Rock / Indie Recommendations June 2012

Review: The excellent Rome based imprint Mannequin join the likes of Downwards and Blackest Ever Black in falling under the spell of Camella Lobo's Tropic Of Cancer project with the stunning Permissions Of Love release. While previous Tropic Of Cancer releases have seen Silent Servant's Juan Mendez take a prominent, almost growling vocal role - "Be Brave" in particular - the three tracks here show it's Lobo who is the driving force of the project as her delicate delivery attempts to escape the grainy wall of sound that has become the Tropic Of Cancer signature. The downtrodden trudge of "The One Left" will morbidly please long term fans of the band, while "Beneath The Light" glowers under the soporific weight of those spectral organ tones, but this record is dominated by the gentle beauty of its final moments. "It's All Come Undone" unfurls with fuzzy edged calm into a dreamy procession of soft edge guitar and echo laden barely audible vocals, leaving you in a heavily opiated state as the track sucks away into the darkness as the runout groove approaches. Limited edition business too!

Review: Psychedelic poster boy Sebastien Tellier drops another long player that sees him exploring cosmic realms with a strong leaning towards balladry. "The Colour Of Your Mind" is a prime cut of slow-mo funk, while the liquid slink of "Sedulous" captures a Balearic kind of M.O.R atmosphere that is right at home in the pantheon of bombastic French pop music. There's more overtly discoid moments to be had too, as well as contemplative acoustic treatments. However everything manages to hold together through producer Mr. Flash's starry-eyed treatment of the content, making for another bold long-player for Tellier.