Buckle up as we blast off into the sonic stratosphere with the ‘Piccadilly Records Compilation 2019’.
W.H. Lung get things off to a flying start with the existential motorik and art pop perfection of ‘Second Death Of My Face’, a soaring combination of searing synthwork, sophisticated lyrics and propulsive rhythm which segues perfectly into the psychedelic throb and shoegaze shimmer of Lorelle Meets The Obsolete’s ‘Líneas En Hojas’. The tempo settles into a riverbank lilt for the haze of Vanishing Twin’s summertime serenade ‘Magician’s Success’, before coasting through the orchestral beauty of Prefab Sprout’s ‘Sleeping Rough’ and Shana Cleveland’s nuanced acid folk. Closing out the A-side perennial Piccadilly favourites Moon Duo take an arp out of Apta’s book and walk us through the cosmos with the optimistic space disco of ‘Stars Are The Light’.
The spaced out synth tones remain for B-side opener ‘101FM’, a stomping coming of age cut from fierce MC Little Simz, who hands the baton to a lovelorn Cate Le Bon for her swooning ‘Daylight Matters’, a songwriting masterclass if ever I’ve heard one. Our own modular maestro Apta enters the fray next, working the filters for a beatific Balearic rework of Horsebeach’s ‘Trust’, before fellow knob-twiddler Andrew Wasylyk picks a path between Air (French band) and Air (Japanese Ambient imprint) with the evocative and pastoral beauty of ‘Journey To Inchcape’. Continuing the theme of cinematic and serene, Portico Quartet tug at each one of our heartstrings with the immersive electro-acoustic nocturne ‘Gradient’, a perfect precursor to Ghia’s end of night anthem ‘You Won’t Sleep On My Pillow’, a stand out track from the exceptional ‘Proper Sunburn’ compilation.
TRACK LISTING
Side A:
1. W.H. Lung: Second Death Of My Face
2. Lorelle Meets The Obsolete: Líneas En Hojas
3. Vanishing Twin: Magician’s Success
4. Prefab Sprout: Sleeping Rough (Remastered)
5. Shana Cleveland: I’ll Never Know
6. Moon Duo: Stars Are The Light
Side B:
1. Little Simz: 101FM
2. Cate Le Bon: Daylight Matters
3. Horsebeach: Trust (Apta Modular Mix)
4. Andrew Wasylyk: Journey To Inchcape
5. Portico Quartet: Gradient
6. Ghia: You Won’t Sleep On My Pillow