The 2kDozen 500: #253 - Th' Faith Healers, "Imaginary Friend"

A bit more Peel - after all the Fairport Convention albums. I liked these guys. Seen them a couple of times. They fair rattle along, drums clattering and bass being pulled at manfully. "Heart Fog" takes a bit longer to get going but the sweaty Camden Lurch velocity is achieved before too long. The laidback female vocals and the space between the lines of music suggest The Breeders' first album "Pod", one of my favourite albums going.

"See-Saw" is more of the same: blunt, fuzzy bass and an all-round fuzzy sound as though it was all recorded in a living room somewhere. Sounds like the Dr Who theme tune as it chugs towards the endgame. There is no nonsense and again I find myself not missing any nonsense. There is a kind of magic in the music; it's powerfully simple. It's even called "Kevin" for the sympathetic love of Mike! I get the idea of a sitcom about an irrepressible kid and the scrapes he gets himself into: "I'll help you, I'll help you/No need to crawl about."

They sound a bit like a missing link between Sonic Youth and Stereolab on "The People"; this would be a very welcome retroactive development. Is this pub indie: the Dr Feelgood of alternative rock? I like those early Nineties, a lot of good stuff was wondering about. There's some birdsong on "Curly Lips" which is freaking me a little at this late hour.

Then "Everything, All At Once Forever" sees us off. Same grumpy bassline, some more abrasive guitar and barely audible vocals thoroughly tangled in the weft of the music. For twelve minutes this goes on. And then it stops.

Rating: Scuzzy Magic out of No Nonsense