Artist Matt Sewell, best known for his birds, has also dabbled in music creation with a couple of brilliant and eclectic mix CDs and two EPs with Newcastle-based Chris Tate (AKA Score) as Sewell & The Gong. Their debut LP ‘Patron Saint of Elsewhere’ is a joyous romp.
It starts like a pastoral Spacemen 3 with a synth klaxon inviting you into their soundworld, which mixes the heart and happiness of a Lemon Jelly with the sound design of early Four Tet and folk-rock legends Pentangle. None of those comparisons do it justice. Sewell and Tate have created a a trippy, trancey, hands-in-the-air delight. It should be compulsorily played at every festival this summer.
Speaking of summer, our very own Chris Coco has a new LP out. After the psychedelic swirl of his last album ‘Daydream Utopia’, Chris is back in party mode with ‘Coco de la Isla’. It is a compilation of sorts, collecting together a bunch of tracks that did not really fit elsewhere to produce a tribute to the white isle of Ibiza. Much as you might experience on the island, you’ll find late night dancing, contemplative sunsets, some hippy-dippy utopianism and even an accordion-driven cowboy merengué of sorts.
Two albums of contrasting beauty up next… If Julee Cruise was signed to Erased Tapes in 2025 she might sound something like Ambre Ciel. This is absolutely heartbreakingly gorgeous late night beauty – timeless.
While guitarist Johnny Nash is known for his sun-blasted pastoral beauty, his latest LP retains the balearic pastoral vibe he has almost perfected but ambles from a scorching afternoon in the sun to a balmy dusk on ‘Once was ours forever’.
Reissue of the month
This sublime collection of Carl Craig’s greatest and obscurest. It’s a real treat. Listening to the likes of At Les or Galaxy is to be in the presence of something very special. Quite simply, some of the greatest music of the late twentieth century.
The Chill Out Tent 
Leave a comment