The Railway Village Voice

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The Railway Village Voice A small voice for Swindon's more underground and original musical offerings struggling to be heard against the white noise of mediocrity.

Once you hear the term “dreamweaver” used to describe Josh Werner, it is difficult to think of him needing any other nam...
06/10/2020

Once you hear the term “dreamweaver” used to describe Josh Werner, it is difficult to think of him needing any other name. Musician seems to undersell the minimalist majesty and ambient grace of his music. Bassist also seems to give the wrong impression, even though it is the predominant instrument in this composition, in the same way the you wouldn’t call Monet “a guy with a brush.” Another term which I love is the description of his previous band Helio Parallax as “Sci Fi Dub Noir”…another great soundbite for what he does. [ 187 more words ]

http://altbabylon.com/2020/10/06/traversal-josh-werner-single-review/

Once you hear the term “dreamweaver” used to describe Josh Werner, it is difficult to think of him needing any other name. Musician seems to undersell the minimalist majesty and ambient grace of hi…

As the world moves ever onwards, every advantageous advance is perhaps balanced by an irrevocable loss. Technology const...
05/10/2020

As the world moves ever onwards, every advantageous advance is perhaps balanced by an irrevocable loss. Technology constantly replaces tradition and although things might get more logical, easier to access, more conformist, in doing so the world often loses some of its weird charm and its brilliant quirkiness. Nostalgia is indeed not what it used to be, and Ethan Gold… [ 275 more words ]

http://altbabylon.com/2020/10/05/the-last-dive-ethan-gold-single-review/

As the world moves ever onwards, every advantageous advance is perhaps balanced by an irrevocable loss. Technology constantly replaces tradition and although things might get more logical, easier t…

(Ramblings about things that caught my eyes and ears recently....by Richard Wileman) Fanfare! Who would have thought it?...
05/10/2020

(Ramblings about things that caught my eyes and ears recently....by Richard Wileman) Fanfare! Who would have thought it?? There is actually a new Sanguine Hum album A Trace of Memory due for release in November 2020 on Bad Elephant. This album has it's roots in some summer 2018 abandoned sessions that were resurrected when unforseen available time became available during the pandemic. [ 421 more words ]

http://altbabylon.com/2020/10/05/the-curse-of-alt-babylon-i/

(Ramblings about things that caught my eyes and ears recently….by Richard Wileman) Fanfare! Who would have thought it?? There is actually a new Sanguine Hum album A Trace of Memory due for re…

I'm not really sure that the title works for this article but I just like it as a pun* and that is all that matters in t...
10/05/2020

I'm not really sure that the title works for this article but I just like it as a pun* and that is all that matters in the grand scream...I mean scheme of things. Perhaps it says something about ambition, how success starts off small, maybe it alludes to word of mouth promotion and the like. If so great. If not, so what. [ 601 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/from-a-whisper-to-a-screen-near-you/

I’m not really sure that the title works for this article but I just like it as a pun* and that is all that matters in the grand scream…I mean scheme of things. Perhaps it says somethin…

He doesn’t do things by halves does that Mr Lawton. Whilst most other musicians are using the current restrictions to ad...
08/05/2020

He doesn’t do things by halves does that Mr Lawton. Whilst most other musicians are using the current restrictions to add half-baked covers of songs I never really liked in the first place to the ubiquitous flotsam and jetsam that is modern, on-line music, he has contributed something truly original, truly necessary and perhaps more importantly, totally beautiful! And perhaps it is the last quality which is the most important of all. [ 264 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/salt-of-the-earth-volume-one-lockdown-will-lawton/

He doesn’t do things by halves does that Mr Lawton. Whilst most other musicians are using the current restrictions to add half-baked covers of songs I never really liked in the first place to the u…

The man himself describes this little side-project from his usual musical activities, using the wonderfully self-depreca...
08/05/2020

The man himself describes this little side-project from his usual musical activities, using the wonderfully self-deprecating words, “ mid-life crisis.” If it is, he should have more. Many more. And before you all get up in arms defending his long and admirable back catalogue and dedication to the ska-wars and the ongoing reggae rebellion, I’m taking nothing away from any of that, niche scenes need their heroes and he has always been that to the music he loves and champions. [ 479 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/interval-erin-bardwell/

The man himself describes this little side-project from his usual musical activities, using the wonderfully self-deprecating words, “ mid-life crisis.” If it is, he should have more. Many more. And…

