The Luck of Eden Hall's Gregory Curvey has been whipping up second helpings of delicious and aurally nutritious Custard flux in way of a further album. He's left some on a spoon cooling for us to have a taste...and it's bloody good stuff! I thoroughly enjoyed last years first helping of Custard Flux, the fabulous '
Helium', and so was overjoyed to hear there'd be seconds (here's my
review of Helium). The taster track's '
America'. 'Freedom and democracy, a place to raise a family, America' goes the chorus, although sounding like a celebration of the American dream, there's irony at play here which is confirmed by the following line 'a capitalist fantasy, insatiable reality, America'. It may also have a lovely perky upbeat melody to it, though it also has a hint of a melancholy running through it, and maybe an element of gentle sarcasm in Curvey's lyrical delivery too, which along with the lyrics themselves speak of a dream turning or turned sour...America. Wonderful and well observed, it's a beautiful sounding track too. If this is representative then, man, Custard Flux's forthcoming album release is going to be something else. If you don't know Gregory Curvey's work, firstly, you're missing out, and secondly, he's a writer and musician of enormous talent, proficient on many instruments and musically eloquent, he has an eye for detail and is a master of creative alchemy. As is customary with Gregory's sound it's wonderfully rich and resonant with fantastic flourishes, in short he's a purveyor of contemporary psychedelia at it's very best. And, this is an example of it. If I were a fish and this were bait, then I've taken it hook, line and sinker, just reel me in. Go on, give it a listen.
