I'm sometimes rebuked for overlooking what's happening in my local music scene in favour of things further afield. It's probably a fair comment, but the mind-numbingly steady diet of tribute and covers bands here, and a disappointing lack of ingenuity in those playing their own compositions (with some notable exceptions of course) doesn't really inspire me hugely. However, there is one local act which came to my attention a while back via their Fence connections - but who I've hardly dared to write about. However, perhaps now it's time to consider the perennially complicated, often bewildering but never dull world of OLO Worms? The basic premise is four gents from Bristol who individually appear to have a wealth of talent including music, painting and cinematography among a great deal else. Alone they could all probably be fairly interesting artists in their own right, but together this creates a multimedia cultural behemoth which simply refuses to take itself seriously long enough to cement its form. Patched together with a love-hate relationship with popular celebrity culture - and particularly British TV - this creates a curiously dizzy, mildly disturbing world view which is somewhere on the spectrum between psychedelia and psychosis.
This release is part of "Poloroids" - a series of three snapshots of as yet incomplete projects. Each has been delivered in a very limited physical release numbering just a handful - the first buried in pots of earth and the second hidden in the stock of a local second-hand music shop on Record Store Day. The third however is a little bit special - three lucky winners will have their portrait painted by the band, with the music concealed on memory stick and embedded within the papier-máché proboscis of the resulting painting. Thus, these chosen few, should they wish to play the music they've acquired, will need to very much literally cut off their noses to spite their face.
This is all of course a refreshingly clever and entertaining take on the complexities of the post-digital music industry - but what is the music like? I confess I'd assumed until fairly recently that this would be equally bizarre in nature, very much a part of the extended artistic statement. However, tempting though it would be to dismiss this entire project as a novelty or a stunt, this is actually pretty incredible and weirdly compelling stuff. Firstly "Badge" is introduced by odd sub-sonic bass tones before distubring and disembodied voices begin to echo around the mix. A strange melody forms, built from what could easily be the screeching of a dental drill, warped and twisted through the OLO Worms' compendium of bizarre electronic trickery. A glacially paced beat supports things, as more yammering voices join the fray and a quietly unnerving misanthropic rant is uttered. This is genuinely disturbing stuff - and definitely not to be listened to in the dark. In strange ways it has more in common with the sluggish grind of some of the darkest metal than it does with other forms of electronic music. As the track shimmers away into silence, it's impossible not to reflect on the odd but compelling nature of what you've just heard. Meanwhile "Neutral Zones" is a quieter proposition, but what it lacks in volume is entirely exceeded in its sinister presence. A brooding rumble with strange flecks of inverted percussion provides a cinematic backdrop to a surprisingly straightforward and appealing vocal. There are hints here of Silver Columns on a serious opiate-induced comedown, more "pissed-off" than blissed-out, but still strangely resilient and defiant in the face of utter miserableness. Then the entire track starts to mutate before ones ears - a low, warbling drone sets in to replace the vocals while curious jittering electronic pulses and synthesised voices dance their way to the end of the piece. This is a dark and claustrophobic release which leaves you questioning your own sanity, let alone that of its clearly unhinged but highly talented creators.
I'd urge you to listen to this complex, unsettling but weirdly satisfying music, and indeed to experience the videos which feature the trademark off-kilter, zero budget OLO Worms dressing-up fun to accompany the sounds. I can't promise you'll find more of the same out there - because almost everything which this bunch of odd but entertaining folks get involved in seems to end up sounding different to anything else I've ever heard. That is, in itself, an excellent reason to join the bandwagon.
You can find all kinds of bizarre, confusing and ultimately entertaining OLO Worms related media on their website and via their blog on Tumblr. I've yet to determine a way of actually purchasing or otherwise obtaining "Poloroid #3" aside from being one of the three recipients of the physical release, however you can enjoy the tracks in audio and video form at the sites above.
Various OLO Worms will DJ at FOUND's upcoming show with Rozi Plain and SJ Esau at the Louisiana in Bristol on 6th September. This also serves as the opening night of OLO member Heinz Junkins's art exhibition in the Louisiana basement.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