Writing for a living throws up an odd dichotomy. On the one hand writing is at its best when it is left to go where it w...
08/05/2020

Writing for a living throws up an odd dichotomy. On the one hand writing is at its best when it is left to go where it will, when you can let the pen guide you and take you places you might not have thought about visiting, like an endless train journey with each daily destination chosen at random. On the other, you need to earn money and so have to be discipline enough to follow a, sometimes very precise, brief. [ 487 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/the-lockdown-diaries-why-i-write/

Writing for a living throws up an odd dichotomy. On the one hand writing is at its best when it is left to go where it will, when you can let the pen guide you and take you places you might not hav…

My first reaction to people nominating each other to post their top ten influential albums lists was to run a mile. It ...
07/05/2020

My first reaction to people nominating each other to post their top ten influential albums lists was to run a mile. It is just my default setting. If something is popular I will run away, watch it from a distance, prod it, examine it, gradually testing the water until I decide if it is really for me or not. Generally the answer is not. [ 499 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/07/the-lockdown-diaries-day-3-of/

My first reaction to people nominating each other to post their top ten influential albums lists was to run a mile. It is just my default setting. If something is popular I will run away, watch it…

1. Never follow an artist who describes his or her work as 'dark'. 2. The second-last song on every album is the weakest...
04/05/2020

1. Never follow an artist who describes his or her work as 'dark'. 2. The second-last song on every album is the weakest. 3. Great bands tend to look alike. 4. Being a rock star is a 24-hour-a-day job. 5. The band with the most tattoos has the worst songs. 6. No band does anything new on stage after the first 20 minutes. [ 48 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/robert-forsters-10-rules-for-rock-and-roll/

1. Never follow an artist who describes his or her work as ‘dark’. 2. The second-last song on every album is the weakest. 3. Great bands tend to look alike. 4. Being a rock star is a 24…

(When you get to know about a dream-pop band in Tel Aviv because you chatted to the singer in a Philly based garage band...
10/04/2020

(When you get to know about a dream-pop band in Tel Aviv because you chatted to the singer in a Philly based garage band, you know the world is a wonderfully small place, at least culturally and creatively speaking.) I guess the art of making music which falls into the loose and broad realms of dream-pop is getting the balance between blissful transience and an engaging structure just right. [ 239 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/sometimes-a-gate-is-opened-screens-4-eyes/

(When you get to know about a dream-pop band in Tel Aviv because you chatted to the singer in a Philly based garage band, you know the world is a wonderfully small place, at least culturally and cr…

I had to make a supply run today, something that used to seem like an everyday chore but which has now take on the friss...
10/04/2020

I had to make a supply run today, something that used to seem like an everyday chore but which has now take on the frisson of a covert black ops mission. Never has buying wholemeal bread and toilet roll felt so exhilarating. On the way home I cut across a small area of grass, too small to be a park really, just a green space designed to allow a bit of breathing room amongst the rows of terraced streets and railway era semi-'s. [ 281 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/the-lockdown-diaries-the-green-green-grass-of-fairly-close-to-home/

I had to make a supply run today, something that used to seem like an everyday chore but which has now take on the frisson of a covert black ops mission. Never has buying wholemeal bread and toilet…

Thankfully, my work is fairly flexible and although writing about the music and arts side of things has taken a dive, I ...
07/04/2020

Thankfully, my work is fairly flexible and although writing about the music and arts side of things has taken a dive, I have picked up a bit more work writing travel site content and particularly writing text for role-playing game and tabletop game components. I guess, certainly in the case of the latter, many of the people designing games are hobbyists and with time on their hands during the lockdown are getting stuck into their labours of love. [ 199 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/07/the-lockdown-diaries-all-quiet-on-commercial-road/

Thankfully, my work is fairly flexible and although writing about the music and arts side of things has taken a dive, I have picked up a bit more work writing travel site content and particularly w…

Greetings fellow friends in isolation, we hope you are doing okay and looking out for one another. Obviously there are m...
06/04/2020

Greetings fellow friends in isolation, we hope you are doing okay and looking out for one another. Obviously there are many more important things going on in the world right now than worrying about a local music festival but it is also at times like these that music, art, creativity in general, helps get us through or at least offers an oasis of calm where we can forget the day-to-day worries for a bit. [ 280 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/whos-up-for-a-virtual-shuffle/

