Widdershins

Brand new studio album from Ex Swell Maps & Television Person- alities guitarist. Widdershins is a term to describe the superstition against walking in an anti-clockwise direction, which was thought to be unlucky or even heretical. This typifies Jowe Head's ap- proach to music-making and to life in general; ignoring transient fashions and prevailing trends in pursuit of a personal creative vision. Distrustful of genres, pigeon-holes and categories, Jowe continues to plough a unique furrow, creating a genre of his own. His background in playing with highly influential, pioneering post- punk bands Swell Maps and Television Personalities is evident here, balancing the dynamics of pop and rock music, with the ad- venturous use of experimental sounds. Conceived and executed over the last five years, the material involves deliberately con- trasting extremes: light against darkness, chaos against order, tenderness against wrath, melody against harsh white noise, past against future. Open-minded music lovers and connoisseurs of psychedelic sounds shall welcome this record. Followers of so- called 'psych-folk' shall hear much of interest; fans of Shirley Col- lins ('Bolweevil Holler') and Fairport Convention ('Nottamun Town') shall recognise a few songs. Devotees of cult bands The Incredible String Band and Einsturzende Neubaten shall be inter- ested to hear cover versions of their work.Side One 1/Lyke- Wake Dirge 2/Tankerton Bay 3/Minotaur Song 4/Nottamun Town 5/Ode to Krampus Side Two 1/Extraterrestrials 2/Extras 3/Joseph Cornell 4/Tom O Bedlam 5/Gower Song Side Three 1/Trees 2/Baba Yaga 3/Half-Bike 4/Ein Stuhl In Der Holle 5/King Of The Corn Side Four 1/Long Live the Sun 2/Two Ravens 3/Bolweevil Holler 4/Shepherd's Lament