Lucky Dragons - Dream Island Laughing Language
Goa - 3
Whereas I fear that Lucky Dragons will never quite achieve the same magic as on the wonderful Dark Falcon, one of my all time favourite albums, admittedly it will never go head to head with OK Computer or be a record collection must for the masses of mankind, it is an undeniably lovely album, snippets of lost conversations, fireworks and basic electronic, I can’t recommend it highly enough, with Dream Island Laughing Language the Lucky Dragons have come somewhere close to the perfection of Dark Falcon. For me it is too long, but I don’t think any of their albums are intended to be sat down and listened to in their entirety, some songs would stand a chance of making their way onto Dark Falcon, others exceed the quality of that and show a more tribal feel to the dragons sound, especially on highlight Givers, a wondrous almost acapella take on the one good song from Four Tet’s Everything Ecstatic disappointment of an album
. I Keep Waiting For Earthquakes & Typical Hippies follow a similar formula, electronica carved out of the most unlikely of “instruments” with lovely results.
On a similar note the album 3 by Goa is necessary of your attention. If you don’t have the patience for Lucky Dragons then Goa’s immediate Tribal Pop may be just what you’re looking for. A glorious mix of Deerhoof shipwrecked and taken captive by Erase Errata. The album draws you in with immediate 3 minute songs before it really treats you with the exceptional Fils de Lumière, a sister to the above mentioned Lucky Dragons track Givers, via Au Dessus des Nuages & 5AM Eternal, as the island moves into the night and the party begins. All this would be fairly at home on DFA given the right setting.
Lucky Dragons - I Keep Waiting For Earthquakes MP3
Growing – Vision Swim
All of the above has reminded me of the brilliance of Growing’s Vision Swim album, filter swathes of electrical current washing up and down the inside of your ear like the gently lapping waves on a deserted beach at sunrise.
Breathe Owl Breathe – Ghost Glacier EP
A lovely little EP that at its laziest is reminiscent of Bill Callahan at his most accessible, lovely country duets and a sense of humour. Sabertooth Tiger is one of my favourite tracks of late, tongue in cheek and instantly memorable. Window playful and delightful as it is fleeting. Occasional flickers of the Magnetic Fields, regular flickers of genius.
The School – Let It Slip EP 
I’ll have to admit that the School EP fell through my letterbox on probably the worst weekend of my summer, one that would make me want to listen to miserable melancholic self pitying post rock for an indefinite period of time. Alas I paid this gem of an EP little to no attention until just recently, and how I regret that, this is just the kind of upbuilding 60’s, motown drenched, handclapping, footstomping, happy go lucky pop I really needed. It draws its influence from a different part of the 60’s than Liz’s other band, The Loves, there’s no garage fuzz, instead girl group, reverb infested, upbeat songs as bouncy and smiley as the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players fronted by Kenickie. A summer essential.
