LOST CROWNS
Every Night Something Happens
(2019 - Bad Elephant - UK)

https://lostcrowns.bandcamp.com/

Up above the clouds was this band, and their music, which was filled with illustrious and magical aural ingredients. This collection of musicians came from other prestigious groups that also created musical summits. When these gathering of musical artists completed their very first album, it was a glorious thing that the world had never heard the likes of before.

I have spoken before about a secret ceremony all the members of the Cardiac disciples (and related offshoots) must bestow upon each human that enters the ring of making this prodigious level of music. In the case of Lost Crowns. the magical mystery is present in gobs. Birds of a feather flock together can also be applied. The music is so far beyond fantastic, a new word needs inventing. Stupendous, mind-blowing, earthshaking...all these come attached. From the first few seconds of the psychedelic, eastern almost Scottish bagpipe lead (thanks to James Larcombe, brother of Richard for the hurdy gurdy), right into a very Gong/tunnel vision otherworldly Canterbury procession, the audience is mesmerized. Including some truly beautiful early Gentle Giant style vocal and instrumental odd rhythm structures, the nearly overwhelming contents of each composition simple astounds.

 

Richard Larcombe (lead vocal, guitar, handbells) from Stars In Battledress/North Sea Radio Orchestra/Admirals Hard/William D. Drake and a host of other guest appearance and projects, who worked over a four year period to write these tunes, called upon Nicola Baigent (clarinet, bass clarinet, recorder) of North Sea Radio Orchestra/William D. Drake; Charlie Cawood (bass guitar) of Knifeworld/Lost Crowns/Mediaeval Baebes/My Tricksy Spirit/Spiritwo/Tonochrome and you can loose count of all the guest spots and a solo, with another almost out; Sharron Fortnam (vocals) of North Sea Radio Orchestra/The Shrubbies/Arch Garrison/William D. Drake/Not a Good Sign; Keepsie (drums, handbells) of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ only the band knows who he is, as it remains a mystery on purpose; Rhodri Marsden (piano, harmonium, electric piano, bassoon, saw, harpsichord, vocals) of Kev Hopper/Prescott/The Free French/Scritti Politti/and many guest spots, as well as being a London journalist/musician; Josh Perl (synthesizer, vocals, handbells) of Knifeworld, and appearing on Charlie Cawood's 'The Divine Abstract'; Mark Cawthra (vocals on 'Housemaid's Knees' and 'Let Loving Her Be Everything') of Cardiac Arrest [the first version of Cardiacs formed in 1977] /Cardiacs/Redbus Noface; James Larcombe (hurdy gurdy on 'Housemaid's Knees' and 'The Star Of My Heart') of Stars In Battledress/Knifeworld/North Sea Radio Orchestra/William F. Drake/Admirals Hard and plenty of guest spots among various albums; and finally Joanne Spratley (vocals on 'Sound As Color') of Mikrokosmos/Spratleys Japs, and guest spots on North Sea Radio Orchestra/William D. Drake/Vennart/ZOFFF among others. All songs written, arranged and produced by Richard Larcombe and mixed by Rhodri Marsden.

Richard chose these good people to breathe new life into his works. They not only made the 8 songs come alive, but injected a colossal lifeblood that created a new kind of creature. Turn the volume up to catch every nuance and the full effect. Although little chance of anyone describing Lost Crowns in a simple way, but it first struck me as a long lost Canterbury band's spectacular debut, that blows the ceiling off the music world. The bar has been raised again. As Richard said, the spirit of Tim Smith is being carried on here, and no question 'Every Night Something Happens' could have been produced by Smith.

With the infusion of a spacey atmosphere (similar to the way Steve Hillage made happen on his 'Fish Rising' album), an abundance of polyrhythms, and as many as four members on vocals at a time, plus arrangement of instrumentation in the utopian realms, the fragments of early music, stealth doses of folk and hard to categorize stylings, with overall psychedelic ghosts, this music will elate William D. Drake and late period Cardiac fans, plus cast new nets for the people who love madness mixed with mathrock, and methodical razzmatazz. Without doubt, a TOP CHOICE for 2019 for my list. An astronomical release that comes with a MAMMOTH RECOMMENDATION!  

  ©Reviewed by Lee Henderson  3 - 6 - 2019