Telescopes - Songs of Love and Revolution

  by Steve Kinrade

published: 8 / 3 / 2021

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Review

The Telescopes have been kicking the tyres in the musical forecourt since 1987, and have enjoyed many a record label collaboration over the years, here and abroad. Headed up by Stephen Lawrie , they are purveyors of noise, experimental and space rock, with a nice pinch of psychedelic thrown into the mix. ‘Songs of Love and Redemption’ - their twelfth album - is heavy stuff, and not one for the faint hearted. For those of us not immediately dwelling in the Telescopes constituency, it is a challenging first listen. All good things must, however, be worked at, and repeated listenings differentiate the Yang from the Ying, the Love from the Revolution. This is a band who inhabit a particular sonic environment, and yet are not artistically constrained by it. Monotone beats, constant feedback avalanches, serrated guitars act as worthy counterpoints to Lawrie’s deadpan vocal drawl. It’s experimental, yet manages to hold the attention. Suffice to say, for the converted ‘Songs Of Love and Revolution’ will be a welcome addition to the canon; to the uninitiated, a surprisingly accessible introduction.

Track Listing:-

1 This is Not a Dream
2 Strange Waves
3 Mesmerised
4 Come Bring Your Love
5 This Train
6 Songs of Love and Revolution
7 You're Never Alone with Despair
8 We See Magic and We Are Neutral, Unnecessary
9 Haul Away The Anchor

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/thetelescopes
http://www.thetelescopes.com/
https://thetelescopes.bandcamp.com/

Label Links:-

http://www.tapeterecords.de/
https://www.facebook.com/tapeterecords
https://twitter.com/tapete
https://www.youtube.com/user/tapeterec