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debased shapes review at volcanic tongue

Second full-length album from this amazing Australian homemade instruments orchestra, now upgraded to a seven piece big band: Debased Shapes is a revelation, with the group moving on from the weirdo Sun Ra/Moondog hands-on DIY improvisations of their first album into a liminal zone of left field pop synthesis and ‘debased’ songcraft. Parts of this beautiful album almost sound like a Scratch Orchestra re-imagining of the early Rough Trade sound, stuff like the Raincoats or even The Swell Maps re-crafted for clunky hands-on sound sculptures, with female vocals somehow directing every squawk and dunt towards a vision of psychedelic pop that comes out of invention more than technique. There’s still a dazzling afro-primitive free jazz feel to the choruses of honking geese and thrifty percussion but they feel more like hallucinatory song forms here, true DIY imaginings of heavenly pop hits. A stunning amalgam of sound sculpture, improvised percussive freak out and super personal pop vision. Still no one like them, highly recommended!
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All text copyright © David Keenan/Volcanic Tongue
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