Labels: Shorter Recordings
Review by: Oli Saunders
Wow, this is incredible. Gorgeous packaging, the outside artwork being by now well recognised (we’re 21 releases in, and I own more Graham Repulski releases than any other band). And, contained within, three tapes, coloured green, pink and yellow. 41 songs in 54 minutes overall.
Off we go with the EP ‘Re-arranged At Hotel Strange’, and ‘Ego Tripp, Pt. III’ is a fitting start, with the a simple strummed guitar providing the backdrop for those vocals. A tambourine pitches in too. Graham at his simplest but perhaps his best too. Of course, we’re not going to get 41 of those and he makes track two finish as it seems to get going before just playing a bunch of sounds, some recorded backwards, on the third song. I find that I enjoy Graham Repulski most when it’s just on in the background and I get a general feel of what’s going on. When I listen intently I do start to question myself. ‘Dick Kicker’ is a standout on this EP – I’m a sucker for the three-chord guitar. ‘Robin, Run’ is a lovely outro.
Onto ‘Contaminated Man’, it starts okay. Then we arrive at ‘Theme From Short Circuit’ which is magnificent. This is followed by ‘Rubber Dub’ which is just a machine type sound with some (backwards?) chanting at the end. ‘Films On Tape’ afterwards makes hardly and more sense. But it’s what we’ve come to expect by now. The EP takes a few songs to pick back up, which it does with the morose ‘Dick Slip’. ‘Instrumental Scott Lucas’ is a unique track where Graham showcases something different in his talents, before ‘The Next Great Cake’, at a whopping 4 and a half minutes, finishes the EP in fine style, building up slowly and then driving forward strongly.
This leaves ‘Boy Lung’. The opening track, ‘(I’ll Probably) Raise You’, once again pulls me in. It’s simplicity is clear but it strikes a chord. The sort of song I can put on repeat for a good while. Then ‘Wolfington’s War Memorabilia, Pt. I’ half goes off on one but is kept in check by Graham’s vocals and the guitar and drums. There are more weird and wonderful tracks (a final shout out to the thirty second ‘Witness This’) but you’ve got the idea by now. A good starting point for anyone who’s never checked Graham Repulski out and a memorable release for fans.
24th August 2016