The Belbury Tales and Radio Belbury Programme 8

The Belbury Tales is finally here on Vinyl, CD and download, with sumptuous Julian House designed packaging and sleeve fiction by Electric Eden author Rob Young. Vinyl cutomers to the Ghost Box shop (only) get a free download version. If you've not already seen it here's a video for the track Summer Round, and you'll find more album art, info and clips here.

(By the way if you'd like to see or download more Ghost Box flyers like the one above they're here.)

To mark the release there's a new Radio Belbury programme which features another Belbury Tales album track along with Francis Monkman, Spacedog, Fingerbobs and Black Sabbath.

Dieter Rams Reconstructions

Jon Brook's and Pye Corner audio put the trusty old alarm clock through its paces yet again on a new download single, available from Cafe Kaput.

The Seasons on Trunk

A very exciting new release on Trunk this week, its The Seasons by the BBC Radiophonic workshop's David Cain and poet Ronald Duncan.

Trunk says: "Originally made as part of the BBC’s Drama Workshop broadcasts, this album was meant for educational purposes. Coming in the later period of what is commonly known and remembered as “Music and Movement” or “Movement and Mime Classes”, the album was issued briefly as a teaching aid for the modern thinking 1960s classroom. The idea was to play the album and get the school children to dance, improvise, think and create to the sounds and words."

David Cain

The original is now worth around £200 and probably one of my luckiest ever charity shop finds a few years back.(In your face Sue Ryder ! ). Its an album that's very much part of the DNA of Ghost Box; the perfect example of the spooked educational media we  reverence and reference so often. A few familiar sounds here to BBC RW aficionados, with much more besides. There's a disitnct folksy / early music feel with Ronald Duncan's icy, not quite child friendly poetry running throughout.

A long time in the making for Jonny Trunk, this one but lavishly kitted out with photos of the original slides made to accompany the record, notes by Mr. Trunk, Jon Brooks and an interview with a surprisingly curmudgeonly David Cain by Julian House. This one definitely will be on the exams so make sure you get a copy. Vinyl and CD in the Trunk shop now or through the usual iffy channels for those of you on the Trunk mailing list.

Ghost Box in The Wire's Invisible Jukebox feature

Julian House and I were recently invited to take part in Wire's very own version of Name that Tune. We consistently failed to "name the tune" - but had a very nice chat to Rob Young anyway. Its in issue 337 (with the mighty Earth on the front cover) in shops now-ish.

We give the Wire photographer our best "like you've just seen a ghost."



Summer Round Video

This is an excerpt from Julian House's film New Summer Wavelengths. The track Summer Round is taken from the new Belbury Poly album The Belbury Tales.

FACT Magazine Mix and Chat

Kiran and Tim from FACT magazine dropped in to the vicarage the other day for a chat and a pot of tea and left with some valuable spiritual guidance, several pamphlets, and this Mix...

Belbury Poly's mix for FACT

You can read what we talked about here. The Mix includes another exclusive preview track from The Belbury Tales and an a completely new one by The Advisory Circle.  A couple of other tunes maybe familiar to Radio Belbury listeners, who might also be relieved to hear that my tiresome and factually inaccurate links are absent this time.

Belbury Poly remix Bill Ryder-Jones

Leyland Kirby, Moon Wiring Club and I were recently invited by Domino records to remix tracks from the current album If... by Bill Ryder-Jones.  Performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic and various guests its the first solo album for the ex Coral guitarist turned composer and is conceived of as a soundtrack to Italo Calvino's novel If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller.

Domino say "Grand orchestral movements sit side by side with stark, nakedly emotional vocal pieces that weave a a bleak but beautifully moving and always visceral narrative."  The three remixes here represent very different approaches to the source material by three artists that like Ryder-Jones share an interest in memory and the uncanny.

The Belbury Tales (pre-order now for 24th Feb)

The new album from The Belbury Poly, The Belbury Tales is due out on the 24th February. This time round the album explores ideas about the re-invention of the past and along the way spins some tall tales about childhood, the supernatural, initiation and pilgrimage (both spiritual and physical). A concept album in the spirit of British prog, its appropriately dressed up in even more lavish than usual Julian House artwork featuring a wonderful piece of Belbury based fiction by Electric Eden author and journalist, Rob Young.