Greetings fellow friends in isolation, we hope you are doing okay and looking out for one another. Obviously there are many more important things going on in the world right now than worrying about…

In an ideal world, the release of a new Fassine album would be something which brings the whole country together, like a...
05/04/2020

In an ideal world, the release of a new Fassine album would be something which brings the whole country together, like a new series of Love Island or the hunt of a serial killer. And to be fair, given their increasing popularity with each release, they will probably get there. But for now they are still a band that the underground aficionado can revel in, a badge of honour to display their ahead-of-the-curve-ness and a signal their exceedingly discerning taste. [ 307 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/forge-fassine/

In an ideal world, the release of a new Fassine album would be something which brings the whole country together, like a new series of Love Island or the hunt of a serial killer. And to be fair, gi…

Why make noise when you can manipulate silence? And odd thing to say perhaps but if anybody can make a noise (and they p...
05/04/2020

Why make noise when you can manipulate silence? And odd thing to say perhaps but if anybody can make a noise (and they pretty much can) trapping silence inside exquisite sonic bubbles take a whole different set of skills. But that is what Mr Dog The Bear continues to excel at. Already you could level an accusation of my writing erring on the side of pretentious, and not for the first time, but some music just makes you reach for very “out there” ways of describing things. [ 312 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/transhumanism-mr-dog-the-bear/

Why make noise when you can manipulate silence? And odd thing to say perhaps but if anybody can make a noise (and they pretty much can) trapping silence inside exquisite sonic bubbles take a whole…

There have been a few things happening lately that have caused me to reflect on old records and the songs of my formativ...
05/04/2020

There have been a few things happening lately that have caused me to reflect on old records and the songs of my formative days. I guess one of the advantages of getting to such a veritable age is that there is more to look back on, more memories to juggle and probably a bigger record collection to jog that memory. And as you get older the more sensory stimuli for joggin’ the noggin,’ the better. [ 475 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/the-thoughts-of-chairman-moi-vii-the-past-is-a-foreign-country-but-the-music-is-rather-groovy/

There have been a few things happening lately that have caused me to reflect on old records and the songs of my formative days. I guess one of the advantages of getting to such a veritable age is t…

There is a lot of nodding to the eighties going on these days. That much maligned time has finally shaken off it’s naff ...
05/04/2020

There is a lot of nodding to the eighties going on these days. That much maligned time has finally shaken off it’s naff crown as the decade with no taste and, with enough distance between us, has now been embraced via shows such as Stranger Things, films like Ready Player One and by a wave of bands being influenced, consciously or otherwise, by it’s incredibly rich musical crucible. [ 310 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/dreaming-that-im-not-in-love-stay-lunar/

There is a lot of nodding to the eighties going on these days. That much maligned time has finally shaken off it’s naff crown as the decade with no taste and, with enough distance between us, has n…

Such anxious times bring out both the best and the worst in people. People who like to use such jingoistic rhetoric keep...
04/04/2020

Such anxious times bring out both the best and the worst in people. People who like to use such jingoistic rhetoric keep banging on about the Blitz spirit, but it has to be remembered that it wasn't all about communal singing in the Aldwych tube station to keep Peters up, there was some pretty opportunistic naughtiness going on in the back streets too. [ 285 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/the-lockdown-diaries-it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-worst-of-times/

Such anxious times bring out both the best and the worst in people. People who like to use such jingoistic rhetoric keep banging on about the Blitz spirit, but it has to be remembered that it wasn&…

I guess I was probably better equipped than many for this lock down. As a writer I sit in the spare room all day hammeri...
04/04/2020

I guess I was probably better equipped than many for this lock down. As a writer I sit in the spare room all day hammering long words and half-baked opinions together using only a keyboard and a vat of coffee anyway. In fact it was only when Aldi ran out of decent cheese and loo roll that I realised anything much was happening. [ 313 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/the-lockdown-diaries-the-times-they-are-a-well-changed/

I guess I was probably better equipped than many for this lock down. As a writer I sit in the spare room all day hammering long words and half-baked opinions together using only a keyboard and a va…

Managed to get the latest Talk in Code release some room in NYC's prestigious Big Takeover magazine. Read the whole revi...
23/02/2020

Managed to get the latest Talk in Code release some room in NYC's prestigious Big Takeover magazine. Read the whole review at the link below. "Not only has Talk in Code always had a way with a great pop tune they have also always been smart enough to move with the times. I remember watching them in their earliest incarnation where they could easily have been found on a bill opening for the likes of… [ 28 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/02/23/talk-like-that-talk-in-code/

