Fermentation

Followers of northern English underground sounds may be interested to find another psychedelic offering featuring a shahi bajaa – an electrified variant of the Indian bulbul tarang zither – as popularised by Mick Flower of Leeds collective Vibracathedral Orchestra in his duo with drummer Chris Corsano. But, while Flower generally favours ecstatic abandon, this missive from Todmorden resident Jake Blanchard is a more meditative affair. An ersatz Oriental air hangs over the album as Blanchard sets up implacable, strummed riffs with a hint of mystery, over which he layers flanged melodies, scorched solos, trippy backwards flickers and piercing stylophone drones, all borne along by clopping hand drums. It’s a simple idea, executed neatly and to hypnotic effect. If the primary mood is a kind of imaginary Indian cyber-folk music, a couple of tracks bring to mind Erkin Koray’s 1970s update of the Anatolian folk-dance tradition, filtered through a Yorkshire-grown DIY aesthetic. Pretty intriguing.