For several tracks on this album the Belbury sound is augmented by two very talented guest musicians: drummer Jim Musgrave (Land Equivalents) and bassist and guitarist Christopher Budd (Chris also dreamt up and co-wrote the track Earthlights) . 

Here's a selection of clips, a few other tracks have been aired in some of the recent Radio Belbury shows...

It'll be available on Vinyl, CD and download. You can pre-order it right now in the Ghost Box shop. Vinyl customers will be entitled to a free download version (offer exclusive to Ghost Box shop customers only).

Black Mill Tapes: Volume 3 - coming soon

The Head Technician at Pye Corner Audio kindly sent me a promo of the latest Volume in The Black Mill Tapes series and it seems he's save the best till last. This is the most fully realised of the lot so far and really cements the Pye Corner Audio sound in a world of  rain swept, industrial spaces and forlorn dance floors. That's not to say this is a bleak or miserbalist affair - the tunes range from melancholy to awe-inspiring to damned funky.
  

Another of the vicar's partisan reviews maybe - but I strongly recommend you give this a try. You can get it here on 24th January.

Also I'd like to share the exciting news that Pye Corner Audio are working on an album for Ghost Box, hopefully to see the light later this year.

Intermission

Robert Popper and Peter Serafinovicz's  film for the Look Around You 10th anniversary at the BFI. 

The Advisory Circle Winter Mix

Nadolig LLawen

Friends of this parish, Golau Glau (that's goll-eye gl-eye to non gallophones)have just released a free and very seasonal download EP. It includes a remix by The Advisory Circle, yet again interfering in other people's work.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers and listeners for their support over the last year.  Everyone in the parish of Belbury and all at Ghost Box wish you the complements of the season and a joyful new year.  He is here, rejoice !

Open the Christmas Box

There's a Christmas sale over at the Ghost Box shop from now until the end of December, with reductions on all vinyl and CD albums still in stock.

Radio Belbury 7: "Tall Tales"

The Belbury Tales - 24th February 2012

Modular Minitronics

Fresh from mastering the new Belbury Poly album , The Belbury Tales (more on this soon),  Jon Brooks gets to grips with his newly built modular synthesizer. In another self imposed creative exercise,  Jon has limited this work to simple overdubs using only the modular system with no multi-tracking or post-production. A remarkably lovely and fully realised piece of work it is too.

I think 03 is my favourite at the moment (I have to say though you could have tried harder on those titles Jon).

Ghost Box Badge Pack A

Get this first in a series of packs of 25mm Ghost Box badges, only in the Ghost Box shop, now.

I did have a spare pack to give away but it seems to have gone missing since the verger came in to dust the other day.

Autumnal Activities and Way of The Morris

First of all a reminder that Study Series No. 7 "Autumnal Activities" by Pye Corner Audio (feat. The Advisory Circle) is released today. Its in the Ghost Box shop and many of the usual stockists now on 7" vinyl or download.

Secondly there's the exciting news that Jonny Trunk has set up a sister label to Trunk Records. Its called OST and it will be dedicated to contemporary scores and soundtracks. Jonny kindly sent the first release to the vicarage.

Its Adrian Corker's beautiful soundtrack to a new documentary film called Way of the Morris by Tim Plester. A delicate blend of electronics, traditional instruments and field recordings its not at all what you might expect. It also features performances from amongst others, the Adderbury Village Morris Men and Chris Leslie of Fairport Convention. Highly recommended.

John Foxx and The Maths Belbury Poly Remix

Following on from Interplay earlier this year, John Foxx and The Maths have just released The Shape of Things. It has a slightly different feel to Interplay and features songs that are more melancholic and introspective. There's also a selection of beautiful analogue instrumental miniatures.

This special edition is so far available only in the official John Foxx store, and comes with a bonus CD of remixes, including one of the Interplay track, Summerland by Belbury Poly. Here's a clip...

Meanwhile work continues on the forthcoming collaboration between Belbury Poly, The Advisory circle and John Foxx. More news on this very exciting project early next year.

Study Series 07 Pre-orders Open

Study Series no. 7 by Pye Corner Audio (featuring The Advisory Circle) is available on pre-order at the Ghost Box shop right now. Release date 18th November.