The Pop Corporation

We’ve been treated to a preview of new music from the brilliant Cheapskate – someone we first became aware of via the magical ‘Un Film Imaginaire’ cassette, which saw the multi-instrumentalist wandering between spy soundtracks, scratchy jazz and glorious, home-hewn pop. It was fun, it was fragile, it was nimble, it bore repeated listens, and we’re ever so glad he’s been pottering around the toolshed again.

Between then and now, there was the gorgeous ‘Lamps’ which had echoes of Basil Kirchin and loner-folk private press things, and with the new work, it feels like the aerials have been picking up late-nite Soho jazz, from the likes of Kenny Graham’s ‘The Small World Of Sammy Lee’ soundtrack, or John Cameron’s ‘Kes’ work.

Intimate and ambling.

There’ll be a new LP called ‘Stumbling’ in December, and before that, something of an excerpt from it called ‘Remember When’. Alongside the witching hour jazz is something almost post-rock, like a Tortoise side-project rather than wilfully awkward time-signature workouts – think field recordings and nostalgic collages and noir-ish loveliness.

It’s stylish stuff, and all filled with beautiful little quirks and imperfections from the warm analogue equipment, allowing for a lightness on the ear in a very cluttered climate. There’ll be vinyl and cassettes for you to buy, so keep an eye on his Bandcamp.

Reviews to come, but for now, some beautiful artwork to look at while it marinades in our ears.