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LP
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HAM 013LP
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The Big Eyes Family Players, a loose collective based around Sheffield, England-based artist James Green, present Oh!, their first album since Folk Songs II (Static Caravan, 2012) and their first album of original material since 2009's Warm Room. The group, who have previously collaborated with the likes of James Yorkston, Alasdair Roberts, and Rachel Grimes, recorded Oh! as a slimmed-down five-piece with a sound that veers more toward the '60s psychedelic pop of the likes of The United States of America and Broadcast than it does toward the instrumentals or folk songs for which Big Eyes are perhaps best known. Oh! consists mainly of vocal-led songs written by James Green and Heather Ditch, with themes ranging from family dysfunction to hauntings and fictional historical events. The centerpiece of the album is the dramatic "Joyce," which concerns the true story of Joyce Vincent, who was found dead in her apartment in London three years after she died. Another highlight, the wonderful "Song for Thirza," is the only cover on the album -- a little-known song by Lal Waterson about a girl who lived with the Waterson family, rescued from the workhouse in the 1950s. The sound of the album is perhaps best described as psychedelic pop, with fizzing organs and droning synths, flutes, reverbed guitars and bass, and playful drums swirling around Ditch's delay-soaked vocals. Oh! was recorded in Sheffield, England, and produced by Sheffield music-maestro Dean Honer (I Monster, Eccentronic Research Council, The Moonlandingz). It features contributions on viola and musical saw from Aby Vulliamy (The National Jazz Trio of Scotland, Trembling Bells, Aidan Moffat). Artwork by Yorkshire, England-based design and print artist Laura Slater. Includes download code. Edition of 250.
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