuinely made me feel as though I was losing my moorings, so writing the songs was a cathartic exorcism. Recording them, meanwhile, gave me something to do instead of obsessively doomscrolling.The other unofficial theme of it is missing Scotland, basically: particularly the Scotland I can’t return to because it isn’t there anymore. Some people have gone, some places have gone. it’s always in my heart, though, so it’s full of either covert or very specific references to those people and places. There isn’t a single line on the whole album that I can’t account for, nothing is there just because it’s an expedient rhyme, and I’ve never experienced that before.
To order the album, head to the LNFG website here.
Grant McPhee
@GrantMcPheeFilm
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