WAYPOINTS #169
29/10/20
"LET ME FIND A SHELTER
FROM THE SORROWS OF THIS WORLD"
FEAT: CLÉMENTINE MARCH, SULKA, CALLUM EASTER, THE LOST MAP PODCAST, PICTISH TRAIL, V I S I T ▲ T I O N S, EAST 17 + MORE
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MARTHA FFION'S CAPTURED ON CASSETTE LIVE SESSION
Archaeological investigations delving back into the ancient mists of time circa early 2020AD have found evidence of extraordinary rituals now all but faded from collective memory: "concerts", or as the peasant classes called them, "gigs". Cave paintings depict masses of pale humanity crushed into always slightly too small rooms, whooping it up to the hot sounds of the day while more often than not fighting to hold in a huge pee until the band had done their favourite song. These were mainly peaceful and even celebratory occasions but primal anger could sometimes flare, for instance when a really tall guy pushed in front of some not-so-tall guys, resulting in the angry throwing of low-grade watery lager. Our ancestors were, evidence suggests, less sophisticated than we tend to give them credit for.
In honour of these ancient concert/gigs, we've decided to try and recreate a little of their vibe in the form of a brand new "live session" by Martha Ffion, she of the recent excellent album Nights to Forget ( available now from Lost Map Records dot com). For this special session, recorded several weeks ago at Chime Studios in Glasgow, Martha recruited top musicians Suse "Good Dog" Bear and Beth Chalmers out of Savage Mansion and the Molly Linen band and, in honour of the obvious sanctity of the occasion, insisted that they all dress in heavenly white, like East 17 in the video for 'Stay'. On which note, a minute's silence will now ensue as we reflect upon the time Brian from E17 ran himself over with his car then blamed it on jacket potatoes. Inshallah.
*time passes*
The good news, if you're a member of Lost Map's subscription service the PostMap Club (more on that below), is that three of the session tracks ('Nights To Forget’, ‘Going Out In Style’ and ‘Don’t Let Me Go’) are already exclusively on their way to you as part of the October bundle. You're welcome! And wait, there's more. In a new episode of the Lost Map Podcast, airing this Sunday, November 1, we'll be announcing news of not only more new music from Martha Ffion, but also an exciting Martha Ffion livestreaming video event to which you will all be invited. AND exciting new developments for the PostMap Club. Don't miss out! Don't eat jacket potatoes and drive!
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BOBBLE HATS: LAST ORDERS BEFORE XMAS
1) A survey of 100 people with heads found almost unanimously that people think heads are important.
2) Keep your head warm this winter with a Lost Map bobble hat.
3) Some colours sold-out, but more of all colours are on order (last re-stock before Christmas!)
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SULKA'S DEBUT LOST MAP SINGLE: OUT NOW
"Don't fear it," sings Lost Map's latest signing Sulka in the catchy chorus of his extremely excellent debut single, and d'you know what? With the exception of public speaking, social interaction, daylight, germs, vegetables, TOTP2, the music of Sting, the guy from Atmosfear, foreign travel, clowns, germs, touching, the future of humanity and indeed the future of the very planet itself, largely we don't fear it, anymore. Or not as much as we once did, before therapy.
But enough about us and more about 'Fear It', the extremely excellent and also great debut single by Sulka, which is available to stream and share now in all the usual streamy-sharey places, you know the ones ( these ones), as well as available together with an exclusive B-side acoustic version as part of the October installment of Lost Map's (hi) PostMap Club subscription service. Sulka, if you're wondering who he is – and you'd be well entitled to wonder [narrator's voice: "GET ON WITH IT"] – is the lo-fi melodic scuzz-rock songwriting and recording project of Glasgow-based Lukas Clasen. ‘Fear It’ is the opening track from Sulka’s brand-new album Take Care which will be released in January 2021.
“This song channels a lot of bands I listened to in my late teens,” says Lukas of ‘Fear It’, “Cloud Nothings, The Cribs, Dinosaur Jr, Elliott Smith for example. So it has a kind of nostalgic but timeless feel to it for me. Lyrically there’s a lot of angst and turbulence in there which I think sets up some of the themes of the album quite well. I’m especially grateful to my friend Niamh from Moonsoup for adding some last-minute backing vocals which makes it a million times more listenable to me."
