Alumnia & Torn Sails

By now label Claremont 56 should hardly need an introduction... Quickly then, the domain of Paul 'Mudd' Murphy has been the source of some of the finest music and diggers collections available on scenes with or without names in recent years. With truly classic releases from Fist Of Facts, Holger Czuckay, Bison, Smith & Mudd, Dog Eat Dog, Ahmed Fakroun, Icasol and Blackbelt Anderson, superb remixes by the Idjut Boys, Lexx and more and supreme diggers compilations from Joylon Green, Matthew Burgess, Sean P, Felix Dickinson & Mark Seven, you know you're where great passion and serious talent dwell.

The label has two new releases, already on Piccadilly Records Pre Order lists. Alumnia's debut album 'New Moon' pitches Psyche and dubby live Disco into the mix, forging a kind of sun bleached west coast Disco not Disco, imagine Arthur Russell living in Colorado via LA and you've half got it. Ok clever descriptions aside, the record is wonderful; I love the Pink Floydy title track and also 'Moving Up Slowly', a weighty drifting epic for beards. 'Kissing Time', another favourite, is a near perfect, dusty Pop gem that's been on playback in my head since I first heard it. Like many of Claremont's records 'New Moon' could easily be called Balearic, but Alumnia's 'Dos Estrellas' for example, is so well constructed, so beautifully written that it's better to call it classic; what really matters is you and i will be playing this record for years to come. Check out the fantastic 'L&G Psychedlic' on Soundcloud or that top title track below.

Almunia - New Moon by Claremont 56

The other record Claremont has waiting in the wings is by Torn Sails, it's even more West Coast than the Alumnia side, it's also similarly a must have. Torn Sails are from Nottingham (not very West Coast I realize), fronted by Huw Costin (vocalist for Smith & Mudd), the bands single 'Birds' comes as a double pack 12", with the first part hitting stores shortly. What an incredible track, it's right up there with the best of John Martyn or CSN; 'Birds' starts out as an achingly beautiful acoustic meander and quickly develops into a 'soaring over canyons' even Laurel Canyon'esque classic. Flip the record over for Tiago's milestone remix; in the interest of trying not to write the word 'classic' in this post again, 'track of the year' will do it. no jokes... essential purchase right!!!

go check the youtube vid of the original track here... do it!!