Managed to get the latest Talk in Code release some room in NYC’s prestigious Big Takeover magazine. Read the whole review at the link below. “Not only has Talk in Code always had a way…

It seems to me that there are two sorts of people in this here parish. There are those who spend their time on-line moan...
11/02/2020

It seems to me that there are two sorts of people in this here parish. There are those who spend their time on-line moaning that, musically speaking at least, nothing ever happens in Swindon. And there are those who don’t have the time for all of that nonsense as they are out supporting all the fantastic, musically speaking at least, things happening in Swindon. [ 549 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/02/11/circu5-fassine-double-header-level-3-swindon-23rd-april/

It seems to me that there are two sorts of people in this here parish. There are those who spend their time on-line moaning that, musically speaking at least, nothing ever happens in Swindon. And t…

Sometimes an artist’s vibe, their defining quality, their unique selling point, is less about the face value sound of th...
11/02/2020

Sometimes an artist’s vibe, their defining quality, their unique selling point, is less about the face value sound of their music but what is going on below the surface of the sonics. Paul Lappin seems to support this theory of mine. If previous single Life Was Good motored along on an ever building, energetic indie groove, this time out things take a more considered, more understated route. [ 331 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/02/11/after-the-rain-paul-lappin/

Sometimes an artist’s vibe, their defining quality, their unique selling point, is less about the face value sound of their music but what is going on below the surface of the sonics. Paul Lappin s…

I make little stands against automation and the erosion of once simple concepts to unnecessary marketing, the slow Ameri...
09/02/2020

I make little stands against automation and the erosion of once simple concepts to unnecessary marketing, the slow Americanisation of once simple things and the perpetual desire by companies to make things cooler. I know things are all headed a certain way but I don't use automated check-outs as a sort of stand against job losses to automation...it aint the people with funny coloured skin that will take your jobs it'll be those pesky robots. [ 163 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/02/09/this-gradual-americanisation/

I make little stands against automation and the erosion of once simple concepts to unnecessary marketing, the slow Americanisation of once simple things and the perpetual desire by companies to mak…

My friend Tom, ecologist, model builder, board game enthusiast, sonic wizard and all round good egg, has been doing a th...
31/01/2020

My friend Tom, ecologist, model builder, board game enthusiast, sonic wizard and all round good egg, has been doing a thing called Jamuary as a bit of a musical divergence from his usual Grasslands hymn book. The premise, as you may have already guessed was to record and film one loose jam session per night throughout the month with friends and fellow makers of mad music or failing that to jam with himself via this increasing collection of synths and samplers and sonic witchery. [ 191 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/pretentious-twaddle-alert-now-with-added-audio/

My friend Tom, ecologist, model builder, board game enthusiast, sonic wizard and all round good egg, has been doing a thing called Jamuary as a bit of a musical divergence from his usual Grasslands…

I find myself neglecting this site. I guess the problem is that primarily I set it up to talk about and promote local, o...
30/01/2020

I find myself neglecting this site. I guess the problem is that primarily I set it up to talk about and promote local, original music and between my new found hermity ways and the fact that there isn't a lot of original music going on any more, there isn't a lot to report. So if the music won't come to Muhammad, then change the nature of the mountain...blog...whatever....I'm not great with analogies. [ 92 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2020/01/30/writers-write-right/

I find myself neglecting this site. I guess the problem is that primarily I set it up to talk about and promote local, original music and between my new found hermity ways and the fact that there i…

Stay Lunar has to be one of the more interesting young bands straddling the indie-pop divide at the moment and I’m not s...
29/12/2019

Stay Lunar has to be one of the more interesting young bands straddling the indie-pop divide at the moment and I’m not saying that just because they probably know where I live and no, I don’t owe them money. It’s true. Indie seems to have become a tad formulaic of late, the realm of airbrushed kids sporting the right clothing brands and more concerned with their complicated hair than the music, and mainstream pop is still the bastion of production line, industry puppet shows. [ 147 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/12/29/catch-up-stay-lunar/

Stay Lunar has to be one of the more interesting young bands straddling the indie-pop divide at the moment and I’m not saying that just because they probably know where I live and no, I don’t owe t…

It’s odd writing a What’s On guide for January this in early December (such is the nature of the deadlines and stuff) bu...
23/12/2019