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BUY THE SAY AWARD WINNING (MAYBE) DEBUT ALBUM BY CALLUM EASTER
1) Callum is up for the Scottish Album of the Year Award tonight, for Here or Nowhere, and we just want to say, irrespective of the outcome: you will always be a winner to us, our most beloved son (*cries*)
2) Buy his album or you are a loser.
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WATCH HAPPY SPENDY AT THE SAY AWARD CEREMONY
1) Also reppin' Lost Map at the (virtual) SAY Award ceremony: your favourite synth-pop nerds and ours, Happy Spendy.
2) Watch the whole thing free, Thursday, October 29, from 7pm, live(ish) on the YouTube.
3) We're not nervous you're nervous.
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OCTOBER POSTMAP CLUB:
NEW MUSIC FROM CLÉMENTINE MARCH
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From modern democracy to rudeness, the French have gifted many fine things to the world and if you're wondering whether or not that is about to stop anytime soon then the answer, definitively, is non ("no"). Case in point: an inspired, psychedelic, groovy, wiggy, trippy, sprawling, exploratory and may we just once again emphasise groovy new version of the song 'Elixir' by Clémentine March, which is released as part of the October installment of our PostMap Club subscription service (digital release: November 5). Think Belle & Sebastian’s ‘Legal Man’ reimagined by Stereolab and remixed by Amorphous Androgynous. C'est cosmique! ("it's cosmic").
‘Elixir’ (Single Version) is a stunning reboot of a track from French singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clémentine's eclectic, charming and truly cosmopolitan debut album Le Continent, which we released in January 2020 ( buy it now). Originally a stripped-back and lo-fi acoustic number, ‘Elixir’ has been given new life by producer Toby Burroughs (of the band POZI), with Clémentine on vocals and flute and joined by Phil MFU (Vanishing Twin) on Moog and electronics, Ursula Russell (Snapped Ankles) on drums, James Howard (Blue House, Dana Gavanski) on bass and Dimitrios Ntontis on organ and synths. “After trying a full personal French narrative and storytelling on Le Continent, I’ve been exploring new sounds and possibilities on the path to the second album, as well as trying to explore writing in English more,” Clémentine explains. “I used this song as a template for experimentations. ‘Elixir’ is the first single of a series that will be released, following that path to a more collective work around performance and improvisation."
And there's more! The October PostMap Club mailbag is stuffed fuller than Brian Harvey on a fateful jacket potato binge, with the above-mentioned new releases by Sulka and Martha Ffion joining Clémentine March in winging their way towards your letterbox this month faster than you can say "handbrake!" Better still, if you're new to da club, you'll get all of last month's postcards by Alexia Avina, Firestations, Kinbote and Pictish Trail into the bargain. Vous êtes les bienvenus! ("you're welcome").
A reminder or the two PostMap Club membership tiers and their respective prices and benefits is as follows:
REGULAR BREW
£3 + postage, per month
- Postcards! At least two collectible PostMap postcards sent to your door at the end of every month – each containing download codes for a mixture of brand new music on Lost Map, alongside a random selection from our archives. When you sign up you'll also receive the previous month's postcards, completely free
- Badge! Plus a new badge for every year of your subscription
- Monthly newsletter! Containing hot goss / farmyard shite
- Discounts! On other Lost Map releases, merchandise, gigs
- Feelgood glow! Help support an independent record label
GOLD BLEND
£5 + postage, per month
- All of the above except with a bigger badge
- Est dix-sept ("East 17"), pomme de terre veste ("jacket potato")
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LOST MAP PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE TAKEOVER
1) Lost Map's Stuck In The House Sessions now archived online.
2) Featuring Happy Spendy, Firestations, Savage Mansion, Pictish Trail (+ soon Sulka).
3) Watch them with your eyes.
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LISTEN TO THE WAYPOINTS PLAYLIST
1) ♫ Baby, if you've got to go awaaaay ♫
2) ♫ I don't think I can take the paaaain ♫
3) ♫ Won't you Waypoints Playlist anoooother daaaay? ♫
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