In Strict Tempo, vol. 111: Wild Goose Chase
You’ll have seen a lot of articles over the past weeks about the band Geese and the marketing campaigns they’ve been running on social media. It feels like everyone has weighed in with hotter and hotter takes each week, so allow me to pour more fuel on the flames of discourse - every popular artist pays for promotion in one way or another. The game is stacked against upcoming artists, we know that’s been the case over the past few years of streaming at least. It’s always been the case, with radio plugging and retail promotion generally being the domain of the bigger indies and majors who could afford it. But you can throw as much money as you want at online promotion and unless the music’s good (or it at least resonates with people) it doesn’t mean anything. The numbers become meaningless, if everyone can buy a hundred thousand TikTok creations, then it doesn’t matter if your track gets that many.
I’ve not listened to Geese, I don’t know what they sound like, and I’m not sure I even care all that much. Are they meant to be like the new Strokes? But for one reason or another their music seems to be resonating with people, and it’s sprialling across social media. I’ve seen loads of artists put money into these ‘clipping’ campaigns trying to promote a song, and for the most part I’ve not seen a huge amount of success - certainly nothing you’d consider viral anyway. And it may well be that Geese haven’t either, it may well be that all the articles and hot takes are just an extension of the campaign, a clever way of spinning the narrative from something that people consider negative into a “all press is good press” situation. I’m not sure anyone’s thought of that have they?
I don’t want to say too much more on it right now, for a variety of reasons, the main one being no-one really needs another takedown of TikTok social media campaigns. Maybe I’ll expand on it one day in the future.
Anyway: There’s a new Andrew Weatherall book coming, from the folk at Disco Pogo. Their Aphex Twin and LCD Soundsystem books were both really good, an enjoyable mix of period articles and new writing. Jockey Slut put out a decent Weatherall book not long after he passed, and there’s more than plenty of good reading online about probably the most important figure in UK electronic music of the past 30 years. Of course, I did my own tribute to the Guv’nor too, and you can find that here.
Also, it’s Independent Label Market in London tomorrow. I’ll likely pop down if the weathers good, and there’s some top labels and distros selling their wares. There always feels like a bit more of a community and buzz around this than Record Store Day which is really dependendent on what shop you end up going to. I’ve been going to these for years and have some picked up some really nice titles along the way, including that really rare Loefah 12” on Swamp 81.
New Music
This is the bit you came for, a bumper week to make up for the last couple.
Boards of Canada - Introit/Prophecy at 1420 Mhz [Warp]
Okay this is good. Was anyone expecting it to be anything other than really fucking good? Moves quickly through a few influences before settling into ‘typical’ BoC but none the worse for it. Think of every great Boards track and there’s a bit of the DNA of every single one of them in here. Can’t wait for the rest of it.
Seefeel - Sol.Hz [Warp]
New Seefeel and New Boards of Canada? In the same week? What have we done to deserve this. I think this one is probably going to get unfairly overlooked, but like BoC it’s an example of a group doing what they do best and being supported by a great indie label to do it.
Batu & Donato Dozzy - Drift [!K7]
A bit of an unexpected collaboration here from Timedance man Batu and Donato Dozzy. Sometimes with collab tracks one person takes the lead to it’s detriment, and whilst you can deffo hear a lot of Dozzy’s sound design in this, there’s a fair bit of Batu’s influence too. If the rest of it is anything like this first single it’s going to be really good.
Carla Dal Forno - Confession [Kallista]
I’d already reviewed the first single from this a while back, but the full album moves the game on significantly. Regular readers will know Carla as part of the Blackest Ever Black/Low Company Cinematic Universe, but since returning to Australia she’s been releasing on her own Kallista album (who’s back cat is well worth investigating). Dark, brooding, off-kilter pop this album is one for the ages and deserves to sit alongside the best in the genre. Put simply? Don’t miss it.
Paperclip Minimiser - II [Peak Oil]
There was a time a few months back when it felt like Peak Oil were putting out fire releases every single week, so when this dropped recently it was at the top of my list to check out. Broken beats colliding with a dubby wobble sounding like this could have come out on Blackest in it’s heyday.
Ricardo Villalobos & goat (JP) - Orin (Ricardo Villalobos Variation)
Ricardo Villalobos and Japanese outfit goat teaming up for this remix project was unexpected, but probably not as unexpected as Ricky V turning in what is pretty much a straight up house track. Nine glorious minutes that could come straight from the Paradise Garage here. Phew.
The Caretaker - Patience After Sebald [History Always Favours The Winners]
A timely and much-needed repress of this Caretaker masterwork, soundtracking Grant Gee’s film about the author WG Sebald and his book The Rings of Saturn. It’s long been a favourite book of mine, tracing the author’s journey around the East Anglian countryside via tales of herring, miniature railways and matchstick cathedrals. It’s a book I’ve gifted to people many times, and return to every couple of years without fail. Highest possible recommendation, the same of which I can say for this album.
Anton Pearson - Tintinnabulation 1 [World of Echo]
Pearson is perhaps better known for his work with the band Squid, in which he plays guitar, but here he branches out solo for this album titled Driving Through Belgium. There’s something romantic about driving on the continent isn’t there? The long days behind the wheel, odd sights along the way, the sense of freedom as road signs point you towards destinations in other countries, something we don’t get in the UK. Belgium isn’t exactly the most picturesque of our European neighbours, and I can attest that driving there is pretty dreadful having spent hours on the motorway outside Antwerp en route to Amsterdam once but I digress, this album would make any journey through the Low Countries approximately thirty times more enjoyable.
Appleblim - Neolithic Leon [Sneaker Social Club]
Two Appleblim albums in as many weeks? Both completely different to one another. This one lands on label du jour Sneaker Social Club and is a road back to more familiar ground, treading the path of the UK bass continuum but in a fresh and interesting way.
Public Money - Inside/Love [Crane Operator]
I first discovered the music of Public Money last year with the release of her Amulets EP, and this follow-up builds upon that, these two charged, atmospheric tracks evolving into something with a more DIY slant, honing a unique edge on the world of blunted ambient music.
Underworld - Pearl’s Girl (r18_for2026) [Self-Released]
My one complaint from the Underworld shows earlier this year is that Pearl’s Girl didn’t go on for long enough, and neither does this. It’s an interesting new take on what is probably my favourite UW track, but it clocks in under five minutes, when the original is almost twice that.
Rene Wise - Johnsons Theme [Dekmantel]
I quite like this you know. Like a cross between The Knife and Mathew Jonson’s Marionette, it’s great to hear that progressive minimal sound keeping kicking it.