It’s odd writing a What’s On guide for January this in early December (such is the nature of the deadlines and stuff) but I guess it is the closest I will ever get to time travel. So by the time you read this the floor will be covered in Christmas Tree needles, there will only be a quart of turkey curry still to get through and we will have already had to endure enough jokes about 2020 vision and the like from tabloid headline writers to last a lunchtime.You can always distract yourself from such niggles by checking out some live music, which is, understandably, a bit thin on the ground but what there is is certainly worth the effort. [ 442 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/12/23/januarys-musical-musings/

It’s odd writing a What’s On guide for January this in early December (such is the nature of the deadlines and stuff) but I guess it is the closest I will ever get to time travel. So by the time yo…

Over the last year or so I have found myself musing on the thought that surely in such a dark age, in the face of wideni...
14/12/2019

Over the last year or so I have found myself musing on the thought that surely in such a dark age, in the face of widening social divides and entrenched, broken political debate that there would be more music being made echoing the thoughts of those looking to kick back. I often point out that rock 'n' roll, punk, hip-hop and the like were all born out of frustration and social change, disaffection and rage. [ 513 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/12/14/the-thoughts-of-chairman-moi-vi-great-scott-the-mans-on-to-something/

Over the last year or so I have found myself musing on the thought that surely in such a dark age, in the face of widening social divides and entrenched, broken political debate that there would be…

Finally, a Christmas song I can get behind. Okay, there have been a few that have tickled the old seasonal baubles befor...
09/12/2019

Finally, a Christmas song I can get behind. Okay, there have been a few that have tickled the old seasonal baubles before…Fairytale of New York (currently the subject of its own PC hyperbole due to MacGowan’s typical choice words, God knows what would happen if anyone in power really looked into some of his songs,) Stop The Cavalry and Give Peace a Chance (with their anti-war messages) are most of the short list which work for me. [ 222 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/12/09/no-ones-trying-to-stop-you-saying-christmas-phil-cooper/

Finally, a Christmas song I can get behind. Okay, there have been a few that have tickled the old seasonal baubles before…Fairytale of New York (currently the subject of its own PC hyperbole due to…

There can’t be many musical genres which cling tighter to the nostalgic sounds of their own past than rock ’n’roll. Punk...
07/11/2019

There can’t be many musical genres which cling tighter to the nostalgic sounds of their own past than rock ’n’roll. Punk perhaps, but there is something about the golden age of rock’n’roll’s, admittedly massively influential sound, which its devotees seem to wish to protect from the ravages of time and influences of the modern age. And although it provided the shock treatment which allowed the modern musical era to be ushered in, surely it shouldn’t be required to exist in a crepe-shoed, pre-pubescent, nostalgia bubble. [ 315 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/11/07/devils-music-the-empty-chairs-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/

There can’t be many musical genres which cling tighter to the nostalgic sounds of their own past than rock ’n’roll. Punk perhaps, but there is something about the golden age of rock’n’roll’s, admit…

Now that the seasonal chill is setting in, the big coat has been taken out of mothballs and evenings no longer lend them...
01/11/2019

Now that the seasonal chill is setting in, the big coat has been taken out of mothballs and evenings no longer lend themselves to outdoor entertainment, thoughts naturally turn back to live gigs taking place in the warmth and hospitality of the proper music venues. And for those looking to reap the obvious rewards which come from checking out the original portion of the sonic menu, there is plenty to choose from this month. [ 453 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/11/01/novembers-musical-musings/

Now that the seasonal chill is setting in, the big coat has been taken out of mothballs and evenings no longer lend themselves to outdoor entertainment, thoughts naturally turn back to live gigs ta…

A couple of weeks back those awfully nice people at Songs of Praise put on a bit of a blinder of a show. Ex- Case Hardin...
13/10/2019

A couple of weeks back those awfully nice people at Songs of Praise put on a bit of a blinder of a show. Ex- Case Hardin main man Pete Gow was the headline draw aided and abetted by a band drawn from the great and good of the Clubhouse Record's roster and a 5-piece string section. In a church! On a Saturday Night! [ 280 more words ]
https://greenmanbsp.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/the-adventures-of-self-raising-lazarus-ix-songs-of-praise-indeed/

A couple of weeks back those awfully nice people at Songs of Praise put on a bit of blinder of a show. Ex- Case Hardin main man Pete Gow was the headline draw aided and abetted by a band drawn from…

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