SUPER DISTORTION is the name taken by Pete Bradley, who uses his own studio, plays all his own instruments, and along with his wife, Andrea, runs Pointy Bird Records. This is the sort of one man band effort that I really like to hear. The tag of Super Distortion runs to his compositions of lo-fi fuzz pop and psychedelic jams, and this single firmly falls within this category.
‘Autocue’ is a brilliant track of extreme heavy psychedelia, with a start and finish of dark radio station static, as if the set was not tuned in. Guitar, organ and vocals are all mashed through the fuzz box creating the sort of brilliant noise that you get on tracks like The Fall’s ‘Solicitor in Studio’. The lyrics concerning a beautiful girl who appears on the TV set who issues propaganda: - “She walks and the universe expands. Her thoughts shine like lights in Disneyland/ She talks like a girl from space command, but beware they’re the words of the Man.”
This is excellent and thunders along at a great pace. Besides, who else could come up with the rhyming couplet “Angels are falling down from heaven to bless her/ Her breath smells like an aerosol air freshener”!
|
The other track on this double A side is ‘Super Bug’ a slice of mellower psychedelic guitar pop. The tone of the lyrics is very Syd Barrett, although the subject matter is not: - “Super Bug lives on your skin, biding his time, waiting, to get in.” After other pestilences are mentioned such as Portuguese Man O’ War, floods, quakes and acts of God, Pete then goes on to tell how equilibrium restores itself, leading to vaccines: - “Super Bug mending your cells, floating about, wishing you well.”
Overall, I really enjoyed this and if Pete Bradley continues to turn out songs as clever and tuneful as this, then I think he will become very well known.
Hear both tracks at Bandcamp
Pointy Birds Records online
|
