Best New Music: Eccentronic Research Council / The Moonlandingz – ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’
The first time I heard a song by Eccentronic Research Council I was not particularly swayed, but there had to be some virtue in them being the first artists signed to Fat White Family’s Without Consent Records, right? Well it seems they’ve delivered – ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ is a manic, electronic psych-pop splutter that’s completely intoxicating. The eponymous lyric reminds me of a Lou Reed swoon from ‘This Magic Moment’, except with loopy, organ-like electronics spiralling off at every opportunity like some maddened ’60s psychonaut experiment.
Even more exciting, though, is the story behind the band’s forthcoming record, ‘Johnny Rocket, Narcissist And Music Machine…I’m Your Biggest Fan’. It is, apparently, written from the perspective of an obsessive fan of the “local band” ‘The Moonlandingz’ (comprising members of both ERC and Fat White Family) – who gig around the fictional South Yorkshire district of Valhalla Dale, as made evident in the video for ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ here. The record details this particular fan’s behaviour as it tips over into stalking, before plummeting dramatically into something far worse.
I had somewhat doubted ERC before I’d heard this, but I now I’m totally willing to eat my hat. I can’t wait to hear what comes next.
