In the dead of night sounds in a rural environment are resonating singularities, a car in the distance or the farmer calling his herd. In an urban environment it’s a cacophony, a mesh of motorways, trains and factories. Living in either you become accustomed, but to change can take adjusting. To accommodate the increase of clamour, when I first moved from a village to be neighbours with a cheesy nightclub in Swindon, we drained the noise outside with the 1990 KLF album “Chill Out.” Prior to being bound for Mu Mu Land with Tammy Wynette, they created an ambient soundscape which rarely provided a beat. I am reminded of this, and other vague but fond memories while listening to The Hotcakes of Wildfire’s four track EP, Shoes and Acid….
Released last week, Shoes and Acid is the brainchild of Mick Stanger, guitarist for Bradford-on-Avon scrumpy & western outfit The Boot Hill All Stars and presenter of Sounds of the Wilderness on West Wilts Radio, a show where Mick uncovers a variety of experimental locally-sourced tracks. Alongside him are engineers Alex Pilkington and Leo Hossent, Boot Hill and Monkey Bizzle drummer Cerys Brocklehurst, with synths, guitars and vocals by Rat Himself, additional vocals by Holly Taylor and a fiddle from Ruth Behan. A different line-up from the 2022 debut single War of Words, whereby Mick thrashes out a tongue-in-cheek Scrabble war over grinding metal guitars, and a very different sound too; virtually horizontal dancing in places!
If I’m reminded of Chill Out, and stealthily manoeuvring through a jungle of guy-ropes and tent pegs across Glastonbury Festival like a missionary expedition, while The Orb rang out subtle harmonies like the call of the natives in the ether, it’s because I’m of that era. Factually, there’s been meditative and relaxing moods in all genres from classical and jazz to new age whale song or electronic kosmische. The beauty in Shoes and Acid seems to be that these Hotcakes nod to them all, or if not all, at least since the prog-rock of Zeppelin and Floyd, and exhausts them nonchalantly unique and punkish.
It’s a lo-fi soundscape opening with birdsong, but Stubentiger kicks in agreeably backwards like the intro to Electric Ladyland, and rolls out a pungent bass guitar riff akin to Frome’s Ozric Tentacles’ finest hour; it’s at this early moment I figure I’m in for an enjoyable if hypnotic ride; pass my meds. Four extended tracks is all it takes to knock up about forty minutes of expressive outpourings, largely instrumental and influenced by many soothing musical styles. I’m not sure if shoes are a requirement, but acid wouldn’t go a miss, it’s a trip.
Second tune Knocking at the Tree has whimsical female vocals conflicting with devilish male vocals, a drifting prog-folk-rock track wisping and earthy; a Westcountry Clannad with a sprinkle of Hawkwind. But if the prog-rock element continues into the eleven minute beauty, Fever Dream, it becomes very Ozric Tentacles, and like my favourite tune of theirs The Domes of G’Bal, it takes on dub reggae. Being that I’m fascinated by the studio adventures of King Tubby yet irked somewhat with dubstep, I’m most at home here, a contemporary Orb’s Towers of Dub which could convert Lee Anderson into a crusty traveller!
Fever Dream is the summit, an outstanding and epic moment in the album. A final track awaits us, now embedded in a horizontal dream like state imagining fractals forming in the sky. Tardigrades is another eleven-minute sonic exploration, beginning ambient house, Eat Static is expected but it doesn’t venture into trance-techno, rather it builds in layers like Leftfield but takes a space-rock angle with Holly’s vocals in the driving seat after five minutes of swirling spacey soundscape.
A gorgeous finale to a great third eye opening listen, which doesn’t appear to care if you’re coming at it from a Hawkwind or Orb direction. I’m just pleased to know there’s still folk out there producing soothing yet psychedelic ambient music on an astral plane, and this rolls a joint up for you and tucks you into a blissful slumber!
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